Shadow Shot Sunday 217 - Paris

Inside the funky UNESCO building, Paris where I recently accompanied students to a Model United Nations conference....

As well as the amazing exterior of retro architecture and stylish James Bondesque interior....

....Check out the view from the canteen on the seventh floor where we ate lunch every day!!

For more shadow shots this week, click HERE for Shadow Shot Sunday - Enjoy!

Shadow Shot Sunday 216 - Nice

Shooting straight into the light in the Paillon Park, Nice creates some dramatic shadows on a November day when the sky was the bluest of blues......For more shadow shots from around the world, click here for Shadow Shot Sunday....Enjoy!

Autumnal Afternoon....Breil-Sur-Roya

Last weekend I was still sitting on the beach and swimming in the sea, but this weekend the weather is starting to change, so I decided to head for the hills and look for some Autumnal beauty....

Such beauty was not hard to find up in the Roya valley in a little town called Breil - a centre for hiking, rafting and canyoning in the mountains. As you can see the setting is very pretty and this is matched by some stunning baroque architecture....

...as well as some pretty coloured houses juxtaposed with some gorgeous weathering and textured walls and doorways...

but the best colours to be found yesterday were the Autumn hues of the foliage - especially that fiery red...

Who can resist photographing Nature's finest in all its Autumn glory??

Breil-Sur-Roya is easily reachable from Nice by taking le Train de Merveilles from Nice-Ville railway station. The journey is one hour plus there are lots of other lovely stops on the line. Enjoy!

Summer in Saorge....

Finding a great spot for a cup of tea with a view is always part of my daytrip summer sojourns up in the mountains around Nice - and this cafe in the delightful medieval village of Saorge with its antique tea-set was just perfect....

Here is the charming village of Saorge nestled in the green hills of the Roya valley, and wandering around the quiet, narrow streets, be prepared to be astonished by the resplendent architecture and setting at every twist and turn...

Saorge is a short train ride from Nice on le train des merveilles - the journey takes about 50 minutes. Enjoy!!

Escape into the Esterel....

Whenever it gets too hot and humid or too busy and crowded down on the coast of the Riviera, it becomes time to head for the hills - and one such perfect escape is into the Esterel - a National park in the Massif de l'Esterel....

The Massif de l"Esterel, with its characteristic richly red rocks, stretches West from Cannes and Mandlieu to St Raphael and Frejus - an area of volcanic rocks with porphyry giving the rocks its distinctive colour. It is an area of outstanding natural beauty, and the perfect place for a peaceful walk....

A place of tranquility and serenity....

There will probably be a lot more posts like this as tourist season heats up....

Posing on the Croisette - Cannes

Who is this here posing on the Croisette at the Cannes Film Festival??

Who has created these rather arresting and striking creatures??

They are sculptures by "Rabarama" - the pseudonym of Italian contemporary artist Paola Epifani from Rome who was exhibiting at galeries Bartoux in Cannes during the recent Film Festival....

Her work is characterised by these large sculptures of posed figures - men, women and strange hybrid creatures whose skin is decorated and patterned with symbols, letters, designs, and hieroglyphs...

Check out the Galeries Bartoux who host very interesting contemporary exhibitions, and check out more of Epifani's work at her website www.rabarama.com . PS - Here are the more conventional posers from the Croisette amidst the glitz and glamour of the Cannes Film Festival - Enjoy!!

Step Back in Time......Peille Day

One of the most delightful aspects of living in Nice and the Alpes-Maritimes is that once you have explored all the beauty of the coast, nipped frequently into Italy, and done that glamorous jet-setting thing of breakfasting in France, lunching in Monaco, and dining in Italy, it is time to head for the hills.....

and step back in time as you go Medieval.....

Exploring these villages in the arriere pays (back country) is a sheer delight as you walk the cobbled lanes, follow the twisting alleys, emerge into the atmospheric squares...and just quite happily while away an afternoon.....

Peille is only half an hour from Nice - Take the 116 bus from Vauban Bus Station - Enjoy!!

Shadow Shot Sunday 210 - Menton

The temperature reached 22 degrees centigrade last Sunday afternoon in the beautiful sleepy Riviera resort of Menton famed for its microclimate and hours of sunshine......Consequently everyone was out soaking up the sunshine...

For more shadow shots this week, click HERE for Shadow Shot Sunday. Enjoy!

Antibes Azur - the blue is back...

There's a very good reason why the French Riviera is called the "Cote D'Azur" and on the last day of March, the blue was certainly back in all its glory.....

You can see why these beautiful blues inspired artists who flocked to paint the light here, be it Picasso...

or Catalonian artist Jaume Plensa with his "Nomade" forever looking out to sea....

Antibes truly in azur!!

Visiting Villefranche...........

Now is perhaps the best time to visit the beaches in the vicinity of Nice....before they are filled with the typical crowds thronging the Riviera. Visit Villefranche during these lovely clear and bright winter days and have the beach almost to yourself..........Perfect!!

Shadow Shot Sunday 202 - Nice

A palm tree casts its distinctive shadow on a typical apartment building in Nice.....for more shadow shots this week click HERE for Shadow Shot Sunday. Enjoy!

Chapelle des Penitents - Grimaud

Throughout the ancient Medieval villages of rural France these beautiful chapels can be found, namely Les Chapelles des Penitents originially officiated by The White Penitents, a fraternity who helped the poor of the village. This particular chapel is in the beautiful hilltop village of Grimaud close to St Tropez, and it was founded in the 15th century, with the construction date of 1482 located on the entrance lintel. 

Happy New Year 2014.....Enjoy!!

Merry Christmas...........

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2014......to everyone who has so kindly visited my blog this year. Greetings to the blogosphere from the Riviera.....

Weekend Reflections 39 - Nice

Enjoying the new park in Nice on a lovely sunny afternoon, the reflections on the fountain pavement were sharp and clear....

La Coulee Verte in the heart of Nice is a wonderful addition to green spaces in the city.....and appeals to everyone resulting in a very enjoyable afternoon dodging the fountains, strolling from one end of the "corridor" to the other, or sitting on the benches people-watching.....

For more weekend reflections, click here...Enjoy!

Shadow Shot Sunday 200 - Nice

Something dramatic for my 200th shadow shot - late afternoon in May looking over the beach in Nice from La Promenade des Anglais.....I started contributing back in 2008 when I was living in Mexico City with this shot taken in the beautiful colonial town of San Miguel de Allende in Mexico....

Both are shadow paintings - painting in light and shadow....For more shadow shots this week, click HERE for Shadow Shot Sunday. Enjoy!