From Nice to Santa Margherita!

Greetings one and all,

Here is what we've been up to for the past week or so!

Italy wins!

Nice

Rick:

Nice was nice, a big city with a lot of museums.  We walked along the Promenade des Anglais, toured the citadel ruins on the hill, shopped in the open air market, and chatted with a bunch of the local artists.  We also visited a few museums, including the Museum of Modern Art, and the Museum of Archeology, on the site of some Roman ruins.  Cool.

Kyra:

Nice - the city I was able to indulge in art... aahh. :)

We went to the Matisse Museum - I had no idea what incredible bronze sculptures Matisse had created in his lifetime - he took the female figure to a new dimension - he did not remain in realism but infused his work with wonderment and imagination... yes, I was floored!  As Rick said, we also went to the Modern art museum - and although I enjoyed the experience, I had a hard time connecting with the exhibits... the Fine Arts Museum had an incredible range of works - There was a beautiful statue by Rodin -The Kiss: now that is realism I can appreciate - his figures were beautiful, and filled with emotion - something about the sculpture  really touched me.  Other Artists were represented, such as Jean Chenet - who had an illustrative style (he did some light and airy pastel "paintings") but also designed posters - both were well represented.  Another artist there, was Mossa (mmm. I hope I remember the name correctly). There was a definite recognizable style (Klimt anyone?)  But there was more than a touch of the macabre in his work... an acquired taste surely.

Another art aspect I very much enjoyed, was going to all the small private galleries in the old Nice - not only was the location fun to explore, but I saw my French contemporaries' works and got all fired up about what I wanted to do in my studio when I return!  I met established artists who greatly encouraged my endeavours, and who happily shared their philosophies on how to cope with the realities of the work... it was encouraging and exciting!

I also enjoyed the market - buying fresh produce, olives, cheese... mmm I love Mediterranean food!

Nice was a great experience, but when we left - I was ready for something quieter... Villefranche was the perfect antidote to the big city.

Villefranche

Rick:

Villefranche was a cool little town just around the cape from Nice.  You would never guess that it was so close to the big city.  We anchored with 50 or so other boats in the harbour off the beach.  Anchoring is good.  We can swim off the boat, (unlike a marina) and we got the dingy operational so we could make trips into town.  The town is picturesque and caters to the tourist trade.  We spent a few hours walking up and down the narrow streets.  The town is built on a hillside, so it was a lot of up and a lot of down.

Kyra:

I enjoyed Villefranche too.  Rick and I (as well as our skipper Barbara,) really enjoy anchoring - we have our own little world to indulge in swims, suntanning and so on, and we're close to land!  Villefranche's hills meant I added hill-training to my runs - it is hot, going up and down - even at 8 in the morning!  We enjoyed aimlessly wandering about and discovered the "Rue Obscure", the obscure street - a covered street (stone arches etc), kind of eerie...  Peaceful place, until the cruise ship tourists descended on the town (and off we went to our boat!)

Beaulieu-sur-mer

Rick:

The next harbour we stopped at was Beaulieu-sur- Mer.  We tried to anchor at St. Jean Cap Ferrat, but it was too crowded, so we went to the other side of the harbour.  A nice place from the water, but it was nothing to get excited about from land.

Kyra:

Yeah, I went running on along the coast, and found the town lacked character, Barbara agreed we should move on after stocking up on provisions... so off we went!

Menton ( and Eze)

The last town before the Italian border.  We couldn't get into the old marina, and the new marina was a couple of kilometers from town.  It was very hot in the marina and there was no shade on the way to town.  We had a very nice walk through the old town one evening.  It is quite Italian there.  Everyone goes out for evening walks.  All of the little shops and ice cream places were open as well as a bunch of street vendors.  A really nice atmosphere.

Kyra:

Menton was hot and the old part was enjoyable - especially in the evening when the sun stopped frying us - both Rick and I noticed that the sun was definitely brighter and hotter - was it our proximity to Italy? ;)

We did a day trip from Menton (by train and bus) to Eze, this very cool little Medieval village on a mountain peak - the narrow alleys went up and down , and up and down (and let me tell you, I noticed that only the "dumb" tourists would dream of wandering around there at high noon -yes, we're guilty as charged...) There were all these stones buildings, cramped spaces and some very cool studios - one was in an 11th century alcove - how cool is that!  A lot of the buildings were built in later centuries, but the atmosphere (although touristy) was nothing but charming... we indulged at the top with a cool drink and snack before heading back to Menton.

I wasn't well for a bit in Menton and ended up at the doctor's - but a few days of antibiotics and I'm all better... the irony is those antibiotics' side effects were nausea - me, who managed not to get seasick... it seemed like a somewhat cruel joke! Oh well.

St Jean Cap Ferrat

Rick:

We left Menton and headed out for San Remo.  The weather was not with us.  We were headed into the wind and the wind was blowing.  By the time we were halfway there, we were beating into 6 foot waves.  There were time when we were healed over 45 degrees.  There was stuff flying around the cabin, and the ride was pretty wild.

We stopped making forward progress and were forced to turn around.  The excitement continued.  It was easier running downwind, but the swell continued to build.  With the wind from the east, we couldn't get back into Menton, so we tried for the the Cape of Garlic, just west of Monaco.  They didn't have space for us, so we continued west, losing even more ground.

Finally we made a bumpy landing into the marina at St Jean Cap Ferrat.  We were all very happy to finally get off the boat.  The town is small, and pretty nice.  A quaint little place for the rich.  Kyra and I went out for provisions and had some difficulty in the grocery store.  The land wouldn't stop swaying.  Every time we looked at something (instead of where we were going) we started to get dizzy.

The next morning, early we cast off for our second attempt at San Remo.

Kyra:  That was an exciting sail - who needs to go to the gym - just go sailing on a windy day - about 30 knots, and hang on - it's a great workout in itself!!

San Remo

Rick:

The journey to San Remo was uneventful, if a little longer than originally planned.  We were on Italian shores at last.  In San Remo, we discovered how lost we were with the language.  In France, things were easy with Kyra to do the talking.

We wandered the streets of the old quarter and took in the foreignness of it all.

Kyra:

So, finally we made it to Italy - and I realized I really needed to forget my Spanish - for some reason, everything coming out of my mouth was Spanish! However, my trusty little Italian Phrasebook helped me buy a very sexy little red Italian dress -  at least, if I kept my mouth shut, I could pretend to be an Italian Signora!

Assario

Rick:

Nice place.  The marina was about 1 1/2 kilometers from town, but there was a public beach nearby.  Kyra and I lounged around on the beach, dipping into the surf every time we got hot.  That evening we did a nice long Italian stroll into town and through the old streets.

Kyra:

I remember two things - the little beach: jewel green water, an island in the background, and a few happy little sailboats - and one damn cute long haired guy to swim with... no complaints here!

I also enjoyed walking along the coast in the evening, people watching and trying to decipher a few Italian words here and there... oh and the red dress, I wore it  for the first time and it was perfect!

Finale

Rick:

In Finale, we anchored off the public beach.  The beach was about 3km long parceled out by various restaurants.  Right in the middle there was a 50m stretch of public beach.  We dropped our anchor, the only boat there.  We felt very conspicuous out there.

We rowed the dinghy into shore and managed to some of the food we needed.  It was the day of the final World Cup game between Italy and France.  After dinner we rowed back in to join in on the festivities.

We hung out at this cafe/bar and watched with the Italians.  We stood at the back of the crowd and discovered some English speakers.  There were a couple of Dutch guys and a Brit.  One of the Dutch guys was a Stage Manager and sailor who spent most of his time touring Europe.  It was kind of fun talking with other travelers, particularly in English.

The game was close.  The Italians were all fired up and enthusiastic.  They could teach NHL fans a few things about passion for the game.  At the end of regulation time it was tied 1-1.  At the end of both overtime periods, it was still tied.  It went down to penalty shots.  The Italians are notoriously bad at penalty shots.  Each team gets five penalty shots before going into sudden death.

The Italians shot first, goal.  France, goal.  Italy, goal.  France, miss.  The Italians went nuts.  Italy, goal.  France, goal.  Italy, goal.  France, goal.  Tension peaked.  Italy, goal.  Italy wins!

The town went nutso.  Flags were waving, fireworks were going off, horns were honking, people were waving road flares.  We joined in the celebrations for the first 15 minutes or so and then we retreated to the boat.  The chaos continued without us, but we had a ringside seat, just off the beach.

Kyra:

Let's just say, that in Finale, I did not broadcast my French origins... it was safer that way!  One Italian woman asked, so who are you rooting for, France or Italy?? (In Italian, of course) - who do you think I said?  She was pleased with the response - and you know, for someone who couldn't care less about televised sports, I was swept up in the excitement and appropriately nervous when the penalty shots were unfolding the final verdict.  (I apologize to you my cousins, but I figure, when in Rome...)

Santa Margherita (Portofino, Rapallo)

Rick:

We arrived in Santa Margherita after a 30 mile sail (read long day) in the hot hot sun.  It was nice.  We were very happy to anchor in the harbour and jump into the water.

Kyra:

We've been in the Gulfo del Tigullio for a couple of days and are loving it - the landscape is lush, the buildings, colourful and the people friendly... they all smile or openly laugh at my attempts in Italian and often respond in English - but there is a definite appreciation for my efforts - and I am becoming more comfortable as I remember more words...

Yesterday, we took a bus down to Portofino - where "Enchanted April" was filmed - oh so lovely.  The bus ride there was entertaining - the game is: how narrow can you go?  Cars and busses pass one another with inches to spare - some smart drivers turned their side mirrors in - I laughed when two busses going in opposite directions literally hugged one another; it was as if the passengers on the other bus were sitting on the seat next to us!

Anyway, Portofino is a town that caters to the rich (this is a theme on the Riviera), but it is beautiful, the alleys are decorated  with pebble mosaics and the little town is unabashedly pretty.  We walked up and took in the scenery, and the environment - including a couple of contemporary art galleries, of course!

Today, we went to Rapallo - checked out a market and a castle (from outside, because it was closed), we were happy to come back to Santa Margherita and lounge on the grass in the park (shade is a precious commodity between 11 and 3!)

In Santa Margherita, there is a Jazz festival on right now (outdoor concerts), little bars where you can indulge in expensive drinks and swims off the boat, and the list goes on... tomorrow, we move on...