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!

Oranges and lemons....

Menton has just finished celebrating 80 years of the Festival de Citron, and so of course the theme of the celebrations just had to be Jules Verne's "Around the World in Eighty Days". Alongside each structure sculpted from thousands of oranges and lemons was a quotation from the famous journey of Phileas Fogg and Passepartout...Just remember everything you are about to see is made entirely from citrus fruit!! You can  follow in Fogg's footsteps from India....

.....to China

.....to New York

....to London

....to Thailand

.....all aboard the different forms of transport used by the travelling pair to win their bet...

Happy 80th birthday Menton - a festival not to be missed!! Enjoy!

From Gorbio to St Agnes....

One of the prettiest hikes in the Riviera region is the ascent from one Medieval perched village to another - from Gorbio to St Agnes which is the highest coastal village in France...

Gorbio, one of the prettiest Medieval villages up in the hills behind Menton,  has cobbled streets, an ancient square with an even more ancient olive tree, beautiful stone archways, and this stunning church at its centre...

My sister and I hiked from Gorbio up to St Agnes on New Year's Eve on a gloriously bright and sunny day with blue skies and amazing views....

The ascent takes about an hour and a half on a very clearly marked trail, and the views are even more stunning once you get up to St Agnes....Descend again and you find Gorbio where you left it nestled amongst the hills and trees....

We completed the whole day by walking and public transport - train to Menton and bus 7 up to Gorbio, and then you can either retrace your steps or grab a bus back from St Agnes - make sure you check the schedules however as the buses are infrequent......all in all a great day out!! Enjoy!!

Festival du Citron - Menton

Are you fooled into thinking I took a quick trip to Paris this weekend?? Look again closely and you will see before your very eyes The Eiffel Tower made entirely out of........lemons...and it doesn't stop there either.........................

There are Loire Valley Chateaux, Alsace architecture, Brittany lighthouses, rural churches, Riviera resorts, and even Mont Blanc high in the Alps ready to be scaled.......

The city of Paris has been recreated with The Eiffel Tower, metro Stations, and cafe street scenes...

And all these "sculptures" are made entirely out of oranges and lemons creating a surrealist kitsch park of  magic realism - the first time I have been reminded of Mexico City here on the French Riviera.....

Where exactly are we on the Riviera??......Menton of course at the annual Festival du Citron which runs for two weeks from mid February to the beginning of March. My favourite scene is this large bottle of champagne continually filling this pyramid of glasses accompanied by a soundtrack of popping corks and that pleasing gurgling sound of glasses being filled.....

In a few of the photos (such as the one above) there are tiny people which emphasise the sheer scale of these constructions!! Let's take one last look at the Loire Valley Chateau...incredible aren't they???.....

Menton is easily reached by train or 100 bus from Nice, and is a beautiful town to visit in its own right with many other attractions - but if you visit in February be sure to check out the Festival du Citron...Enjoy!!

Musee Cocteau - Menton

This is the newest Museum on the block, located in Menton on the French Riviera, east of Monaco. This gallery only opened its doors on November 6th a month ago, and houses the full range of works by artist Jean Cocteau who is perhaps best known for his writings - La Machine Infernale and Les Enfants Terrible........

The tour starts at the Fort by the sea which still houses paintings, ceramics, and mosaics, and then moves to this stunning new gallery further along the promenade. The contrasting contemporary architecture of the new museum is quite striking in close up.....

In addition to writing dramas and novels, Cocteau was prolific in the visual arts of painting, film making, poster design, illustration, ceramics, murals, and mosaics. Rumour has it that he completely decorated a friend's house on the Riviera with large interior murals in her absence - when she returned she was not impressed, but his work still seems to me striking in its range, variety, and visual impact.....

Outside the old fort you can find these charming mosaic murals.....

....And outside the new Museum is this gigantic lizard mural - complete with a young unicyclist enjoying tracing the lines of the lizard....

Menton is easily reached by the number 100 bus from Nice or by train, and the town itself has many additional attractions to explore. Enjoy!

Mooching about Menton....

Visit the French town of Menton on the Riviera, very close to the Italian border, and you will not be disappointed. You can spend a wonderful day wandering around the town taking in all it has to offer. First there is the wide sweep of the bay, the beach, the harbour and the beautiful backdrop set against the mountains.....

Next there is the wide variety of beautiful churches, and of course the Old Town with its narrow, winding passages, gorgeous vistas along shuttered alleys, and wonderful architecture at every twist and turn....

Menton is easily accessible by Bus 100 from Nice along the coast, or by train on the Ventimiglia line. Enjoy!