Vaïmater and the Duckling

Meet Vaïmater - a three year old daughter of the village and so proud of her baby duckling.

The Washing Line

Washing hanging on a line in Gorbio village. With the warmth of the sun, it won't take long to dry. What is it about medieval villages and washing that is so fascinating? I'm forever photographing washing hanging below windows or on lines in gardens.

The smaller photo shows how far away the washing is.

Seeing Double

Another chance to see yesterday's lady with the fan. Today we are inside the villa of the Serre de la Madone.

The smaller photo is taken as a few people gathered early prior to the exhibition opening. Later, the place was packed out.

A special treat: the medieval village of Gorbio was honoured by a visit from Barbie the other day. To see - click on Barbie of the Day.

The Fan

Before living here I used to think of a fan as something used in a theatre production or perhaps bought in a fairground. In Menton it's quite usual to see women fanning themselves on a warm evening.

This lady is listening to an artist welcoming us to the vernissage of his exhibition at the Serre de la Madone.

I wouldn't mind her cheekbones!

Android in a Medieval Village

Wander through the medieval village of Gorbio and amazingly you come across this sign which, if you have an iPhone and the right App you simply take a photo of the 2D Tag (bar code) and you will then get a commentary relating to where you are in the village. I don't have an iPhone so can't try it but I imagine you get photos too or perhaps a video. These signs are throughout the village at all the main points of interest.

Isn't technology amazing! It's extraordinary to walk on ancient cobbles in narrow streets and come upon these signs. Old and new. Ancient and modern.

Infographie and the Teacher

We are continuing our visit to the exhibition of students work from the Ecole Municipale des Arts Plastiques.

Meet Christelle Esperto who teaches infographie - computer graphics or art made on the computer. You can see some examples of her students' work on the walls. Notice Johnny Depp in the smaller photo?

I wouldn't have a clue how this work is done but I understand that no original photograph is involved.

In the smaller photo you can see the Mayor of Menton in the foreground. The lady with him is the Principal of the school which takes students as young as 6 and with no top age limit.

Painting the Town...

Menton's glorious facade of the Old Town as painted in separate panels by students of the Ecole Municipale des Arts Plastiques. It was displayed at the Palais de l'Europe along with pottery, painting, photography etc.

In the smaller photo, visitors to the exhibition are pointing out individual houses in the finished work - and it was a big!

This would have worked fine for yesterday's 'bright colours' theme, wouldn't it?

Lady in Pink

Pink dress, crutches (one purple and one green) gold shoes, bright lipstick and eye shadow. I've seen this lady around Menton and despite the obvious difficulty she has in walking she doesn't let it get her down. The bright colours she wears suit her obviously sunny personality.

It's Theme Day in the City Daily Photo community and today's theme is BRIGHT COLOURS. Click on the link to see colour from around the world.

Sun, Shade and Silhouettes in Gorbio

Gorbio village. They knew what they were doing in medieval times when they built houses with such thick walls. The sun slams down yet the village stays shady and cool.

Mandragore

A great place for a glass of wine before dinner is the Mandragore in Place aux Herbes. Relax and watch the world pass by in this lovely square shaded with plane trees. The owner is a well-known Menton artist, Yves Bosio, who recently had a major retrospective at the Palais de l'Europe called '50 Years of Creation.' Click on the link for more info.

La Mer - Rounding the Lighthouse

We've left the port of Garavan. We are rounding the lighthouse which takes us out into open sea from where we see the Old Town on Menton with the mountains behind - and on this particular day - cloud cover.

Next we sail past Roquebrune-Cap-Martin and Monaco and on to Cap d'Ail, Eze, Beaulieu and our destination for a day on the water: a tiny bay off Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat but that was on Monte Carlo Daily Photo.

La Mer - Leaving Port

A mass of boats with the Old Town in the background and then... we start to leave the port.

Tomorrow: Rounding the Lighthouse.

La mer

It's incredibly hot and humid in Menton at the moment, so let's get out on a boat, cool down, and see what the town looks like from the sea.

First tho, we've arrived in the port of Garavan which is just before the Italian frontier.

The Three Bulldogs

This guy works at a dress stall opposite the market.

Left to right: Lady, Churchill and Petula. Woof-woof.

Hot Conversation

Sitting on this ancient stone bench under the plane trees in Place aux Herbes should keep these gentlemen cool.

Do you suppose they are complaining about the heat or talking about something deep and meaningful?

Beausejour - Yvan and Naïla

The Beausejour restaurant in the medieval village of Gorbio has been in the same family for four generations.

Yvan's wife Naïla uses her artistic flair to create a beautiful ambiance. Note the courgette plants growing outside and below, a ladybird appears on a leaf! And I love the flower pot declaring their love.

Beausejour - Menu in the Mirror

Not only is Yvan's wife, Naïla, the chef at the fabulous Beausejour restaurant in Gorbio but it is she who is responsible for the beautiful decor, inside and out. At the moment pots of courgettes (zucchini) are growing outside the restaurant and here is a simply placed mirror that reflects the vegetation.

The writing on the mirror proposes La Farandole, a mix of Gorbio specialities. Click on the link to take a look.

The Parvis of Prince Honoré III

This is the parvis of the Basilica. Parvis means 'square in front of the church. '

In 1757 Honoré III of Monaco used white and black pebbles to create the mosaic which represents weaponry and the Grimaldi's coat of arms. The curved 'H' signifies Honoré III. Menton, of course, was ruled by the Princes of Monaco until the French revolution.

After centuries of feet, the tops of some of the pebbles are worn totally flat. The photo below was taken very near the entrance to the church.

On the other hand...a few years ago we had massive flooding in Menton and the rampes (the steps leading up to the Parvis) and also perhaps the parvis itself, had to be restored. The flooding had lifted many of the pebbles. So perhaps the reason the tops of some pebbles are perfectly flat isn't the effect of centuries of wear but of fairly recent renovation and brand new cut stones. I prefer to think it was caused by feet over the centuries!

Going to Seed

Agapanthus are everywhere in Menton at the moment. In the photo below you see them in the beautiful gardens of the Serre de la Madone. The close-ups - and going to seed - are in my garden in Gorbio.

This is a South African plant that is more than happy in the south of France. It's a member of the lily family, hence the common name of African Lily or Lily of the Nile.

Smoke

Two young girls having a night out on Bastille Day at L'Olimpo, an Italian restaurant on the pedestrian street.

Why do young girls smoke?