Looking down on the Promenade du Cap Martin towards SE, Roquebrune Cap Martin, Alpes-Maritimes, France
Buying fruit, Roquebrune-cap-Martin
Roquebrune-cap-Martin, France
9th - 11th July 2023
Timothy, Priscilla & Danica Gonsalves
This essay covers a 2-day stay in France. Our longer visit to Cinque Terre and Assisi in Italy are described in other essays.
We landed in Nice on Saturday 9th September, flying on Emirates from Bangalore via Dubai. We met Danica in the airport – she had flown in from Seattle via Heathrow. A 40-minute drive along the coastal Alps got us to Roquebrune-cap-Martin. The highway is excellent and the gorgeous views of mountains cascading into the sea is hard to beat. As we descended on a winding road through the scenic mountains, we caught sight of densely packed skyscrapers in a cove, the city-state of Monaco.
The studio apartment that we had booked was on the first floor about 200 m from the sea. The apartment with a double bed and a sofa-bed was cramped. The kitchen and bathroom barely had room to turn around. It was clean and neat with all amenities. Surprisingly there was a large balcony. However, it was hot in the afternoon sun, and mosquitoes were plentiful in the evenings, so we could sit out only in the morning.
Looking down on the Promenade du Cap Martin towards SE, Roquebrune Cap Martin, Alpes-Maritimes, France
Buying fruit, Roquebrune-cap-Martin
The promenade along Carnoles Bay is lined with 6-8 storey bland apartment buildings. They are mostly post-WWII buildings in which some locals reside year round, while other units are occupied by owners who come down for vacations or cater to tourists. Many luxury hotels on the Riviera were occupied by the military during the war. The occupants left them in bad condition and with post-war shortages, they were converted to jointly-owned apartments.
The beach consists of small pebbles without any sand. The water was calm and there were many families, couples and others sun-bathing, swimming and playing. Scooters and motorbikes are plentiful. Cars are mostly small, suitable on the narrow streets, with a few big luxury ones. Not many birds were in evidence, mainly a few seagulls.
Sculpture de Paul Pacoto, by Josephine Baker, Promenade du Cap Martin, Roquebrune Cap Martin, Nice, France
Plaque: Josephine Baker (1906-1975), sculpture by Paul Pacotto. Promenade du Cap Martin, Roquebrune Cap Martin, Alpes-Maritimes, France
Antique Fiat convertible with wickerwork seats
Hotel converted into a luxury apartment building, Roquebrune-cap-Martin
Testing the waters
European herring gull (Larus argentatus) with fish, Carnoles Bay, Roquebrune-cap-Martin, France
European herring gull (Larus argentatus) with fish, Carnoles Bay, Roquebrune-cap-Martin, France
At the southwest end of the beach, there is a choice of a road up the hill or the Avenue Sir Winston Churchill which continues along the rocky coast. We chose to walk up the hill. After a hairpin bend, we were above the buildings and had a good view of the town and the bay. The buildings of the town rose up the hillsides that formed a bowl around the bay. At higher elevations, the buildings are smaller, 1-3 storeys. Umbrella pines (Pinus pinea) are common.
A number of luxury yachts were moored in or sailing on the bay. Motor boats ferried passengers and supplies to and from them. We found a steep staircase that took us down to the level of the promenade. In the evening, with the sun at our back, the hill walk afforded scenic views of the deep blue Carnoles Bay.
There are scattered sit-down restaurants, some on the beach. The prices are high, minimum of €15-30/person. We ate at smaller take-out places run by families of Moroccan descent. They offered varieties of sandwiches and beverages on a take out basis only. A panini sandwich was about €8. Gelato was refreshing after a walk in the sun. Gelato is an Italian ice-cream that has less fat and less sugar than the regular ice-cream. It is served a bit warmer. Hence, it is less unhealthy and more tasty.
One morning, we walked along the Avenue Sir Winston Churchill for a kilometre, then branched off on the Coastal Path along the shore. Before the path rounded the Cap San Martin, there is a statue of Le Corbusier, the architect who designed Chandigarh. An information board has a quotation on hobbies from Winston Churchill's 1932 book “Thoughts and Adventures”. After rounding the cape, we had a good view of Monaco. It is a dense crowd of skyscrapers along a bay, with steep mountain slopes behind. Not a place we would like to live in.
On Monday 11th morning, we boarded a train at the Carnoles station about 100 m from our apartment. The train took us south across the border to Ventimiglia in Italy. The border was seamless, with no halt or checking of documents. Our tickets were also not checked. The track was mostly through tunnels, so not much in the way of scenic views.
At Ventimiglia, we changed to a Trenitalia Intercity express train to Genoa Principe for the next leg of our holiday. We had reserved seats, though the train had many empty seats. The journey was smooth with the train running at speeds between 100 to 200 kmph. We reached Genoa Principe at about 2:20 pm and took a taxi to the Freschi Inn.
Intercity express of Trenitalia, FS UIC-Z Sun coaches, at Genoa Principe, Genoa, Italy
This essay covers a 2-day stay in France. Our longer visits to Cinque Terre and Assisi in Italy are described in other essays.
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