Cimitière du Vieux Château

Yesterday's photograph was taken from one of the lower levels of the Old Cemetery. You can see the two steeples here and in that photograph.

Here we are looking down at the cemetery from the gardens of a house near to the Camping Saint Michel - a lovely part of Menton called Les Ciappes (near to le Fossan) and with wonderful views, as you see. The road you see is the Route de Castellar, a village way above Menton.

The Resting Place

Statuary on top of the Chapel des Penitents Blancs provides a resting place for seagulls. Taken from the cemetery directly above the Old Town.

Street Theatre - the Sunglasses

These sunglasses were very much part of this young actress's wardrobe.

In the smaller photogaph - a helping hand from one student to another.

Street Theatre - Bimbo Circo

On every corner in Menton it seemed there was street theatre - here, at the Place du Cap, a circus act. These are a group of Italian children, Bimbo Circo, getting ready to perform on their mono-bikes.

Street Theatre - the Pedestrians

This is the finale of yesterday's Italian street theatre. The boy, lifted aloft, has a white face.

Note the two people walking in front of the sitting audience - the lady with the gold bag and the man with grey hair. Both oblivious, it seems, to what is going on.

Street Theatre - Blood

Nearly 700 children and adolescents took part in a day of street theatre recently. It was organised by the Service Education of Menton and called 'Rencontres Franco-Italiennes de Rue' and took place throughout the Old Town. The young actors came from Liguria, Piemont , the Var and the Alpes-Maritimes - which included, of course, Menton.

This young girl was part of an Italian group. I haven't a clue what it was all about but she was a good actress.

Note: the shop is the background is the Menton health shop for invalids - so she's in the right place!

Chuckeroon's Menton - Facade

Today is the last day of this Guest Photographer series and Chuckeroon shows us the facade of the Old Town taken from the beach - one photograph in black and white and one in colour.

Thank you so much to Peter, Nathalie, Richard and Chuckeroon for sending their photos and most of all for the good times we had together. It's been just fascinating seeing how these talented photographers see Menton, Roquebrune, Gorbio and Monte Carlo.

I learned so much - how to see the 'bigger' picture and not always focus on the detail. Seeing shadows and reflections. And also learning to remember when I've changed settings on my camera! Don't ask!

Thanks Guys, come back soon!

Tomorrow - normal service will be resumed...

Richard's Menton - the Old Town

This is a shot of the Old Town I just love - but I'd never thought of presenting it in black and white before. Of course, when the photograph is taken by Richard, then it's not a surprise. You can see all of Richard's Menton shots, (including Roquebrune, Gorbio and Monte Carlo) some taken on digital and some on film, by clicking on the link.

Nathalie's Menton - the Beetle

Photographed by Nathalie on the ancient donkey track to Gorbio village.

Peter's Menton - La Mer

Peter's photograph says it all really - the Mediterranean and palm trees. Click on the link to see a beautiful collage of photographs Peter took in the medieval village of Roquebrune.

Chuckeroon's Menton - Erigeron karvinskianus

A long name for this small daisy-like plant photographed by Chuckeroon. You see it everywhere in the south of France, tumbling out of walls and seeding very easily. It's a very useful plant to fill gaps in a garden but beware, it can take over.

Richard's Menton - the Parvis

In Richard's photo we are looking over a corner of the parvis (the square in front of the Basilica) down the rampes to the beach and the sea.

The mosaic decoration on the parvis was created in 1757 by Honoré III and is made of white and black stones formed in diamond shapes to depict the weapons of the princes. The rounded 'H' was the initial of the sovereign.

A few years ago - maybe seven, maybe more - we had terrible rains in November, just endless, and some of the rampes were badly damaged. Access was forbidden for months and eventually restoration was complete. It has been done well although one can tell the difference between the original stones and the new ones - perhaps not a suprise considering the difference in age and wear.

Of course you need none of this information to enjoy Richard's photograph.

Nathalie's Menton - Alyssa

On our last day, we went up to the medieval village of Gorbio to see the baptism of two village children, Alyssa and Kylian. Here you see Nathalie's beautiful portrait of little Alyssa before the ceremony.

Peter's Menton - Bougainvillea

A painted, cracked wall in the medieval village of Roquebrune by Peter. A perfect backdrop to bougainvillea.

Chuckeroon's Menton - Place Honoré II

This group of buildings form Place Honoré II, named in honour of the Prince of Monaco (1597-1662) who was responsible for the creation of many of the great buildings of Menton, including the beautiful Basilica. To the left of this 'place' you can walk up very (very!) steep steps to the Basilica, or you can choose to walk (more gently) through Porte St. Antoine, along Rue Longue and climb the rampes.

Bet you didn't know all this, Chuckeroon, when you took the photograph.

Richard's Menton - Life on the Côte d'Azur

Taken on Menton's rue Piétonne (pedestrian street) by Richard.

One of the many joys of life in Menton is sitting outside a bar watching the world go by...

Nathalie's Menton - Kir Pétillant

Look at the good things you find at the Beausejour, the beautiful restaurant in the square of Gorbio, a medieval village 7 kilometres above Menton.

In this photograph by Nathalie of Avignon, we are looking at Kir Pétillant - made with sparkling wine, as opposed to champagne, when it would be called Kir Royale. The flavours - lavande, coquelicot, rose and violette (lavender, poppy, rose and violet).

For lunch, we chose the restaurant's speciality, La Farandole, which you can see by clicking on the link.

Please visit Richmond-upon-Thames for Chuckeroon's photo of this drink. I think it went down rather well with the visitors!

Peter's Menton - the Postman

In the Old Town of Menton, Peter from Paris found the postman. Please click on Peter's link to see a marvellous collage and reportage of his time in Menton - so many marvellous photographs.

Some of you may remember the same postman last Christmas, when Rue Longue was still undergoing renovation. As you can see, in both photographs, he has the time of day for everyone - a good kind man.

Bloggers who climb Trees

What do bloggers do when they meet on the French Riviera? Why, they climb a 2000 year old olive tree in the medieval village of Roquebrune, of course!

In this ancient olive tree, meet, from left to right - Richard from Zurich, Nathalie from Avignon, Chuckeroon from Richmond-upon-Thames and Peter from Paris.

(Smaller photo: Richard, Nathalie, Peter, Chuckeroon)

For other views of this amazing tree and to read its history, please click on the link.

From tomorrow on this blog - and for the next couple of weeks - you'll be able to see photographs of Menton through the eyes of these talented photographers. Today, on Monte Carlo Daily Photo see Nathalie's vision of the casino.

Fabrizio from Turin was to have been here too but sadly, at the last minute, he couldn't make it. We missed you, Fabrizio and do hope you can make it next time.

May in Menton - Echium

Every year I show you this amazing plant so here is some of this year's growth for anyone who hasn't yet seen it. It grows wild in the south of France, seeds easily and is loved by bees and butterflies. It's called Echium 'Pride of Madeira.' It can get a bit leggy after a few years and sometimes gets so heavy it falls over. Time then to take cuttings for the next year.