Gorges de l'Ardeche

vineyards along the Rhone

We crossed the Rhone and rode up the west bank as far as Tournon-sur-Rhone which was setting up for a festival on this Saturday of the summer solstice weekend.  The area is filled with "Cotes de Rhone" vineyards.  We left the crowds and headed southwest and up into the hills for the views, stopping in Lamastre to pick up picnic supplies.  The tourist office informed us of a three day bicycle race for which our designated route would be closed for another hour.  We hung around for half of that and then took our chances on the closure.  Indeed no road was closed and no bicycles in view.  Many of the towns along the route had decorated themselves with blue and yellow balloons, flags, and welcome signs.

kayaks along the Ardeche

We found a park in Vals-les-Bains (a former bath town we assume) to eat our lunch and then headed for the Gorges de l'Ardeche, the very popular gorge along the Ardeche River.  Tourists and kayakers and campers were out in large numbers for the first third of the gorge, but traffic lightened as we made our way southeast along this scenic road. Kayaks in the river continued to the end.  We exited the gorge and found a hotel in Pont-St.-Esprit near where the Rhone and Ardeche meet.

Cols, Gorges, and a Combe

road up to the Col de Rousset

The area north of Die is filled with amazing roads and scenery and we spent the day riding and looking at as much as we could squeeze in.  First was the Col de Rousset (1254m) with a small ski resort at the top.  Clouds and some fog obscured a few of the peaks and the weather was chilly.  We later added a couple of layers to ward off the lower-than-expected temperatures.

The Gorges de la Bourne is a "balcony road" built in 1872 (took 11 years to build) which follows the narrow gorge of the Bourne River.  The views up the cliffs and down to the river are spectacular but difficult to photograph from a moving bike, and few view points are available along the narrow road. 

At the end of the gorge is the town of Pont-en-Royans with its famous hanging houses perched high above the river which is known to rise with snowmelt.  It was then 2PM and lunch called, so a restaurant across from our parked bike provided us with the best meal yet (topping Nimes).  We walked down to the river and back before heading to the last big ticket road of today.

Combe Laval is sometimes considered the most beautiful road in the French Alps.  It was constructed between 1861 and 1898, is another "balcony road" and was carved directly into the cliff with numerous short tunnels (for better photos than I have posted, check out http://www.dangerousroads.org/europe/france/302-combe-laval-road-france.html.  The views are amazing and the road is even more so.

hanging houses of Pont-en-Royans

It was after 5 when we finally headed west to Valance for the night. We'll spend tomorrow in the Rhone valley--perhaps tame by today's standards.

Avignon to Die

lunch under the red awning in Serres

We actually got underway before our usual 10 o’clock departure time, and stopped for gas and a tire pressure check.  And then the bike wouldn’t restart—dead battery again.  There was no gradient high enough to jump start her, but we found an electrical outlet in the gas station and used our charging kit for 25 minutes.  Success, and we were off east and north to Die, a possible destination for tonight.

The first hour of the ride was quite windy, like yesterday.  That eventually subsided and the weather was perfect for riding through this lovely countryside which became more rocky and mountainous as the day progressed.  We passed through Nyons which had been a destination on the day rain sent us to Aix.  This area is full of olive trees and a few vineyards.  Lunch time found us in Serres.  As we eat out more often we realize that we are missing our usual vegetable-laden lunch and are eating more meat.  We do share a large salad and try for pasta or fish when available.

heading for Die

Another short stop for coffee and ice cream and on to Die, and assistance from the Tourist Office in securing our hotel.  A weekend festival starts here tomorrow but we will be gone by then.  Tonight’s decision—will it be the Rhone Valley of the Ardeche Valley tomorrow?

Later: The festival of Transhumance is widely celebrated in Provence, the largest being in St-Remy.  It marks the transfer of sheep to higher summer pastures, by walking in earlier days, and by truck now.  Often sheep are herded through the town streets during the festival.

Uzes and Avignon

Having found the end of the Nimes aqueduct, we had to locate its source in Uzes.  The ** medieval town with Roman roots actually has more to offer than that, as we discovered. It is known for its four towers and as the "First Ducy of France"--made a duchy in 1565.  The current owner is the 17th in line, and he allows visitors to visit his castle for a fee of 18E, but we declined.  The old town is full of medieval streets centered on the Place aux Herbs whose Wednesday morning market we stumbled on.

source of the Roman aqueduct in Uzes

Following a somewhat incorrect map of the town we headed for the source of the Roman aqueduct located along a stream in the large town park.  We thought we had identified it twice but with the help of a fellow searcher from Australia we located the real thing.  The information plaque confirmed it, though lack of signage to the site was frustrating.

Off to Avignon 25 km away for a late lunch and visit to the imposing Palais des Papes, home of the papacy for most of the 14th century, including the reign of 6 popes.  It was added to and occasionally had sections removed over this period.  After the return of the papacy to Rome the palace was used as a military base and hospital and lost much of its woodwork and frescoes, but restoration is in progress.

part of the front of the Palais des Papes

Nearby is the famous Pont d'Avignon, also known as Pont-Benezet, which was built between 1177 and 1185 and spans the Rhone, at lease partway.  We walked out on it but somehow didn't take a photo!  At 6:30 we started looking for a hotel and with the assistance of the desk clerk at the K..., found a room outside the city walls at the Hotel Bristol.  

Nimes

Our multiple entry tickets for Arles attractions still had two unused parts, so before departing the city we used them up.  First was the 4th century Baths of Constantine.  These were public baths with a low entrance fee, encouraging the general population to use them.  Cold, warm, and hot baths were available for men, women, and children.

Roman Maison Carree

Next door to the Baths is the Musee Reattu, housed in the Grand Priory of the Order of Malta and built in the late 15th century.  It contains among other items works by local artist Jacque Reattu, drawings by Picasso, sculpture and photographs.  After a law in 1793 ordered the sale of all holdings of the Order, the Priory was purchased by Reattu who lived and worked here.  

We took the autoroute northwest to Nimes, planning to make a brief stop here to see the arena and then carry on to Avignon.  Built in 70 AD, it has a capacity of 16,000 in 34 rows of seats.  Parts of the third tier still exist, unlike Arles' arena.  It is currently used for a number of musical events and two annual bullfights.  As we used our audio guides to envision the original gladiator contests, the thunderstorm hit and continued for 45 minutes.  Checking the radar on our iPad, it was obvious that a line of storms was headed our way, and that Nimes was going to be our destination instead of Avignon.

A break in the rain at 2 sent us across the street to a delicious lunch--our best so far.  Our combo ticket gave us entry to the Maison Carree, a Roman temple built in 16 AD and dedicated to Augustus, and considered one of the best preserved Roman temples.  The building is currently used to present a dramatic film on the founding of the city. Lonely Planet indicated that this could easily be skipped--a correct assessment.

Jardins de la Fontaine

We headed for the third ticket location, the Tour Magne.  Passing the **** Hotel Imperator, we pulled out our iPad and decided to check the rates.  We booked a room and continued on our way through the Jardin de la Fontaine towards the Tower.  Rob wanted to climb, and I was happy to return to our hotel room.  The rain hit again as he reached the top of the tower.  In the early evening, again during a rain break, we walked back to the arena and retrieved our sodden bike.

When we visited the Roman Pont du Gard last year we were amazed to learn that the aqueduct that crossed that bridge was carrying water 50 km (crow-fly was 25 km) from Uzes to Nimes, with a drop of only 12 meters!  Tonight Rob, on his evening walk, found the outlet in Nimes which then distributed the water to various areas of the city. Roman engineering was incredible!  For more info see:  http://www.romanaqueducts.info/aquasite/nimes1/

Roman Arles and the Camargue

Arles boasts some amazing Roman ruins, two of which we viewed today.  The largest are the theater and nearby amphitheater.  The theater was built in the first century BC and could accommodate 10,000 spectators.  The tiered seating had three levels, each limited to various classes (nobility and military, Roman citizens, the rest).  Elaborate performances with special effects were highly popular.

Amphitheater

The larger amphitheater could seat 21,000, was built around 90 AD, and was used for gladiator contests and other games. Both theaters had canvas shades which could be pulled out against the sun. The stonework in both these ruins has recently been cleaned. We later learned that in the middle ages a town grew up in the amphitheater.  When excavation started in 1830, 600 houses and two churches had to be demolished.

For our third Roman experience we headed to the Arles Museum of Antiquity, a large modern 1995 building covering mainly Roman Arles and containing a huge selection of artifacts--sculpture, mosaics, models, everyday items, and the highlight for us--the Arles-Rhone 3--a 30 foot long Roman barge discovered in 2010, raised and conserved (a difficult task with submerged wood) and put on display two years ago. This museum was one of the best we have visited.

Aigues-Mortes

Arles lies at the head of the Camargue, a vast flat natural area between the two arms of the Rhone and the Mediterranean.  It is famous for its Camargue white horses, black bulls, and flamingoes.  Little is grown here except rice and much of the land consists of brine lagoons.  Two towns dot the area and we stopped at both--Saintes Maries-de-la-Mer, the larger and a seaside beach community, and Aigues-Mortes, a fortified town whose walls date to 1240 when Louis IX needed access to the sea for launching troops for the Crusades. (Earlier in 791, Charlemagne erected a tower here for the protection of fishermen and salt workers--and we noticed the large salt piles near town).  We headed back to Arles but took a final side trip that brought us through the most remote part of the Camargue.  

Les Baux and Glanum

There were two big items on today's docket and we happened on a third.  We took the autoroute north from Aix and continued on back roads towards Les Baux-en-Provence.  Six kilometers away we noticed a parade forming in the town of Eyguieres.  Rob can't pass up a parade so we stopped and watched a long line of elaborately dressed horses, wagons covered with tree branches, a women's dance group, and a choreographed group who swung whips of some sort.  Signage suggested this was a festival of Saint Eloi.

Les Baux from its castle

Finally we arrived at the very touristy but quite interesting town of Les Baux. It sits atop a rocky outcrop in the Alpilles mountains and is crowned with a ruined castle. During the middle ages it was the seat of a powerful feudal lordship and renowned for its ornateness and culture.  The castle eventually fell to the Manville family and then to the Grimaldi family of Monaco.  Exploring the extensive ruins requires some climbing skills but provide fine views of the town below and the countryside. In 1821 the aluminum ore bauxite was discovered (Les Baux gave it its name), and there was also extensive quarrying of the limestone in the area.

Our castle tickets included a multimedia show at the Carrieres de Lumieres which is the former limestone quarry.  We didn't know what to expect but the setting made the experience memorable.  To the sound of classical music, paintings by de Vinci, Raphael, and Michelangelo were projected onto the walls and floor.  The photos really don't convey the effect, especially without the movement and music.

Glanum

At 4:30 we departed Les Baux and rode to Glanum, a Roman town with extensive ruins. The information plaques include drawings of the buildings as they might have looked through various phases of the city's history from Celtic to Roman and later. We wandered through the ruins with a few other tourists and departed at 6:30 for the 40 minute ride to Arles, home to Van Gogh and several Roman ruins, one of which is visible from our hotel window.

Aix markets and museums

Aix food market

After last night's rain, today produced perfect temperatures and sun. First on the agenda were several Saturday markets--food, flowers, and clothing.  All provided photo ops but no purchases.  We walked past many of the ornate buildings, squares, and fountains which make Aix an appealing city.


At noon we took in the first of two intended museums, the Granet, housed in a classic villa.  This museum is actually split between two separated buildings, the original with sculpture, some archaeological finds, and paintings from the Renaissance to early 20th century--a relatively interesting but not exceptional collection.  The renovated Chapelle des Penitents blancs which opened in 2007 houses the Collection Jean Planque.  Planque was a Swiss painter, collector, and agent for the Breyeler Museum in Basel.  He befriended and supported many artists, buying their works and keeping most of them.  Paintings by Picasso, Braque, Cezanne and other well known artists are supplemented by lesser names such as Hans Berger and Kosta Alex whose work he admired.

We stopped for a quick lunch at 2, and then the deluge broke--heavier than last night.  We sat out most of it and made a break when the rain lightened, only to be caught as it increased again.  We made it back to the hotel, dried off, and headed out with our umbrellas this time.

Caumont Centre d'Art

 

The newly renovated Caumont Centre d'Art, housed in a lovely villa (1715+), had a special exhibition on Canaletto and we were quite impressed by both the building and the paintings and drawings of this artist. Fortunately the museum was open until 7, so our rain delay did not impinge on our visit. Before departing we watched a film about Cezanne whose home and inspiration were here.

The final activity of the day/evening was a visit to the local laundromat, resulting in another week of clean clothes.   More rain expected tomorrow but we will move on.

Cucuron and Aix

one of our pre-lunch roads

It was time to leave the coast and head into Provence.  We had planned to reach the town of Nyon but the weather forecast for today and the weekend was for on and off thunderstorms and there was nothing in that town to keep us indoors.  We took the autoroute and then two minor roads through the hilly, rocky landscape.

We had a lunch date with our friend Janis in the charming town of Cucuron. She had recommended a restaurant that was used in the filming of the 2006 movie A Good Year, which we have not seen.  The filming was irrelevant since this is one of her favorite spots and the meal was excellent. The rain held off but it was clear that Aix-en-Provence, just 30 minutes away, would provide the needed rainy-day entertainment for the weekend.

our Cucuron restaurant with the yellow awning

We had just secured a room when the deluge began and continues two hours later.  Will we get to use our patio over the next two days?

Another Provence loop

I hope the blog readers will excuse the repetition of yet another day spent riding in these wonderful mountains.  There are so many remote areas and green-line roads to explore.  Today Rob had mapped out a loop that included some very minor roads and ended with a new section of coast.

harvested cork oak

We started west along the coast in heavy traffic (30 minutes to go 10K) until we could turn north in Grimaud.  From then on the traffic was light to nonexistent.  Like last night's ride, the hilly area is covered with pine and cork oak.  Today we noticed many of the latter from which  the cork bark had been harvested.  The cut section shows a dark reddish bark after harvesting.  For more information see: http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cork_oak.

We stopped at the village of Collobrieres--recommended in Lonely Planet--which was not as interesting as expected but did provide lunch (again, a bit of a disappointment.  Next time we will choose the more crowded restaurant).  

La Tour Fondue near Hyeres

The loop took us down to the coast at Hyeres and the adjacent peninsula from which ferries depart for several offshore islands including Porquerolles.  We followed the coast road east towards St.-Tropez, noting a number of pleasant communities with the usual sandy beach and marina.  We were not much impressed by St.-Tropez.  Several five-star hotels were hidden from view, but the seaside and town didn't strike us as anything special.  Are we jaded by Cannes, Nice etc? Or did we miss some section of town that warrants its reputation?  We returned to our Sainte-Maxime hotel at 8:30.  Tomorrow we leave the Mediterranean and head into Provence and beyond.

Antibes to Sainte-Maxime

We spent the day along the coast with several short stops to provide walking breaks.  West from Antibes is Cannes so for the third time we drove that waterfront with yachts and beaches on the sea side and ornate hotels and upscale shops on our right.  We did stop briefly and walked by numerous horse vans which had transported entries for next weekend's races.

Corniche de l'Esterel

Next stop and walk was at Thoule-sur--Mer with its nearly-empty sand beach (compared to the very crowded pebble beach at Nice) and harbor.  A pleasant low-key alternative to larger resort cities. The coast road west of Thoule is called the Corniche de l'Esterel and was the most stunning ride today, with red rocky outcroppings, clear blue water, and cliffs rising behind.  No beaches here, just great scenery.

We pulled into Saint-Raphael and neighboring Frejus to find a lunch spot, ending up in the harbor at Frejus and returning to Saint-Raphael for another pleasant stroll on the seaside promenade and to the Cathedral which we were unable to enter due to a children's pageant taking place in front.

our evening ride

We moved on to Sainte-Maxime and secured housing and a brief rest (this was not a particularly strenuous day but we have missed our afternoon naps, so took advantage of an early stop).  But at 6:30 we headed out again for a two hour loop into the mountains northwest of the coast.  The hills are dotted with live oak and pine trees, a rare vineyard or olive orchard or house.  There was little traffic on the narrow roads and the loop provided a fine ending to the day.

Picasso and Mougins

Picasso's ceramic plates

The Picasso Museum in Antibes is housed in the Chateau Grimaldi which in 1608 became a stronghold of the Grimaldi family.  In modern times it was the town hall and a museum.  In 1946 Picasso, who lived in Mougins, was invited to work in a studio space at the museum. Many of the pieces that he created here were donated to the museum which became the Picasso Museum.  Jacqueline Picasso donated additional works in 1990, raising the total to 245. The interior is entirely modern while the exterior remains original. We stopped by the busy covered market as we returned to our hotel and then departed.  

Our first stop was the local Villa Thuret Botanical Garden.  In 1857 botanist Gustave Thuret bought 5 acres and started a garden of plants from the various "Mediterranean" climate areas of the world. The estate eventually passed to the state.  We were the only visitors and roamed for an hour, enjoying the shade and well-labeled trees, recognizing many since southern California is one of five such climate areas.

Leda and the Swan:  Lalique and ancient Greece

Having read of the Mougins Museum of Classical Art in our Lonely Planet, we decided to spend the afternoon in that hilltop town 20km north of Cannes.  The museum was founded in 2011 by British businessman and collector Chris Levett, whose collections of Greek, Roman, and Egyptian antiquities are supplemented by more modern works that reflect classical influence. This juxtaposition of ancient and modern encourages the visitor to consider this influence. We walked the charming town which was generally devoid of tourists.  

Next on the long list of today's attractions was the nearby Jardin du MIP which is run by the Grasse Perfume Museum (which we sadly will have to miss on this trip).  The garden grows the various plants used in making perfume.  Extensive signage in English indicated the growing season, parts of the plants used, amounts required, and value.  

One final stop on this busy day was the Cannes waterfront, since we do not plan to stop here tomorrow as we exit the area.  We took a pleasant walk past the yacht harbor, admiring (?) the wealth invested in these huge boats.

Antibes and around

glassblowing demo in Biot

Our hotel is in Old Town Antibes so we started the day by walking the narrow streets and along the ramparts and through the marina.  In the early afternoon we rode north to Biot, halfway to Nice.  The town is known for its glassblowers so we stopped to have a look.  Besides their own showroom and demonstration area (not active), they display glass artworks of various artists—mostly Czech, French, and American.  Biot is known for its "bubble" glass.  We had lunch nearby and when we returned a school group had arrived and activated the demonstration.

We rode to the upper town of Biot and walked more narrow streets before heading for our main attraction of the day:  the Renoir Museum at Cagnes.  Renoir built the house in 1907 when his hands were crippled with arthritis which he hoped the southern climate would ease.  He lived here with his wife and three sons until he died in 1919.  The house is sparsely furnished and contains photographs of the family and some artwork by Renoir and associates. The house has fine views and the gardens contain ancient olive trees.  The nearby "Farm" building was showing a video in French of an interview with his son, movie director Jean Renoir, who reminisced about his childhood experiences here.

Renoir home and museum in Cagnes

We left at 6 and rode south past Antibes to Juan-les-Pins and the Cap d'Antibes peninsula where we took a walk along the rocky shore.  Tomorrow we will visit the nearby Picasso Museum and perhaps see what Cannes has to offer.

Alps again

along the Gorges Rouges

After taking in the modest Sunday morning "Flower Show Market" along the main street of sleepy-but-perfectly-enjoyable Beuil and purchasing two quiches for lunch, we headed south into the "Gorges Rouges"--a deep canyon of reddish stone with nearly vertical sides.  Yet another amazing road. Exiting the gorge we headed west to the medieval town of Entrevaux. As luck would have it, the town features a small motorcycle museum, which we just managed to catch open before its lunchtime closure. Lots of bikes from the 1950s and earlier.  In addition to the medieval town and citadel perched above, Entrevaux is on the Nice-to-Digne tourist train route, so we had to walk to the station to see it arrive and depart.

Heading west again towards Castellane, we noticed the Gorges de Daluis heading north and of course had to check it out.  Another stunning road! It brought us to Guillaumes (not far from our starting point at Beuil) where we enjoyed the quiche, along with yesterday's leftover pizza and a bag of greens, and cherries. 

To complete the loop to Colmars and on to Castellane, we had to cross one more pass--the Col de Champs (2015m). That was today's twisty challenge.

heading towards the Col de Champs (before the rain hit)

As we approached the pass we watched the skies darken in all directions and the lightning begin. Rain quickly followed. The road down was not in great condition, with potholes and no guardrails--not a pleasant ride in wet cold weather. (rde: It was one of the more challenging ones. Someday I should describe how Judy and I negotiate super-tight uphill right turn hairpins. To begin, it takes four eyes and then ...) We persevered, getting quite soaked since we had not suited up. Seeking dryness we finally stopped in Saint-Andre-les-Alpes for a break and coffee. 

Finally we reached Castellane and the Route Napoleon which we took east&south to Grasse where we hopped on the autoroute for the final leg to Antibes and our hotel for the next three nights.  The Route Napoleon, which we have intersected before, runs from Antibes to Grenoble, and is the 325 km route that Napoleon, after his release from Elba, took north in 1815 to launch a new campaign, which ended with his defeat at Waterloo.  This is the bicentennial of that event, and March 1 saw many commemorations of it.  

French Alps--Four passes

This was a full day of riding, though we only covered 142 miles.  Rob had mapped out a loop from our base in Beuil that included four passes, so most of the ride consisted of hairpin turns.  But the views were fantastic, the weather warm below and cool above, and the traffic was minimal.  This posting will mainly include the names of the passes and the photos are all of mountain scenery and cows.  Not much variation today.

cows stuck on the hillside

We rode the loop counterclockwise, starting with a repeat of yesterday's Col de la Couillole (1878m).  Heading north on Route D2205 through the Vallee de la Tinee, we next took a diversion toward the Col de la Lombarde. This pass continues into Italy, but we turned around at the ski resort of Isola 2000--empty of visitors today, and descended, finding an appealing river walk to break up the ride.  Cow bells signaled a herd advancing along the river, only to get stuck trying to climb the hillside.  Perhaps their usual route was blocked?  Some tried to turn, others started to slip towards the river--clearly the head cow had made an error.  No human accompanied the animals.  We continued on our walk and soon heard the cow bells behind us--they had successfully navigated the hillside.  Please excuse the many cow photos. 

view from the Col de la Bonette

We rode down to the town of Isola for a pizza lunch.  It was a bit after 2PM (often a cut-off for lunch service) so the owner said we had to eat indoors(?) and that the salad was not available.  We tried to order one pizza and one fish-and-chips, but apparently didn't make ourselves clear so we ended up with two large pizzas.  We ate one and saved the other for tomorrow's lunch (maybe).

Pass number two was the highest--Col de la Bonette (2715m) with spectacular scenery.  Then on to Barcelonnette for a brief Carrefour Market stop.  Dark clouds were forming and thunderstorms were predicted, but we continued up our third pass, Col de la Cayolle (2326m).  We negotiated the fourth pass at Valberg and successfully reached Beuil without rain at 7PM.  A trout and beef stew dinner in our hotel restaurant completed the day.

Villa Kerylos

mosaic at the entrance of the Villa Kerylos

When we visited the Rothschild Villa two days ago, we bought tickets that included the nearby Villa Kerylos.  The Villa was built by French archaeologist Theodore Reinache and his wife (related to the husband of Beatice Rothschild), in collaboration with architect Emmanuel Pontremoli.  Reinache purchased land in Beaulieu-sur-Mer, at the top of Cap Ferrat and surrounded on three sides by water in 1902 and built the villa over the next six years. 

The Villa and its contents are all replicas of artifacts from ancient Greece, Pompeii, and Egypt.  Wall paintings, ceilings, floor mosaics, furniture, columns, baths, furniture--these are meticulously recreated to provide a home which is as authentic to ancient Greece as possible. Both Reinache and Pontremoli traveled extensively in Greece, and some artifacts were collected and are on display in the villa.  We spent two delightful hours here and found the audio guide useful in elaborating on Greek life and culture as well as on the villa rooms. 

Saint Martin Vesube

Part II of today's plan was a trip into the mountains north. We first took the Middle Corniche past the hilltop town of Eze and down to Cap Martin (passing the home of Winston Churchill in his later days) After a sea-view lunch, we headed inland out of the heat and spent 4+ hours traversing various passes--cooling off with each--and reaching our hotel in tiny Beuil at 7:30.

Nice

Musee d'Art Moderne et d'art Contemporain

Laundry day has arrived again, and Nice provided several options.  After a late start we located a laundromat, completed that task, found picnic supplies at a Carrefour market next door, ate at a nearby park, and by 2 were ready to see a bit more of Nice and its museums.

We started at the Musee des Beaux Arts but soon discovered both that it was no longer free (as of January) but more important that only the first floor was open due to an instillation being installed on the upper floors.  So we chose instead the Musee d'Art Moderne et d'Art Contemporain housed in a striking building.  The museum collection includes several works by Yves Klein and Niki de Saint Phalle as well as other mainly French and American modern artists. 

Niki de Saint Phalle's Dragon positive and negative

The 1990 building consists of four windowless square towers linked by glass elliptical sections.  The roof terraces provide views of the surrounding area.  Near the museum is the Old Town of narrow streets, several churches, many restaurants, gift shops, and ice cream vendors, where we meandered for 40 minutes before returning to the bike and back to Villefranche.

Saint Paul de Vence

view from our balcony

When we signed up for our Hotel de la Darse in Villefranche, the marina-view rooms with balcony were not available for our first two nights, but were for the second part of our visit.  So this morning we made the switch and are enjoying the view.  Thanks to Rick Steves and Rob for zeroing in on this excellent choice.  After riding through the Nice traffic today we are even more appreciative of this quiet town and hotel.

We intended to spend just a couple of hours in Nice, visiting the Matisse Museum, before heading inland to the touristy hilltop town of Saint Paul de Vence.  The museum sits in a park next to a Roman archaeological site.  We spent almost an hour viewing Matisse, but the museum was a bit of a disappointment.  It includes some sculpture and later cut-outs and a few of his early paintings, but only a couple of the later vibrant paintings. Matisse lived in Nice from 1917 to 1954.

Matisse Museum cut-outs

As we prepared to ride on, we realized (from a bus destination) that the Monastery Gardens of Cimiez were nearby.  Just what we needed, and a nearby cafe provided a quick lunch.  Then it was off to the Fondation Maeght Museum in Saint Paul de Vence.  Again we were a bit disappointed since most of the interior space was given over to special exhibition of Jorg Immendorff whose paintings were not really to our taste.  Only one room with 6 paintings displayed the permanent collection.  Outside however the Museum proved successful with many notable sculptures at various levels and terraces.

Saint-Paul-de-Vence

Our final stop (planned to be late in the day after the tour buses had departed) was the town itself, full of charm and art galleries and descriptive plaques on the town’s connection to the French movie industry.  On our return via Nice to Villefranche we made one more stop to purchase another GPS unit (heading out of Nice this afternoon we had purchased one also), to replace the TWO existing ones that continue to give Rob problems.  Perhaps this is due to vibrations from the bike, though the units are cushioned with foam.  We’ll see if these two new units behave properly.

Saint Jean Cap Ferrat

Just east of our (perfect!) base in Villefranche is the peninsula of Saint-Jean Cap Ferrat, another playground of the rich and famous who hide their villas behind high walls and hedges.  We spent today roaming around the Cap, taking a couple of very fine seaside walks and visiting the splendid Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild.

Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild

The Cap is mainly residential with one small commercial center and beach adjacent.  Nearby we walked the 2 kilometer Promenade des Fossettes which provided views of the coast in both directions.  Lunchtime found us at the marina with a slice of quiche and two sandwiches provided by a handy boulangerie.  We chatted with a British woman who suggested several local outings, all of which sounded just right for us.

Next on the agenda was the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild, built in the early 20th century by Beatrice, daughter of the French banking family.  The house and extensive gardens kept us busy for two hours.  Wiki says:  The Baroness filled the mansion with antique furniture, Old Master paintings, sculptures, objets d'art, and assembled an extensive collection of rare porcelain. The gardens are classified by the French Ministry of Culture as one of the Notable Gardens of France.

Monaco Casino

At 5 we headed east again and returned to Monaco to take those photos we missed yesterday.  Parking near the large marina, we walked past many impressive yachts and noticed the dismantling of large seating stands.  The Grand Prix de Monaco had taken place May 21-24 and they were still clearing out the apparatus.  Rob wanted to walk to the Casino so we guessed at a route which unfortunately included a car tunnel but did eventually lead us to that famous ornate building. (I recall that on our 1965 motorcycle trip we tried to enter the Casino but were turned away since Rob did not have a suit jacket.)

We found a more scenic walk back to the bike and realized that we had walked the entire route of the race circuit.  

Italian Riviera

acres of beach umbrellas

Though it seemed like we spent the whole day on the bike, we actually only covered 96 miles, most of it along the Italian Riviera, traveling from Savona to Villefranch (just into France, adjacent to Nice).  The seaside resort towns tend to run together in my mind--like the Italian lake towns--but each did have its own character.  The ones with fine beaches usually had private beach areas identified by the color of their umbrellas.  A few towns had public beaches.  Many had traffic jams, especially as the day progressed, and possibly due to the end of this three day Italian weekend. 

We stopped and walked along the seafront in Loano after buying lunch supplies, and later in Cervo we found a shaded  bench for our picnic, following it with another beachfront walk.  Another brief walk in Menton at 6.  Rob calculates that we were on the bike for 9 hours with only four stops--two of those quite brief. The traffic jam in Ventimiglia was quite memorable.

shot while riding--lots of yachts (not the biggest though)

Despite the traffic and crowds this area is appealing, with hills or cliffs rising behind picturesque resorts and marinas.  We took the moyenne corniche above Monaco and I had no luck taking photos, but the huge yachts and new buildings made us consider a return visit.  We are here in Villefranch for four nights--plenty of time to explore this part of the French coast, one would think.  We'll see...

South to the Riviera

We expected to spend most of the day traveling, including several hours on the autostrada.  But this central part of the day was bookended by some excitement, both planned and unplanned.

classic cars in Bergamo

We had noticed yesterday that the Citta Alta was setting up for a classic car and motorcycle rally.  Many roads to the upper town were closed in preparation for the display and rally, but Rob eventually found a back way up and we managed to park (there were many many more visitors' motorcycles there today than yesterday), to the annoyance of the local parking meister who claimed that we were blocking his driveway. Rob managed to soothe him, and so we were able to join the crowds eyeing the machines. 

Then back to the business of traveling south to the Mediterranean, mainly by autostrada which was painless but not very scenic as we made our way around Milan and headed towards the Italian Riviera, exiting at Alba to take rural roads.  

The Piedmont hill towns and vineyards provided eye as well as biking pleasure.  Since this was a Sunday, the number of motorcycles on these roads was high. As we neared our target of Finale Ligure, the fog rolled in and made travel on these narrow twisty roads a real challenge, especially given the Italian need to speed.

riding in fog

Another challenge awaited us.  Checking three hotels on the Finale Ligure waterfront we discovered that all were fully booked.  We looked farther inland, checked four more, and learned that tomorrow is a holiday in Italy and that the town was absolutely full due to this 3 day Memorial Day equivalent. Back to the autostrada at 8:30 pm with dusk descending, we exited at Savona, following the recommendation of one of the FL hoteliers. There we found two hotels booked but the third and last in town had two rooms left.  A big sigh of relief.

rde: Lesson learned: We have to pay more attention to holidays. Missed May 8 last year in France, leading to our trading cash-for-gas that day. Ditto on June 8. But this year June 1 in Italy? Darn, I assumed that a Sunday night would be a dead zone here.

Bergamo

Cappella Colleoni

Bergamo is really two cities:  Citta Alta, the upper Medieval walled section, and Citta Basso, the modern lower section which surrounds it.  Bergamo came under the control of Venice from 1498 to 1797.  The Venetians built the 16th century walls around the upper city to protect it from possible attack by Milan.

We managed to spend four hours in Citta Alta and another three in Citta Basso before returning to our hotel at 6 pm for a well-earned rest. We began the day by taking the funicular up to the popular upper city and strolled the narrow streets lined with shops, took in views of the surrounding countryside and hazy mountains, and tried to visit the Botanical Garden which was closed for lunch.  

Lorenzo Lotto's Portrait of a Young Man

At 3 we walked down to the recently renovated Accademia Carrera for 90 minutes of art immersion.  The Museum was founded by three private individuals including Count Giacomo Carrera whose collection formed the heart of the 1810 building.  The current collection is nearly all Italian artists and mainly Renaissance to1800. Many variations of the Madonna and Child.

Following our two hours of rest (and Rob cursing at "inscrutable websites" as he tried to pay some bills online), in the evening we decided to check out some local noisy activity. Turns out that there were several street events that more-or-less filled the entire, large pedestrian zone to our south, competing with each other to have the loudest music. We bought our cups of beer and wine and sought silence, finally finding it only when we returned to our room.

Today for the first time on this trip we didn't ride the bike at all. Instead we walked and walked and walked ... Not sure which I prefer, but it was a great day.

The Closed Pass

approaching Bellano and lunch

If you saw today's route you might think we didn't have access to maps and GPS, since it included a lot of backtracking. We traveled south from Varenna to Lecco on a road that included a number of long tunnels but was infinitely faster than yesterday's slow but scenic ride up the west coast of Lake Como. At Lecco 11 am we paused to to enjoy a lovely 40 minute lakeside walk. Then we headed off for a loop inland and northward into the mountains (one of several roads recommended in our Scenic Driving Roads of Northern Italy book), returning to Lecco at noon to check out the Moto Guzzi--the premiere Italian motorcycle-- factory and Museum, which turned out to be open only from 3-4.  

So north again, past Varenna to Bellano, watching for a market for picnic supplies. No luck, so we ended up (luckily?) enjoying another lakeside cafe lunch.  Then north again to the top of Lake Como and the San Marco Pass.  Oops! The pass is closed?  But Rob is persistent and asks a maintenance worker at the spot where the cars are turning around if the pass is really closed.  Not for motorcycles, he says.  Off we went, with no Italian cars tailgating us. 

up the San Marco Pass

It was a fine ride up and down.  We returned through San Pellegrino, noticing the large bottling plant, and on to Bergamo.  We had decided against using Booking.com to secure a hotel here, noticing the relatively inexpensive prices for the weekend, and after hearing from our Stresa host that Booking charges the hotel 18% of the room rate.  We arrived at the Excelsior San Marco and are now enjoying a relatively luxurious room for $130, compared to $110 for our last two modest hotels.