A Journey Through Belle France

Day 11 - Le Thoronet Abbey, Antibes, & Villefranche-sur-Mer

Today we left Cassis and headed back toward Nice. Our wonderful journey would soon be coming to an end, but we had a few more places to explore first. Our first stop today was Le Thoronet Abbey. The abbey was built in 1160 by the Cistercian monks. The location, secluded in a forest of oak trees, was purposefully chosen to encourage meditation and prayer. Walking around the grounds and exploring the ruins of this self contained sanctuary, you get a real sense of how difficult life must have been but at the same time, you feel absolute peace. It is so quiet on the grounds that no sounds from the modern world can be heard. The grounds are so beautiful that you don't mind that the outside world has completely forgotten about you. We walked through the garden, and then explored the lay

brothers quarters. From there we entered the church, which is still in

perfect condition, and we heard the most beautiful music. At first, we

were unsure of the source of the music. Then we saw a guide from

another tour group who was singing and chanting through the church.

She sang so beautifully, I was very moved. The effect was heightened

by the acoustics of the room. If you were in the back, you could hear

a pin being dropped at the alter. So when the woman sang, you were

completely surrounded by the music.

After we finished our tour of the grounds, we walked down this tree lined path to a grassy area surrounded by trees. There were two large tables near the trees where the workers at the abbey had set up a wonderful lunch for us. Too bad the monks never experienced a meal time like this.

Entering the lay brothers quarters.

Enjoying lunch under the trees.

In the garden of the abbey.

The main aisle of the church.

Antibes is a costal town located between Nice and Cannes. As you enter the town, the thing that really catches your eye is all the luxury yachts in the harbor. It was like a scene out of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. All that was missing was Robin Leach.

We did not come to Antibes to see the yachts, however, we came to see the Picasso Museum. I am a big fan of Picasso, especially his blue period, so I was anxious to see the museum. Like the Matisse Museum, it wasn't just a building full of paintings, but a representation of his life as an artist. The museum was formerly Grimaldi Castle, which was acquired by the City in 1925. In 1946, Picasso was invited to set up his studio in the castle. The building is on a cliff right at the waters edge. Along the wall, there are several statues by Germaine Richier and a stunning view of the ocean. Inside, you get to view many of Picasso's paintings, sketches, and ceramics. My favorite part of the museum is the room just outside Picasso's former studio where they have

From Antibes we headed to Villefranche-sur-Mer which would be our home base for the remainder of the tour. We checked into Hotel Provençal, which is an amazing hotel within sight of the water. When I was preparing for this tour, I actually looked this hotel up on the web to see what it was like. I literally starting bouncing in my office chair when I saw the photos of the hotel and the views from the rooms. It was the absolutely picture perfect place to end the tour.

Once we settled in, Sabine took us on a little walking tour to get us oriented with the town and then we were free for the night and all the next day. Sounds like a lot of time to get into mischief, but it is a really small town, and I there didn't seem to be any real opportunity for misbehaving. On our way to the restaurant area, Sabine showed us the Rue Obscure which is about the coolest thing in the whole town.

(1) Germaine Richier Statue and (2) Jack and Peter enjoy the view of the ocean.

I took this picture before I found out that no photos were allowed.

Villefranche-sur-Mer

photographs of Picasso working and lounging about in his studio. It

is a very rare and intimate glimpse into the life of a painter, something which art fans are usually denied. These photos captured something that written biographies cannot, the shear joy seen on his face as he worked.

The Rue Obscure is a road that is located under the city. It is not built underground, but the buildings in this area were built over the road. All of the buildings, including houses, that are built here have access from this hidden road. The road was built this way to protect

the towns people and allow them to travel unharmed during attacks during the towns more violent past. Evidently, the town was overtaken by barbarians in the fifth century and the villagers fled to the hills. In 1295 the Duke of Provence was being threatened by the Turks and asked the villagers to move back into the town to protect the town and stop the Turks from gaining control and attacking Nice. The villagers agreed, after they were given tax free status, hence the name of the town Ville (town) franche (without taxes) and the need for protected walkways through the city.

After our walking tour we ended up in a square with lots of little cafes where everyone dispersed for dinner. Well, I shouldn't say dispersed, more like broke up into small groups because it just seems like we cannot stand to be

away from one another. During dinner we saw these two little guys having a great time playing in this fountain. It was a fun evening for everyone. After dinner we all went to get some rest for our trip to Monaco the next day.

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