Last November I suddenly realized that I had a week with no tours. Such opportunities come along rarely these days, so I decided to take a short trip. I had been longing to go to Menton for years ever since I heard about their famous citrus festival during carnival time in February.
Menton is a magical place known for its sunshine and citrus. It's located about 45 minutes east of Nice sandwiched between the foothills of the Alps and the Mediterranean, a stones throw from the Italian border. The climate is unique, as it has 316 days of sunshine a year, more than any other place in France including its neighboring cities.
I arrived in Nice about 1PM on a Tuesday, and walked to the Hotel Windsor, conveniently located less than 10 minutes from the train station. The Hotel Windsor was originally the servant’s quarters for the Windsor family in the early 20th century and is a favorite hotel of mine in Nice with excellent service and comfortable rooms at reasonable prices.
The next morning I hopped the train to Menton and Jilly Bennett of Menton Daily Photo met me at the station. I was fortunate to get in contact with Jilly through my friend Virginia Jones, who does Birmingham, Alabama Daily Photo. Jilly was quite busy preparing for a photo exhibit where she was displaying her photos that weekend and said she would meet me for a coffee. She was kind and generous and shared about her former life in England and her new adventures of moving to Menton, reinventing herself much like I did in Paris. I was thrilled that Jilly was playing tour guide (it was so nice be on the other side for a change) and like myself, she is an avid photographer. She immediately wanted to show me the most photogenic places in Menton and we started at the harbor and went up the windy old town with narrow cobblestone passageways with doors and stucco buildings painted in cheerful pastel colors. At the top was a cemetery towering over the city with breathtaking panoramas of the sea and the city. It was a crisp, sunny-like-in-a postcard day and I couldn't stop staring at the view in amazement. The Vieux Chateau Cemetery is where many British and Russian aristocrats, intellectuals, and artists who lived in Menton in the late 1800s and early 1900s are buried. The sun gleaming on the gold dome of one particular Russian tomb was spectacular.
We went back to the center of town to visit the indoor food market in a turn of the century brick warehouse decorated with bright ceramic tiles where lively food vendors were selling their mouthwatering wares. Jilly was friendly with many of the merchants and said her hellos to them while she bought some yummy groceries. She next took me to an out of the way shop with local olive oil and insisted I must have a bottle and I bought a basil flavored one. I am glad she did because it was some of the best oil I have tasted since I moved to France. We were getting on so well, Jilly decided she would have time for lunch. We ate outside in the warm sun with cool air and we got to know each other intimately.
We were having such fun that Jilly kindly extended her day with me and said she would take me up to Gorbio, a tiny medieval village 500 meters above Menton, which was close to her house. I will share more about Gorbio along with photos later this week.
I give Jilly many thanks for a most perfect introduction to Menton, which I immediately fell in love with. Her tips and insights were invaluable and I couldn't wait to explore the rest of the city over the next few days.
Menton was so wonderful, it merits a week of posts.
Please browse Jilly's blog. http://www.mentondailyphoto.com/
Eye Prefer Paris on Twitter
I just launched a fun new daily Twitter post- Paris Photo du Jour. Every day I will post a photo of Paris. Follow me on Twitter - http://twitter.com/eyepreferparis
New Eye Prefer Paris Photos for Sale
I am happy to announce the sale of a new set of prints of my Eye Prefer Paris Photos. I am offering 20 of my most popular and iconic images for sale including my doors, architectural details, statues, and monuments. They will make great gifts for all your Francophile friends, relatives, and colleagues but don't forget to buy some for yourself.
Click here to see photos and for full details including sizes, prices, and shipping. Here is a sample of some of the photos.
New! Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes
I am happy to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes. Come take an ethnic culinary journey with me and chef and caterer Charlotte Puckette, co-author of the bestseller The Ethnic Paris Cookbook (with Olivia Kiang-Snaije). First we will shop at a Paris green-market for the freshest ingredients and then return to Charlotte's professional kitchen near the Eiffel Tower to cook a three-course lunch. After, we will indulge in the delicious feast we prepared along with hand-selected wines.
Cost: 185 euros per person (about $240)
Time: 9:30AM- 2PM (approximately 4 1/2 hours)
Location: We will meet by a metro station close to the market
Class days: Tuesday,Wednesday, Thursday,Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
Minimum of 2 students, maximum 6 students.
Click here to sign up for the next class or for more info.
I am pleased as punch to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I will personally be leading. The Eye Prefer Paris Tour includes many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes & food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks, and much more.
Tours cost 195 euros for up to 3 people, and 65 euros for each additional person. I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.
Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com
Your stairway photos are fantastic! Enjoyed all of your photos and Menton post.
Posted by: Sandra | January 16, 2012 at 10:39 PM
very nice!
Posted by: Rosemary | January 16, 2012 at 10:41 PM