Nicole schreibt...

Cote d'Azur 2005

It must be one of the most famous areas in the world - the French Riviera that stretches between Marseille and the Italian border at Ventimiglia. I had long wanted to to go there and in a way it was a dream come true to go there right for the famous film festival in Cannes. Since Cannes itself is booked solid months in advance (not to mention triple room rates), I opted for a hotel in Nice instead. And what a wise decision that turned out to be for Nice is... very nice indeed. The hotel was also a very lucky pick, for it didn't onlvery good rates and clean rooms but also a perfect location just off the Promenade des Anglais, the famous beach promenade that stretches along miles of coast, lined by beautiful old hotels of the Belle Epoque, the most famous of those being the Negresco.

Even more beautiful than the Turn-of-the-century residences in the new town is Vieux Nice, the old town with its old crooked alleys and Italian atmosphere (Nice was Italian until 19th century), where you can enjoy the flower market, outdoor cafes or just walk around the pretty little streets for ages. The ancient castle had been razed to the ground by one ill-meaning conqueror but the hill still offers a fabulous view over Nice's roofs and the Baie des Anges, the bay of angels (see above).

A 90 minute-trip by train brings you to Grasse in the provencal hills, a gorgeous little town that has become famous as the "world capital of perfurme" for most international perfumes have their origin here in one of the big perfume factories like Fragonard, which we visited and where I ended up buying some supposedly cheap "direct from factory" perfume.Apart from perfume factories the town has little to offer except the main street which is full of souvenir shops and a couple of nice outdoor eateries. But the setting in the hills and the fabulous landscape you pass through on the way makes this a worthwhile trip alone.

The most famous casino in the world - the classy Monte Carlo casino in Monaco, built by no-one less than Charles Garnier, the guy who also built the old Paris Opera House (I knew I'd get you musical fans with this!). Sure, you can dress up in gladrags and lose ALOT of money in the *real* casino, but they also have machines for the less-than-poshly attired tourists who only want to take a look and gamble a few coins away. And yes, if you must know, I did throw 20 Euros down the casino drain. Monaco isn't only famous for the casino and the annual Formula One race, but also for its royal family, the Grimaldi clan who have kept the tabloid industry going on their own for the last thirty years (well, with some eager help from the Windsors of course). Below is the Grimaldi palace perched on Monte Carlo and a glimpse of the daily changing of the guard ceremony. The Grimaldis may only own 3 square kilometres of rock, but that sure entitles them to their own army, most of them Swiss guards (sadly without the gaudy costumes of the Swiss guard the Vatican employs).

A thirty-minute boat ride from Cannes takes you to the Ile Marguerite, a gorgeous island full of natural beauty as far away from the film festival crowds and buzz of the Croisette as you can imagine. The island is a popular day-trip spot for picknicks and sunbathing for the locals, but tourists are mainly drawn to the old fort to see the cell of its most famous prisoner - the Man in the Iron Mask, whose identity has never been found out (and no, it's NOT Leonardo DiCaprio). There are mind-boggling yachts all over the Cote d'Azur, not just in Cannes, but this baby took the biscuit - it even has a helicopter aboard. Where *do* those people find the money for this? If the owner of this yacht reads this, is good-looking, below forty and single, please email me.

Here we are at last, in the middle of the festival mayhem on the Croisette. This is the Carlton Hotel, one of the swankiest places in Cannes and completely under siege by the cinema mob. I was in town to see the big gala premiere of "Star Wars - Revenge of the Sith" but as you can see on the photo below, you'd really have to camp out at the red carpet all day to secure your front-row place or end up in a huge crowd with only the big screen to watch. But that sufficed to see that even stars are prone to bad hair days (hello Hayden Christensen) and that the wrong hairdo can wreck even the most beautiful woman (hello Natalie Portman).Even so it was fabulous to experience all that fuss first-hand and with such a crowd about town, I never tired to just sit somewhere quietly and watch the people drift by.

Overall the Cote d'Azur really proved that it has very well deserved its fame, while the French have proved (at least to me) that they have NOT deserved their reputation as arrogant bastards as everyone was perfectly nice to me and I found that many spoke English very well when my French didn't suffice.