Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (Nice, Marseille, Toulon) August 13-14, 2021
PROVENCE-ALPES-COTE d’AZUR
On my way to Amsterdam, this was my first stop in France. I drove the cornish above Monaco for some great views down to the city.
Trophy of Augustus (Tropaeum Alpium (Latin ‘Trophy of the Alps’, is a Roman trophy (tropaeum) built in 6 BC celebrating the emperor Augustus’s decisive victory over the 45 tribes who populated the Alps. The monument’s ruins are in La Turbie (France), a few kilometers from the Principality of Monaco.
The Alpine populations were defeated during the military campaign to subdue the Alps conducted by the Romans between 16 and 7 BC. The monument was built of stone from the Roman quarry located about 800 metres away, where traces of sections of carved columns are visible in the stone.
The monument as partially restored is 35 meters high. When built, according to the architect, the base measured 35 meters in length, the first platform 12 meters in height, and the rotunda of 24 columns with its statue of an enthroned Augustus is 49 metres high. One of the stones of the tower, which Pliny the Elder transcribed, contained the names of the tribes. It reads:
To the emperor, Caesar Augustus, son of the deified [Julius Caesar], Pontifex Maximus, hailed as Imperator for the 14th time, in his 17th year of tribunician power, the Senate and people of Rome [built this], in commemoration that, under his leadership and auspices, all the Alpine peoples, from the Upper Sea to the Lower Sea, were submitted to the Imperium of the Roman People. Conquered Alpine peoples
The monument originally served no military purpose and contained no fortress. Rather, it marked the boundary between Italy and Gallia Narbonensis, later pushed back to the Var River. Between the 12th and 15th centuries, however, the Trophy did become a fortress, with locals building houses around its walls. In 1705, when war broke out between Savoy and France during the War of the Spanish Succession, Louis XIV ordered the destruction of all fortresses in the region, including this one. The partially destroyed Trophy then became a quarry and its stones were used, among other things, to build the nearby church of Saint-Michel. The monument was partially restored in 1929 with funds from American philanthropist Edward Tuck.
The Trophy is situated on the Via Julia Augusta, named after Augustus, a continuation of the Via Aurelia which linked Vintimille to Cimiez (Nice). Various fountains within the territory of the communes of Beausoleil and Roquebrune-Cap-Martin are also said to be Roman. 6€
Construction began in 1908 with the two wings built at an open angle to each other, then the following year a loggia dining room and the large, central Rotonde were added.
Since it first became known in the second half of the 19th century, and up until the 1930s, the French Riviera remained almost exclusively a luxury destination. Most visitors were either wealthy individuals of independent means or royalty from northern countries, in particular England and Russia. They came only in winter and for long visits. Queen Victoria and her court, numerous aristocratic families, Princess Louise, the Duke of Connaught, President Paul Deschanel and many other politicians of the French 3rd Republic, the pianist Marguerite Long, the violinist Jacques Thibaud, and movie stars such as Charles Boyer, Charlie Chaplin, and many others were to follow.
Not until 1930 did a few unconventional visitors venture down to the Riviera in the summertime, mostly avant-garde writers and artists.
Upon reopening at the end of the war, the procession of the great, rich and famous continued; the European royal houses, lords and barons from England; the great entrepreneurs of finance and industry, and glittering literary and artistic celebrities. Other illustrious guests included the novelist Somerset Maugham, Charlie Chaplin, Winston Churchill and Aristotle Onassis. The legendary swimming instructor, Pierre Gruneberg, has given lessons to Picasso, as well to both Paul McCartney’s and Frank Sinatra’s children.
As of 2009, the Grand Hotel du Cap Ferrat contains 74 rooms (including 24 suites and the Penthouse), a 7,500 sq ft (700 m2) spa & fitness center and a 5,500 sq ft (510 m2) presidential suite, the Villa Rose-Pierre with its sea-view and pine grove.
Rooms 514€/night
NICE
Nice Cathedral. The original cathedral on the site, called St Mary of the Castle, was consecrated in 1049. Population growth led to extensions being built between 1455 and 1468. The construction of a new cathedral (the current main building) took place between 1650 and 1865. The prominent bell tower was built next to it between 1731 and 1757. In 1900 new side chapels replaced the former heavy baroque ornamentation.
The interior, also Baroque, includes ten chapels.
Negresco Hotel. Located on the Promenade des Anglais on the Baie des Anges in Nice, It was named after Henri Negresco (1868–1920), who had the palatial hotel constructed in 1912.
The spectacular Baccarat 16,309-crystal chandelier in the Negresco’s Royal Lounge was commissioned by Czar Nicholas II, who due to the October Revolution was unable to take delivery.
In 1957, it was sold to the Augier family who reinvigorated the hotel with luxurious decorations and furnishings, including an outstanding art collection and rooms with mink bedspreads. She also popularised it with celebrities. Noted for its doormen dressed in the manner of the staff in 18th-century elite bourgeois households, complete with red-plumed postilion hats, the hotel also offers gourmet dining at the Regency-style Le Chantecler restaurant.
The fifth floor of the hotel is for “VVIP” guests, which stands for “very, very important persons”. The hotel has a private beach, which is located across the street from the facility.
I went for a swim in Nice. The beach is very rocky and flips must be worn. It was a nice cold shower after to deal with the incredible heat.
CANNES
Monument aux Motts. The sculptor Albert Cheuret produced this war memorial paying homage to the fighters who died for France. It was inaugurated on November.
The monument is composed of a high octagonal hard stone pedestal surmounted by a bronze group consisting of four soldiers, an aviator, two infantrymen and a sailor carrying on a shield a winged Victory having in one hand a laurel wreath and in the other an olive branch.
On each side of the pedestal were placed bronze plaques with the names of the dead soldiers.
Promenade de la Croisette is a prominent road in Cannes that stretches along the shore of the Mediterranean Sea and is about 2 km long. The Croisette is known for the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès, where the Cannes Film Festival is held. Many expensive shops, restaurants, and hotels (such as the Carlton, Majestic, JW Marriott Cannes, and Martinez) line the road. It goes completely along the coastline of Cannes.
Intercontinental Carlton Cannes Hotel is a 343-room luxury hotel built in 1911, located at 58 La Croisette in Cannes on the French Riviera. The hotel building was built from 1909 to 1913 for Henry Ruhl, a Swiss hotelier.. Part of the InterContinental chain, the Carlton is famous for hosting movie stars from around the world during the annual Film Festival. Famously, the hotel was a central location for the Alfred Hitchcock film To Catch a Thief starring Grace Kelly and Cary Grant. In 1970 it featured in the Peter Sellers/Goldie Hawn comedy There’s a Girl in My Soup
In the summer of 1983, the hotel and its private beach featured prominently in the music video for the Elton John song I’m Still Standing. (The video also appears in the 2019 film Rocketman.) During the shooting of the video, the Carlton was the scene of a drunken party involving John and the band Duran Duran which has since become something of a legend at the hotel. Significant damages to the rooms in John’s suite resulted.
The Carlton’s elegant seventh-floor formal dining room was named La Belle Otero in her honour (this restaurant was closed and the entire seventh floor is a VIP floor comprising the hotel’s finest suites). There are a couple of restaurants: the Carlton Restaurant on the ground floor with a large outdoor terrace; and the Carlton Beach Restaurant. There is one bar: the Carlton Bar which serves as a hotel lounge (La Petite Bar, off the entrance lobby, was closed in 2015).
In April 2011, the prestigious hotel was sold by the investment bank Morgan Stanley to the Lebanese businessman Toufic Aboukhater, who owns several other InterContinental hotels.
The Carlton Cannes has been the target of several high-profile jewelry robberies. On 11 August 1994, three men brandishing automatic weapons entered the jewelry store in the hotel and proceeded to open fire. The thieves made off with over $60 million in jewelry and precious stones. After the investigation, it was determined that the thieves were firing blanks as no bullet holes were evident. The thieves have not been apprehended.
On 28 July 2013, a thief stole $137 million in jewels from the hotel in a daylight robbery. The jewelry was part of a temporary exhibition by mineralogist and Israeli billionaire Lev Leviev called Leviev Diamond House. No suspects have been charged with the heist.
Palais Bulles, Théoule-sur-Mer. (“Bubble Palace”) is a large house near Cannes that was designed by the Hungarian architect Antti Lovag. The 13,000 square metres house was built between 1975 and 1989 for a French industrialist, Pierre Bernard. After Bernard’s death in 1991, the house was bought by Pierre Cardin. The fashion designer never actually lived in it but declared “This palace has become my own bit of paradise. Its cellular forms have long reflected the outward manifestations of the image of my creations. It is a museum where I exhibit the works of contemporary designers and artists”.
In 2016, a five-year renovation by the French architect Odile Decq was completed. In March 2017, it was listed for sale with an asking price of €350 million but did not find a buyer. It could be rented to groups for $33,200 a day.
The house comprises a reception hall, panoramic lounge, 500-seat open-air amphitheatre, 10 bedrooms, various swimming pools, and waterfalls in extensive landscaped grounds. The Palais has 29 rooms, 11 bathrooms, and ten bedrooms that have each been decorated by a specific artist, including Patrice Breteau, Jerome Tisserand, Daniel You, François Chauvin, and Gerard Cloarec.
Le Pont des Fees (Fairy Bridge) is a drystone wall barring the valley built in 1763. It measures 29m long, 13m wide, and 7m high and crosses the Vologne River. It was a means of passage between the Saint-Mont and the Massif du Fossard. It was called at the time “the bridge of the Fies”, which, in patois means “spruces”. This variety of Vosges fir trees would then have given it its name since the Vologne, which it spans, crosses a dark spruce forest. A more romantic explanation of the name is that the bridge was where a fairy, who gave great feasts in her Saut des Cuves palace, attracted the knights. After having made them drink a potion, they lost all discernment and spent their night building this bridge before being released at dawn. This bridge was, until 1838, taken as a road leading to the Col de Martimpré.
In Grimaud in the hinterland of Saint-Tropez, the trail down to the bridge starts near the windmill and drops down into the valley 87m. The return crosses the old town of Grimaud and passes next to the castle.
Moulin Saint Roch, Grimaud. This sixteenth-century mill was renovated in the 90s but no longer functions. It was named after the chapel named after saint Rock that was built several hundred metres away. It is one of the town’s 4 windmills.
Pampelonne Beach, St Tropez
Archaeological Site of Olbia. This is the remnants of an ancient colony of Greeks (soldiers, fishermen and farmers there to secure the maritime trade of the Mediterranean. of Massalia, Marseille’s ancestor) from the 4th century BC, near Hyères. There is a small fortress, a square and divided into four equal quarters. Intact are the foundations of the fortifications, sewer systems, habitats, shops, shrines and baths. It prospered in Roman times after the capture of Marseille in 49 BC. In the Middle Ages, an abbey was built on the ancient ruins: St. Peter’s Abbey Almanarre active from the early 13th century until the late 14th century. Free
Pont Langlois (Van Gogh Bridge) is a double-levis bascule bridge in Arles, one of eleven identical bridges established along the Arles-Bouc navigation canal, inaugurated in 1837. The eleven bridges, built by a Dutch engineer 1820-1830, reminded Van Gogh of his homeland. Then it was called Langlois Bridge after the man who guarded it and handled the controls for lowering or raising the bridge. The bridge was destroyed in 1926 with the lock keeper’s house and replaced in 1930 by a 45-meter reinforced concrete arch bridge, the Pont de Réginelle.
Finally, all the canal bridges were destroyed during World War II by German troops in 1944, except the one at Fos-sur-Mer. Identical to all the others, it was dismantled in 1959 due to road works. The city of Arles acquired it and had it installed in 1962 on the same canal, a few kilometres downstream from the original bridge. It is this bridge that today bears the name “Van-Gogh Bridge”, although it is not the one painted by the artist. It was completely restored in 1997.
MARSEILLES
It was a lovely drive along the waterfront of Marseilles with a slight detour to La Canebeire.
Park Borley is a public municipal park in Marseille. The park is 17 hectares in size. Parc Borély has three different gardens; a Garden à la française, an English landscape garden, and a track for horse racing by the side of the sea.
The park was created in the 17th century by a French ship owner and merchant, Joseph Borely, who bought land for a country house.
The present has a chateau with china and furnishings. There are several modern fashion and glass displays. Free
Prado Beach. Family beach near the city with changing cabins, showers and bars.
La Canebeire is the historic high street in the old quarter of Marseille. About a kilometre long, it runs from the Old Port of Marseille to the Réformés quarter. It has been called the Champs-Élysées of Marseille. The name ‘Canebière’ (‘Canabiera’ in Provençal dialect ) comes from the word Cannabis in Latin, as the area around the Old Port was originally hemp fields and Marseille was one of the world’s largest traders of hemp baskets and ropes from the Middle Ages until the 1930s when other fibres were used instead.
The avenue was built in 1666 when King Louis XIV of France (1638–1715) decided to expand the city of Marseille.
During the French Third Republic (1871-1940), it became a haven for high society, with many cafes, luxury hotels and boutiques, and music hall performances. However, it was marred by the assassination of King Alexander I of Yugoslavia on the avenue on October 9, 1934. In 1938, the Nouvelles Galeries store was destroyed by fire, killing 75. The avenue fell in disarray after the French colonial empire came to an end by the 1960s. In recent years, it has been refurbished.
it is not the Champs-Elysees as there are no high-end stores, is not kept clean and has many panhandlers.
Cathedrale La Major is a Roman Catholic cathedral, and a national monument of France, located in Marseille. It has been a basilica minor since 1896.
Part of the earlier, much smaller cathedral remains, alongside the new cathedral. It was built in the 12th century in a simple Romanesque style. The present cathedral, the “Nouvelle Major”, was built between 1852 and 1893 on an enormous scale in the Byzantine and Roman Revival styles. It is 142 meters (469 ft) long, and the main cupola is 70 meters (231 ft) high. With a capacity of 3,000 seats, it is one of the largest cathedrals in France.
Department des Bouches-du-Rhone Tower.
CMA CGM Tower is a 147 m tall skyscraper in the central business district of Marseille and is the headquarters for CMA CGM, a major shipping firm, hosting 2,200 employees previously spread over seven sites. It has 20 lifts to service its 33 floors and was completed in September 2011.
- Pont Flavien is a Roman bridge across the River Touloubre in Saint-Chamas, Bouches-du-Rhône department, southern France. The single-arch crossing, which was built from limestone, was on a Roman road – the Via Julia Augusta – between Placentia, Italy and Arles. It is the only surviving example of a Roman bridge bounded by triumphal arches from the Augustan period, although similar bridges probably existed elsewhere, as indicated by portrayals on coins of the late 1st century BC.
It measures 21.4 metres (70 ft) long by 6.2 metres (20 ft) wide. The two arches at either end, each standing 7 metres (23 ft) high with a single wide bay, are constructed of the same local stone as the bridge and are broader than they are tall. At the corners of the arches are fluted Corinthian pilasters at the top of which are carved eagles. Acanthus scrolls extend part way along with the pediments
The bridge was heavily used until as late as the latter part of the 20th century. It has suffered a great deal of wear and tear and accidental damage over the years; by the end of Antiquity, the roadway had become so rutted by constant cart traffic that it had been worn right through, exposing the arch stones. It has been repeatedly resurfaced to prevent the collapse of the bridge and the parapet has also been replaced. The bridge was a traditional stopping point for the Compagnons du Tour de France, journeyman masons who underwent a tour of notable monuments around the country and who left their graffiti (including signatures and symbols including horseshoes and a phallus) on the bridge.
The western arch has collapsed at least twice; the first time was in the 18th century, destroying the stone lions on top of the pediment. It was rebuilt in 1763 by Jean Chastel, who also restored the sculptures (the only surviving original lion is on the right-hand side of the eastern arch). The second collapse was during the Second World War, when the arch was first damaged when a German tank collided with it, then collapsed when an American truck hit it in 1945. It was rebuilt in 1949 and some years later a modern bridge was built 50 metres (160 ft) to the south to bypass it. The Pont Flavien is now reserved for pedestrian use only.The inscription on the Pont Flavien reads: L·DONNI VS·C·F·FLAVOS·FLAMEN·ROMAE
ET·AVGVSTI·TESTAMENTO·FIEREI·IVSSIT ARBITRATV·C·DONNEI·VENAE·ET·C·ATTEI·RVFEIThis translates to Lucius Donnius, son of Caius, Flavos, flamen [priest] of Rome and Augustus, has ordained in his will that [this monument] be built under the direction of Cauis Donnius Vena and Caius Attius Rufius/
Ambrussum is a Roman archaeological site in Villetelle close to the modern town Lunel, between Nîmes and Montpellier. Ambrussum is notable for its museum, its staging post on the Via Domitia, its bridge Pont Ambroix over the Vidourle, painted by Gustave Courbet, and its oppidum (fortified village). Its history of settlement spanned 400 years.
The site is still being excavated. A lower settlement prone to flooding was a staging post for travellers on the Via Domitia with stabling, accommodation and the full range of repair facilities that were needed by carts and the Imperial postal service. The higher settlement was based on a pre-Roman oppidum which was within a surrounding wall including 21 towers.
The Roman road, the Via Domitia, ran at the foot of the settlement, leading from it is a paved road with visible traces of Roman chariot tracks. The Roman bridge was used until the Middle Ages but fell into disrepair, and only one complete arch remains. The Via Domitia linked the Alps with the Pyrenees and is the oldest Roman Road in Gaul, Laid out around 120 BC, it was to become part of the roads that linked Italy with Cadiz in Spain. At Ambussum the Via Domitia crosses the Vidourle, and the settlement provided a staging post on this road.
The bridge is 20 m above sea level, and the highest point of the oppidum is 58 m. When in spate the Vidourle will rise by 8 m.
The site was first settled in 2,300 BC and the construction started on the oppidum around 300 BC. It was a settlement of Gauls. The Romans conquered the area in 120 BC. The paved road at the heart of the oppidum was laid around 100 BC. Between the oppidum and the river was a staging post (mutatio) on the Via Domitia. That and the Pont Ambroix were constructed in around 30 BC. The flow patterns of the river changed around 10 BC; it became more aggressive and flooding became more frequent. The large houses on the south of the oppidum were built in AD 50. The whole oppidum was abandoned in AD 100, but parts of the lower settlement were still in use in AD 400, and the Pont Ambroix continued in use throughout the Middle Ages. It took a battering from the Vidourlades, or violent floods or spates on the Vidourle. The floods of 18 November 1745 reduced the bridge from four arches to three. The floods of 7 September 1933 reduced the bridge from two arches to the one we see today.
Ambrussum contains three archaeological sites of international importance: the Colline de Devès which was first occupied in 2300 BC and settled as an oppidum between 300 BC and 100 AD; the Roman staging post on the Via Domitia which had hotels, baths and industrial buildings; the Roman bridge, the Pont Ambroix.
LANGUEDOC-ROUSSILLON (Montpellier, Perpignan)
MONTPELIER
Hotel de Ville was built between 2007 and 2011 as an open parallelepiped 40 meters high, it is placed on a body of water, facing the Lez, overlooking a square of 120 meters to the north. It is home to a 1,400 m 2 photovoltaic electricity production plant, one of the largest in France. The photovoltaic panels are installed on the roof of the building but also integrated into the solar shading that protects the facades. the steel structure is clad in aluminum and glass facades, revealing a gradient of blue. Each of them is treated in a specific way by solar shading.
Place de la Comedie is a square where the fortifications of the city were formerly located. The square is first mentioned in 1755 and is named after a theatre that burned down in 1785 and 1855. The Place became the focal point of the city when in the mid-19th century the railway station Gare de Montpellier Saint-Roch was built some 200 metres (660 ft) south of it. At the centre of the square is a fountain, the Three Graces, built by sculptor Étienne d’Antoine in 1790.
Montpelier Cathedral is a Roman Catholic church dedicated to Saint Peter built in the Gothic style and is a national monument. The cathedral was originally the church of the monastery of Saint-Benoît, which was founded in 1364. The building was elevated to the status of a cathedral in 1536. After the building suffered extensive damage during the Wars of Religion between Catholics and Protestants in the 16th century, it was rebuilt in the 17th.
Curiostie de LaLauriole. This section of road gives the impression of going up and down at the same time! Indeed, a special configuration of the surrounding terrain gives a bad impression of the direction of the slope of the road. The result is not spectacular, but very amusing: a falling ball starts to “go up the slope”. Even better: leave your car at a standstill in the middle of the hill and you will see it driving up the hill as well.
Known to locals, this “anomaly” is often spotted as the road up and down. This deserves some explanation because it is characteristic of any slope going up or down depending on the direction you look at it!
The effect is a visual error compared to the surroundings. The observed direction of the descent (by letting a cylindrical or spherical object descend) corresponds well to the direction determined by a reading of levels.
It is located in the Hérault, in the town of Siran which is part of the canton of Olonzac. At the edge of the GR 7 is the Fountain of the Three Bishops
What does Lauriole’s curiosity consist of? This is a road that seems to go up as it goes down. Or the reverse of course, in the other direction.
What is there to see spectacular? Well the impression that the road goes up in front of you while if you put your car at a standstill it will move forward. It is moreover more spectacular in the other direction, the vehicle starts in reverse when one releases the brake whereas one has the feeling that the roadway goes down. We can possibly roll a spherical or cylindrical object, or even pour water … we are always faced with the same phenomenon.
Measurements prove the slope of the road which seems to go up is indeed downward. The general topology creates an optical illusion. The road climbs from Siran to Fournes, except at this precise place where, after a hairpin bend, it descends somewhat. Very little, but enough.
It is a long drive here – about 60 km off the main highway, taking progressively narrower and narrower roads to climb up above the valley below. Pass vineyards, olive groves, and a great limestone gorge on the way. I arrived and if not for a family here to see the strange phenomenon and explain it to me, I would have never figured it out.
Arrive at the sign where the road switchbacks to the left and appears to be downhill all the way. Where you just came from appears yp hill but when you roll a water bottle, it goes downhill and after the switchback continues downhill. Not sure it was worth the drive. Free but for all the gas!
Domaine Benazeth Le Moulin. About 25kms SW of the curiosity, this slightly tapering round, stone windmill sits on a wide round base, has a metal top with a rooster vane and appears can be rotated to face the wind. Climb stairs into the center. It is still operational and one can see them milling grain into flour, but for 9E, 8.50 for groups!! The shop sells flour and wine.
Theatre de L’Archipel, Perpignan is a modern theatre in operation since October Its construction cost 44 million euros and required three years. It consists of 3 rooms: Le Grenat, Le Carré, Le Studio 3 . It can accommodate a total of 1,500 spectators across the two rooms. The Studio does not welcome the public but is used for rehearsals, creations, or recordings. There is also an administrative building.
Salle Le Grenat: large modular room with 600 to 1,100 seats in red colors, in the shape of a large red pebble with inscriptions in several languages, a tribute to the garnet jewel of Perpignan.
Salle Le Carré: small modular room with 400 seats, cube-shaped with rusty steel facades.
The Studio: rehearsal and creation room. This room does not welcome the public.
The El Médiator concert and musical creation hall, with a capacity of 1,100 seats, is also attached to it.
Colliour. Great beach in a large bay surrounded by a fort and old rock breakwater. Jet skies ply the bay in flotillas behind the guide boats.
Mouln de la Cortina (ou de Colliour). Above the Hotel le Bon Port, it is necessary to park (If you can find any) and walk up the trail to the park. Great views of the town and beautiful bay.
Route des Cols. From Colliour, I drove the Route des Cols, a twisting slow road that is either at beaches or high above the ocean for great views everywhere. It ends at the Spanish border where everything else changes. The road, like all roads in Spain, was wide and used tunnels to straighten it out. Portbou, the first town was relatively deserted but after, things started to resemble the French side. It was a long 64kms to Cap de Creus.
