Basking in Mediterranean sun

Sixth in a series

I really won the sunshine jackpot when I arrived at the Mediterranean coast.

On my first day, I wandered slowly up the beach in Nice, France, toward a tree-covered area jutting up about 300 feet out of the sea, known as Castle Hill. I suspected it would be a good place for scenic overlooks. I later learned that, for centuries, there had been a fortified castle or citadel on top of the hill looking far out over the Mediterranean in all directions. However, Louis XIV had the castle destroyed in 1706 as a result of political and military upheavals in the area.

These days, Castle Hill is a wonderful place to stroll, following zigzagging, paved paths to the top, with beautiful views in all directions. To the east, the Port of Nice is home to a few luxury yachts and smaller watercraft. To the west, lies the gravel beach of Nice, which stretches and curves for miles toward a point on a peninsula. Antibes, France, is located on the Nice side of the peninsula. Cannes, France, is located just to the west of the peninsula.

My days in Nice were spent walking around the city and enjoying the wonderful weather, focusing more on viewing casual street scenes and people-watching than on organized activities. A high point of my Nice visit was spending time at the beach watching a spectacular sunset transition to dusk.

On one walk, I noticed a sign hanging on a handsome building that named it as being the studio of the artist Pierre-Auguste Renoir during the period 1911-1919. Having viewed the area known as “Old Nice,” with its jumble of buildings and roofs, while looking down over the city from Castle Hill, I appreciate Renoir’s painting known as 'Roofs of Old Nice'. Also, Alfred Hitchcock must have spent time viewing the Nice area from high up on Castle Hill while planning movie scenes for To Catch A Thief.

After a couple of enjoyable, unhurried days in Nice, I moved west, by train ride of about 45 minutes, to Cannes. Despite being a last-minute reservation, I found lodging at the reasonably- priced Hotel America. ( Hotel America, 16 Rue Notre Dame, 06400 – Cannes, France). It had a friendly staff and well appointed, clean rooms.

I recently learned that the Hollywood crowd, when visiting the French Riviera for the Cannes Film Festival, frequents the luxurious Hotel du-Cap-Eden-Roc, which is located on the peninsula at Antibes. By the way, the 2025 Cannes Film Festival just concluded last Saturday.

I had only planned to stay overnight in Cannes before moving on to explore other places the following day. However, unknown to me, the 2024 French Riviera Marathon (from Nice to Cannes) was scheduled to be run the morning after my arrival. Surprisingly, the marathon had not resulted in a shortage of lodging in either Nice or Cannes. However, on the morning of the race, I discovered that thousands of people were planning to leave Cannes shortly after the marathon was completed. That unexpected development resulted in sold-out trains and flights. Thus, one more night in Cannes for me. Not a bad place to be delayed overnight. During my extra time, I wandered around the city, spending most of my time along the waterfront, checking out the various boats moored in the slips. In the late afternoon, I stopped by a vibrant bakery/pastry shop for a snack and cup of coffee. ( Le Saint Antoine | Boulangerie/ Patisserie, 6 Pl. Bernard Cornut Gentille, 06400 Cannes, France). I ordered a cup of coffee, a sandwich and an extravagant sweet pastry. It was all delicious.

Before dusk turned to night, I walked over for a closer look at the many luxury motor yachts moored in the larger slips. Some of the yachts are available for rent at a rate of between $150,000 and $200,000 per week, PLUS expenses. That would be a nice treat for up to maybe eight or ten guests, with a crew of eight.

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