Les Sablettes

Summer? Is it finally here?

We are looking at the Old Town with the Sablettes beach below. This is a public beach and at the far end, you'll find the 'Fish Spa' we saw yesterday.

A Thousand Kisses...

Fancy getting rid of that dead skin on your feet? Easy - give the 'cleaner fish' some lunch!

This is the first 'Fish Spa' on a beach in France (Les Sablettes in Menton) and is advertised as an ecological way to clean your feet with a 'thousand kisses' from the 'massage' or 'doctor' fish. It costs 10 euros for 15 minutes. 18 euros for two adults. 5 for a child and if you want an hour it will cost you 28 euros. The water is treated constantly with ultra violet light to keep it clean - this also makes the fish sterile.

Fish Spas are a fashionable treatment to be found in Japan, China, South Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, the USA and the Philippines, usually in beauty parlours or attached to aquariums. It's not a new idea - the most famous is the Kangal Spa in Turkey which has been in operation since the early 1900's.

I asked if the fish are fed and the guy said he gives very little food as the best nourishment for them is dead skin.

Would you have a 'Fish Spa' treatment?

Multi-tasking

Perhaps he's texting the fish...

Power Boat Racing - the Start and the Photographer

Look first at the photographer below. That's the camera I need to take a good shot. Never mind, the best I could do on a dull day. The boat is the starter boat about to let them go on this particular heat.

Power Boat Racing - the Launch

Recently Menton held a two-day festival of Power Boat Racing. The sun had deserted us but it didn't stop the enthusiasm of contestants as their boats were winched up and then lowered into the sea.

Lavender

Lavender in the square near the ancient Château of Gorbio.

The sign says -

Thankyou for not cutting the lavender - (the residents).

Vernissage in the Village - Manish Nai Limbachiya

The young Indian artist Manish Nai Limbachiya wasn't able to attend the Vernissage but was represented by his agent, a lovely Indian lady called Sharan - small photo.

Manish Nai Limbachiya was born in 1980 in Mumbai. From a simple family, his father owned a jute factory but he lost his sight in the Mumbai bombings and now Manish Nai works in jute, removing or retaining individual threads in designs that represent sound waves. His father can feel with his fingers exactly what his son has created.

In the main photo, you can see the beautiful vaulted ceiling of the restored Château in Gorbio village which makes a great exhibition space.

Note: Some of you may remember the village wedding a couple of years ago. In particular a photo of a lady with arthritic hands. That same lady is on the left of the photo above. Do click to see her then.

Vernissage in the Village - the Introduction

Meet Monsieur Luc Lanlo. Luc is a distinguished gentleman who lives half the year in Gorbio and half in Menton. He is Art Advisor on Modern and Contemporary Indian Art and at one time was Deputy Mayor of Menton and Cultural Advisor.

This evening, standing under one of the olive trees, he is introducing the artists to the crowd gathered in front of the Château at the top of the village.

Watching a Frenchman's hands as he talks is the best entertainment. They do it so expressively and adorably. Look carefully at his left hand and that precise way the thumb and first finger touch. Poetry!

In the smaller photo we see the Mayor of Gorbio, Monsieur Michel Isnard, himself a distinguished artist and a mayor who works tirelessly for the village, bringing us so many fabulous cultural activities as we'll see as the summer goes on. In the centre is one of the artists, Michèle Kleijnen, whose work we saw yesterday.

Vernissage in the Village - the Installation

Not only is Gorbio one of the most beautiful medieval perched villages in the Alpes-Maritimes, it is also one that promotes so many cultural events during the year.

A couple of nights ago, at the recently restored château at the top of the village, there was a vernissage presenting the work of two talented young artists.

Here we see Michèle Kleijnen, a Belgian artist, who lives and works at her atelier in Menton. Colour, as you can see, is her passion and here she has worked with bamboo creating this installation. You can read about Michèle and and see more of her body of work by clicking on the link.

The Rake's Progress

It's Sunday. Let's be kids - perhaps we still are regardless of our age. I hope so.

The garden of the Serre de la Madone in Menton recently ran a hands-on workshop to teach children the joys of gardening, hence the decorated rakes and the scarecrow that welcomed them.

Garlic, Ail, Aiglio!

Garlic - fresh or dried, French or Italian - it's all available in Menton and Ventimiglia. The main shot and the smaller one were taken in Italy (as you can tell by the red, white and green packaging.) The last shot - dried garlic - was photographed in Menton market.

A Taste of Garlic is a fascinating blog by Brit Keith Eckstein. Keith has lived in Brittany for seven years and each time he posts he reviews a different blog about France. He writes 'because we all like reading blogs about life in France.' Take a look - it's a must for Francophiles.

Menton Daily Photo was lucky enough to be featured one day a few months back. Do click on the link to read Keith's review.

So today, Keith, this is for you - a Taste of Garlic, with love.

Arco Musica - Strings and Shadows

Our last day at the concert in Gorbio's church. Late in the concert, when the sun poured in, the instruments created interesting shadows.

In the smaller photo, the wonderfully enthusiastic conductor, Serge Stapffer, jumped up and down, conducting with an incredible energy that he passed on to the musicians - and us. And below one of the cellists - she is serious in this shot but often she was grinning to herself, so throughly did she love the music. She was a joy to watch and listen to, as were the whole ensemble. Bravo!

Arco Musica - the Soloists

The two young soloists were brilliant. In the last photo, as you see, they are exhausted, hot and sweaty having played their hearts out. Their Albinoni Adagio for strings was sensational.

Their names: Marie Jee-Hae-Maes and Morgan Bodinaud.

Arco Musica - the Young Violinist

This beautiful young girl trained at the Conservatoire of Music in Monaco.

In the first photo, taken towards the end of the concert in Gorbio's church, her bow is caught by sunlight. It poured in from windows at the far end of the church and made her bow look rather like Darth Vader's light sabre in Star Wars.

Arco Musica - Watching the Conductor

Two nights ago a string orchestra played in the church in the village of Gorbio. The 5 euros to enter goes towards the restoration of the facade of Eglise St. Barthélémy.

The group, made up of musicians of all ages, is called Arco Musica and they were astonishing. Beautiful music - we heard Mozart, Bach, Albinoni, Vivaldi, Grieg, Sibelius and so on.

The small photo shows the 1st violin about to give a note to the rest of the group so they can tune-up.

Trompette

Absolutely the best courgette is this one - long and skinny and with beautiful flowers - and called trompette. It's more dense than the usual courgette and with a divine flavour.

These photos were taken in Ventimiglia market but they could equally have been taken in Menton. I wonder if this same courgette is available everywhere?

Ventimiglia Old Town - NO ENTRY!

Quite a few streets in the Old Town were dangerous to walk on. Roads dug up - perhaps to install drainage - wobbly planks of wood cover the work. This sign says something like 'Access denied. Specialized workers only.' Some people don't speak Italian or understand No Entry signs!

Ventimiglia Old Town - Road Works

It's one thing to live in the Old Town of Ventimiglia - it's quite another to dig up the roads. The passageways and streets are narrow so all the materials - and the rubble - is moved about in a small machine. Boards are slung across narrow sloping streets. It's time-consuming work. The guys were great and as soon as they saw me taking photos, they stopped work and wanted their photo taken. Oh those Italians!

Ventimiglia Old Town

Whilst I often cross the Italian border to shop in Ventimiglia - they have a great market - it wasn't until last week that I walked up through the medieval Old Town that looms over the Roya.

Why did I wait so long? Look at it - so gloriously unspoiled - hardly any tourists - life goes on. You may remember a recent post with the woman with the cigarette in her mouth as she bashed a carpet outside her window - she lives in the Old Town. As you wander these old streets, you get the feeling the people know - just know - this is the way to live a life.

The dog is called Wolf and is thirteen years old - bare patches on his back. You can see a close-up of Wolf on Riviera Dogs today.

Tits on my Terrace

A couple of years ago a friend gave me this nesting box which I fixed under a corner of the terrace roof. I didn't think it was a 'real' nesting box, but probably 'garden decor' so it was a surprise when a month or so ago a couple of coal tits started checking it out - flew in, flew out again. Perhaps they thought the rent might be too high. Or perhaps it was simply unsuitable - too near humans (I eat at the terrace table) and of course, far too much noise from the dogs. But then they were back, checking it out again - it seemed the accommodation might do. Time passed and I thought they'd changed their minds, until a couple of weeks ago when things got busy. Suddenly Ma and Pa Coal Tit started flying in and out all day long, endlessly feeding their obviously now hatched brood. In their beaks: spiders, grasshoppers and little bits of the fatty balls I hang out for all the birds. And each day the chicks' cries got louder and more demanding.

Yesterday, over breakfast, for the first time, the chicks fluttered up to the tiny entrance and then dropped down again. It seemed it might soon be time for them to fly away.

And so yesterday morning I took my camera out just in case, but the light was too bright on the box, the sun too strong. The camera went back into the house. Over breakfast and deep in conversation with friends who are staying, suddenly, one fledgling appeared, looked around, leaned forward and then launched itself into a new life. Its first flight. As I said, the camera was inside the house... grrrrrrrrrrrrr!

So, from that moment on I waited with the camera - didn't move - and then about an hour later, chick number two appeared - as you see in the photo. It looked around, went back in, looked around again, noticed the sea and the sunshine and then - whoosh - it was off too. Maybe there was a third but I don't think so. Anyway, now the box is empty.

I can't begin to tell you the feeling of privilege one has when birds nest on your terrace. Hope they come back next year. And yes, I'm no bird photographer but at least you see the chick in the first two shots a mere second before it flew for the first time in its life - and Mama Coal Tit in the last one (taken the day before).

For great bird photography, you need to visit Abe Lincoln's brilliant My Birds Blog. Yes, that Abe Lincoln - he's a descendant of the great man and lives in Ohio but hasn't been too well lately. This post is for you, dear Abe. Get well soon.