Strasbourg - Still Special

There is something unique immediately felt in Strasbourg, one of Europe's most attractive cities. Due to its rich architectural heritage, the entire town center, "Grande Ile," has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1988 and the first to be designated as such in France.

The Alsace German French background is reflected in the homes. German timberframe homes were built between the 16th and 17th centuries. Each timber was numbered to allow them to be deconstructed, moved and rebuilt. The later change to the  stone French style traded off mobility to leesen chance of fire. 

Stork motifs can be found everywhere as can large white and black storks who tend to live atop homes and in trees of a particular neighborhood where they are fed by the community. Legend has it that if a sugar cube is placed on a windowsill a baby will soon appear. With a population of 480 thousand (52 thousand if which are medical and Pharma students), it would seem that the storks have been kept quite busy. 

The cuisine options are many and all delicious. You can easily guess Steve was drawn to the menu on the left and Karen to the right, but there are no bad food choices here. 

Notre Dame Cathedral of Strasbourg  was built between the 13th and 15th centuries in the Gothic style. The exceptional original stained glass was removed during the World War for safe keeping and the reinserted, including the spectacular rose window that is similar to the one found in Paris. The pink sandstone structure requires a team of 50 to continuously repair this delicate structure. 

The astronomical clock has not failed in hundreds of years. An example of exceptional engineering, it tracks time and days, making allowances for months of various lengths and leap year. About midway up, when the clock strikes reflecting another fifteen minutes has passed, a figure of either a baby, youth, soldier or elderly man passes by, indicating life's 4 phases. At 12:30 is when the real action happens, complete with all 12 apostles cross in front of Christ. The cathedral closes from 11:30 to 12:35, so if you want to see how a click originally installed in the mid 1300's and last updated in the mid 1800's performs this remarkable feat, then I suggest you get there early! 

Cap d'Antibes

Further east, and a bit north, along the Mediteranean Coast, you come to Cap d'Antibes. Located between Niece and Canne, it's known for its tranquility with many fewer hotels and short thin strips of beach. 

          

Hotel du Cap sits high on a hill, lined with gardens, cypress and palm trees, with sweeping views down to the the sea. The first canopy to the right is our room. 

Although the rooms above have more spectacular views, we prefer the outside terrace, particularly for a morning meal while the air is still cool. Steve stares down a seagull, who is also looking for a morning croissant. 

                      

The property's various buildings are hidden within the the greenery and surrounded by lovely old gardens.

     

       

Down below is the sister hotel Eden Roc.  Built into the side of a rock cliff and looking over the sea, the hotel is just a few stories tall. Its salty infinity pool blurs the line between captured water and the sea below, both a much anticipated late afternoon refreshing swim. Although the idea of simply enjoying the property's grounds is tempting, the pull to explore with our small group of 20wins out.

                              

The Musee Nationale Picasso , La Guerret et la Paix, with its muraled chapel that include and arched ceiling and a sampling of his pottery would have been enough       

    

   But there was also the XXIV International contemporary ceramics biennale with an amazing selection of contemporary pieces.  

                          

La Mouissone, a private garden, was an absolute treat. Claudette, the property's owner and garden custodian has done a wonderful job restoring terraced land high in the hills of Grasse. It provided fantastic views, along with bamboo walks and multiple areas to tuck in and enjoy. Notice the butterfly sipping away at a purple tansy like flower.  

                                        

   

We will be paying the price for weeks to come of delicious food. There are many Michelin star locations in the area, but whether it is presenting sorbet in ice sculpture 

                                   

Or La Bastide Saint Antoine with its bougainvillea encrusted walls and delicate sculptures accompanying an outdoor luncheon under a leafy canopy 

Or the seaside Tetou's  simple bouillabaisse and raspberry tart (who remembers these berries EVER being so flavorful) it was ALL wonderful. 

                           

A quick boat trip out to La Guezite on Ile Sainte Maguerite expemplifies the c'est la vie, as people linger over fresh vegetable plates, tomatoes and burrata  to die for, fresh roasted fish and homemade pasta. The band circles and guests young and old dance. No one is in a hurry to leave, so a quick dip between courses lets the day lazily unfold. 

Nice is not far away and worth more than a quick visit for an evening meal at La Petite Maison, a casual spot in the Old Town.

                           

But why not take the one hour  boat ride past Monacco to Byblos Beach at the western end of the Italian Mediteranean? 

         

  

The ubiquitous blue alliums wave us goodbye as we depart for Holland. Bonjour.  Merci. Je cousin remercie! Au revoir - for now!

Saint Tropez

The days continue to be picture perfect. After a day of boating and, we have to confess, more eating, we take a short drive from St Maxime to St Tropez. 

The trip is s brief 10 minutes by boat or 20 minutes by car. But the "season" here has just begun, so 20 minutes can easily turn into 60!

St Tropez is a sun kissed peach colored stone village along the French Mediterranean Sea. Boaters know it for its protected harbour, iconic lighthouse and selection of ships of all sizes. 

Beyond "ship watching" is St. Tropez' famous people watching. We did a bit of both by the harbour.

Then made our way up winding cobbled streets to the village and park above. Families watch as men play boules. A cleverly uniformed band marches by, we're not certain where to or from. A carousel rests after a day of young people on school holiday. Fashionable stores abound along with petite restaurants tucked into the small side cobbled lanes along the way. Everyone seems remarkably relaxed and understated. And what better way for Steve to end a day than sharing an ice cream with Xander! 

St Maxime & Port Cros

The allure of the French Riviera is easy to understand. From the moment of arrival, there is something about the light, the soft colors set against the seemingly endless azure skies that simply washes over you and says life is good. 

We begin our stay at St. Maxime with Xander and Barbara, longtime Dutch friends of Steve's, who have a home and boat here. More gracious and relaxed hosts would be difficult to find!

St Maxime is a delightful harbour town, with pale peach colored stucco homes that creep up into the hill that tumbles down to the understated shops and small beaches. The atmosphere is completely casual compared to its neighbor, San Tropez across the harbour.

The morning after our arrival, we join them in their boat southwest to the petite hill of an island, Port-Cros. 

There is a small dock and a handful of mooring balls to tie up to. No boat anchors are allowed to disturb the  bottom of this delicate seafloor. 

The population is around 100 folks living a hard working but tranquil life. Pale turquoise blue is the favored shutter color. The restaurants are known for local fresh deep water fish found at 60 or more meters below the surface. We chose Le Ause for a long wonderful meal. 

La Manoir is the island's singular small  hotel. You'll pay the price for enjoying it's tranquility but if you want a true escape,  it's lovely gardens and protected pool are certainly enticing. 

After a walk, which did not include a climb to the island's citadel, we cruise to another nature preserved spot to tie up for a swim. We had no idea what the school of light grey with bright blue stripes and small white and black markings were. They seemed as curious about us as we were about them. 

It's time to return to St Maxime's harbour having had a truly fantastic day! 

Inspiration

How many times are we inspired by what we see, but feel an inability to capture it? This was the Impressionists' goal...to capture that fleeting moment that all too quickly escapes. 

Auvers sur Oise is the small village where Van Gogh spent his last two months, living on less than 4 francs a day, in a minute room over a restaurant that is still open along the main street. Eighty oils from that period capture his everyday moments. His experience can easily be imagined when wandering the small farms or visiting the still used village church. 

A short distance away is Monet's Giverny. 

His lovely home and gardens have been kept intact. His studio, stacked with oils, both his and those he admires. The garden's riot of color begins behind the house and continues to the lush lilly pond with its Japanese Bridge. Yes, the reality is the painting is the reality. Immerse yourself and enjoy. 

Barge, bike, break - repeat

Finding a rhythm that suits a family age to two to - well a LOT older - could be a challenge. Some need to burn off steam, others need to mitigate a huge increase in caloric intake - read the chef is REALLY good and we lack discipline. 

Thank goodness for biking! Nearly everyday, all six of us don helmets and make our way to one of the locks, where there is generally less than three minutes to get bikes and riders loaded off of, or onto, the barge before it either drops or the gate opens. 

As you might imagine, Mr. Steve has carefully measured barge to lock "cycle time". And, yes there have been a few mistimed entries. (Steve has some theories on how to improve the process.) But, in the end, no worries. We can generally paddle faster then the barge can move. 

Besides, who really cares when the scenery is so lovely?

From the dark into the light

Boating is something generally associate with open skies and seas. Boating on barges brings to mind lazy canals and rivers making their way through bucolic agricultural regions. 

Locks act as "elevators". Gates open, boats enter, gates close and water levels shift 15 - 20 feet, plus minus. Gates reopen and your boat is "magically" positioned at the correct level for the next bit of navigation. 

But does this mean avoiding higher elevations? Are tunnels an option? For a boat, you ask? 

For a higher elevation, that's exactly the solution. Two canals in two days of 3 and 2 miles each. 

Having spent so much time on boats, I'd have to admit, it's pretty unnerving. Like locks, these tunnels are spec built to accommodate the industrial barges which are primarily moving goods. The net of which is that your barge has about 18 inches clearance on top and 6-10 inches on each side. Clearly not meant for the inexperienced. 

We make our way through to open skies and look back to the small crescent from which we emerged. We won't share the details of mistimed hot-tubbing and dangling cobwebs as we entered the tunnel. An experience several nightmares and therapy sessions are sure to erase. 

All in, an intriguing and memorable experience - just don't ask Steve or I to drive the boat!