We Took The High Road – La Grande Corniche

Posted on May 26, 2012 by Schwingen In Switzerland

Three roads link Nice to Monaco. They are called “Les Trois Corniches” which translates to the three cliffs or cliff roads. The word comes from the word “cornice,” the decorative frieze that runs on top of buildings. They are some of the world’s great drives. When the rain and cruise ship passengers chased us out of Villefranche, we decided to drive the Grand Corniche. What better time to take a drive on dangerous, cliff side road than in the rain?

The Low Corniche running out to the peninsula to St. Jean-Cap-Ferat from Villefranche-Sur-Mer

The peninsula with the Low Corniche from above

The Low Corniche (La Base Corniche or Corniche Inferieure) runs along the water, 50 meters above the Mediterranean. It runs through Villefranche, past the entrance to the Cape Ferrat (known as the peninsula of billionaires), into Beaulieu-sur-Mer (chic Belle Epoque resort town), into Eze-Sur-Mer (from which you can hike up the Nieztsche path to the medieval hill town of Eze) and Cap d’Ail before arriving in the Principality of Monaco.

View from the Moyenne Corniche

The Middle Corniche (La Moyenne Corniche) is higher, culminating at 472 meters above sea level. It offers impressive views of the sea and the towns above. We took it out of Eze, going over the viaduct. The Viaduct of Eze is known as the Bridge of the Devil.

The Viaduct of Eze on the Moyenne Corniche

Built in the early 20th century, the Moyenne Corniche is the newest of the three roads. Even then tourists were causing congestion on the Low Corniche.

The Moyenne and Low Corniches from the Grande Corniche

We took the Grande Corniche out and drove the Middle Corniche back. It wasn’t easy to stop for pictures though as we had to cross a lane of traffic to pull off and then get back out. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but luckily it rained (so there wasn’t too much traffic). It would be difficult, if not impossible, to stop like that on a busy day.

The Tete de Chien outcrop from Eze

From Eze, you can see the Tete de Chien promontory which dominates Monte-Carlo. Princess Grace of Monaco (Grace Kelly), was killed when her car went off a cliff on the Moyenne Corniche near there in 1983.

The High Corniche (La Grande Corniche) is the highest of the three with a height of 500 meters above the sea. It has staggering views and a historical pedigree. It is the site of the Via Aurelia, the road used by the Romans to conquer the territory to their west (aka France). La Grand Corniche was built by Napoleon alongside of the old Roman road.

Several movies have been filmed on the Grande Corniche. Alfred Hitchcock filmed parts of “To Catch a Thief” starring Cary Grant and Grace Kelly here. In some scenes, you can see Eze in the background. The James Bond film Goldeneye starts with a car chase on the Grande Corniche. Pierce Brosnan as James Bond chases Russian female fighter pilot Xenia Onatopp‘s Ferrari, in his Aston Martin DB5. It is also a popular spot to film car commercials (but so is Detroit).

Yep. That’s it way up there on top.

From the Grand Corniche, you can see some seriously expensive homes. I’m pretty sure that this is Villa La Leopolda. Built by King Leopold of Belgium (allegedly for his mistress), owned by the Agnelli family (of Fiat fame and money), Bill Gates and then by the Safra family, it was put up for sale by Edmund Safra’s widow, Lily. Russian billionaire, Roman Abramovich, pulled out of a deal to pay $500 million dollars for it after legal troubles with the French government, losing his $36 million deposit. Oops.

The medieval hill town of Eze and the viaduct on the Moyenne Corniche from the Grande Corniche

The Grande Corniche is so high and steep that it doesn’t go through many towns (only the hilltop village of Roquebrune). There are hairpin turns and low guard rails (if there are guard rails). It wasn’t a relaxing road to drive, but it was pretty freaking cool.

Cycling it…even cooler.

Villefranche, Oui, S’Il Vous Plaît

Posted on May 25, 2012 by Schwingen In Switzerland

Villefranche-sur-Mer is carved into a hillside on a bay between Nice and Monaco. We chose to stay in Villefranche because it is smaller and more residential than many of the towns on the water. That’s not to say that they don’t have the tourism thing down pat. Cruise ships regularly put down anchor in the harbor and we paid more to park our car overnight here than we did in New York City! As cheap as I am, I didn’t care. The views were worth it.

I loved the pastel colored houses and church. On the left is the Baroque Eglise St-Michel church. While it seems as though every town here has impressive, serene churches, this one had interesting objects that appeared magical with the light streaming in on them. The statue of Christ below was carved out of olive wood by a convict.

We fed our coffee addiction and had breakfast at a café on the docks. People were readying their boats for a sailing competition that weekend and seeing fisherman returning with their catch provided great entertainment. After gorging on fish the night before, we learned that the Mediterranean is almost fished out and most of the fish served in restaurants is imported from the Atlantic. Many of the towns on the Côte d’Azur started as fishing villages. Today, tourism is the number one industry, but Villefranche is still has a few people who still earn a living fishing.

Villefranche has been a port since Roman times and is strategically important because it could be used as a base from which to attack the port of Nice. After the fall of the Roman empire, residents fled and built the hill towns that dot the mountains behind the water. In the 13th century, the Duke of Provence wanted to defend the port from Saracen Turks and strengthen their hold on the coastline. To get them to move, he made living there tax-free. Gotta love tax-free. The Duke of Savoy constructed the fort to defend the port and bay in the 16th century.

The vaulted Rue Obscure (dark street) provided shelter from bombardment. Rue Obscure is a passage way under the harbor front houses dating from 1260.

Narrow, steep lanes climb up from the harbor. They were blissfully quiet and relatively deserted until the cruise ship started ferrying passengers ashore.

We decided to pull the plug and head out to the Grand Cornishe. Before we left, we stopped to check out this church. Villefranche is known for the Chapelle St.-Pierre in which Jean Cocteau (a famous French artist, poet and filmmaker) painted lavish frescos with heavy black lines and pastel colors.

Oops, I almost forgot. In Villefranche, we found a new use for a bidet. It came in really handy to clean the mud off of his Dunks.

Picasso, Yachts And Ramparts In Antibes (schwingeninswitzerland.wordpress.com)
So I Got That Goin’ For Me, Which Is Nice (schwingeninswitzerland.wordpress.com)

Picasso, Yachts And Ramparts In Antibes

Posted on May 23, 2012 by Schwingen In Switzerland

You could drive the entire Côte d’Azur (aka the French Rivera) and see all the towns along it, but it would take you forever and all the traffic would drive you crazy. We didn’t have the time (or stamina) to do it all. Instead, we picked a few of the best towns on the coast: Antibes, Nice and Villefranche-sur-Mer. Antibes has sandy beaches (many on the Côte d’Azur are rocky), an agreeable old town, and a nice Picasso Museum.

When we get a yacht, we want one with a helicopter too.

Antibes’s port is filled with enormous luxury yachts. We watched crews getting the yachts ready for the start of the season. We didn’t see anyone famous, but in the past few days Jennifer Connelly, Princess Beatrice, Hayden Panettiere and Petra Nemcova have all been sighted there.

Before joining France in 1860, nearby Nice was under Italian rule. Antibes was the last French town before the Italian border. As a result, the French built a fort and some major ramparts. From the harbor, you can see Fort Carre, in the center of the port. We strolled the ramparts, enjoying the sun and the beautiful views.

F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote one of his best known works, Tender is the Night, based on life in Antibes. Judging from the story, we thought Antibes wouldn’t be too laid back or plebeian. Nevertheless, Antibes has a down-to-earth ambience. Well, at least it’s more down to earth than many of the neighboring towns (Cannes, I’m looking at you). Ramparts and towers wrap the old town and guard its medieval streets.

It’s not some dour medieval town. Party animals like Rudolf Valentino and Charlie Chaplin partied here in the roaring 20’s. Legend has it that water skiing was invented in Antibes in the 1920s. In 1946 after World War II, 65-year-old Pablo Picasso moved there with 23-year-old lady friend, Françoise Gilot. He experienced a surge in creativity, painting like a madman and partying hard. The merry, festive atmosphere continues. We saw lots of Brits enjoying a pint in the sun.

The 12th century Chateau Grimaldi, an old town mansion on the edge of the Mediterranean, houses the Picasso Museum (it’s where he stayed while in Antibes) and has stunning views. We took a minute to enjoy the sculpture garden on the terrace before checking out the museum’s paintings, sketches, and ceramics.

Picasso said that if you wanted to see work from his Antibes period, you’d have to do it in Antibes. Picasso was prolific. One of the best parts about the museum was being able to see several versions of a painting or idea. For example, we saw about 10 platters on which he’d painted bulls. You could see his experimentation with styles and subjects. Fascinating.