The French Riviera/Cote d'Azur = Simply Irresistible + A Giveaway

opening this post, created especially for the link party
Anita @ Castles, Crowns & Cottages
is hosting, 
with Nicole Kidman attending The Cannes Film Festival this year
seemed perfectly correct.

you see, we are taking you on a little holiday to this
very famous location.
telling you about some of our own adventures while there.




"Riviera Chic"
Grace Kelly epitomized "the look" in To Catch A Thief

When I got married almost 14 years ago my husband planned the entire honeymoon.
Paris-Cannes-Monte Carlo-Portofino

he added Portofino just for me, but HE loved all the other places,
and spent many summers there prior to our marriage...Cannes was nirvana to him.

today I'm concentrating on that area,
and on forthcoming days we will visit some of the other locales,
all linking back to Anita's place.

you see, I tend to go on & on & on about things I love, and ONE post
is just not enough to cover such a beautiful region.




a regular sight one will see along the coastline,
this yacht is privately owned and is almost as long as an American football field

believe me, I was stunned when I sighted one even larger laying at anchor in front
of our hotel.  I just had to know who owned it!



The Carlton Hotel, the one with the 2 domes, has the most wonderful
boardwalk pier going quite a distance out over the water,
this is where everyone suns.  You find yourself a chaise and a waiter and
make new friends with the people around you.  Oh yes, lots of the girls are topless,
in fact most of the Europeans, but remember they are all young and they are all
linear...none of them look like Pam Anderson...and it doesn't offend at all.



"riviera chic"



We met this lovely, darling, gorgeous couple from Denmark who pointed us
to one of their favorite restaurants in Cannes,
Gaston et Gastounette



you can walk there easily, the evenings are cool, and it's fun just people watching.
the restaurant is across from the Cannes Marina, and is usually packed with people
awaiting the famous "Fish Soup."   it's worth waiting for.
every single time we returned to this area we made it back to this place.
hustle, bustle, crowded, loud, great food.



the esplanaded street between the hotels, shops & the beach is called
La Croisette
& it is beautiful, always filled with flowers in hanging baskets, and
beautiful people.

in the photo center you can see the Carlton pier,
which is actually quite large.





above is an example of a villa for lease.
to me, this is the very best of all worlds.
the year after our honeymoon we rented a place for the month of July
& invited family & friends over.  we loved cooking at home, we had a splendid bar set up,
had bunches of wonderful music poolside, and a view of the sea.
each morning the housekeeper would bring fresh croissants.  this is something I will always cherish.
her name was Marguerite and her dog was named FiFi. 
I named our poodle FiFi after Marguerite's dog.

all of the villas available for rent come equipped with almost everything one needs,
except food & drink, of course.

we used the home as our base and from there we could drive around the
countryside on little day trips.  staying as long as we did enabled us to really
get to know the highways, directional signs.  we went back & forth to the Nice
airport collecting & returning visitors we knew it like the back of our hands.



a not-to-be-missed gourmet restaurant a bit above Cannes is
Le Moulin de Mougins
shown above
it is a very easy drive IF you do not get lost, as we did.
reservations are a must.


as I said, we loved staying at home for dinner sometimes,
and each couple or pair of relatives would be assigned a night to cook,
they chose the menus, they did the cooking,
we all chipped in for the food purchases.
everyone in our group loved fine French wines, so going out
searching for the right wine was a huge pleasure for most everyone.

believe it or not, most of us did not shop.
I worked at Sak's 5th Avenue then, so shopping wasn't necessary for me.
I took far too many clothes I discovered.
though I did try to wear them all
my girlfriends wanted French pottery, liqueurs, linens,
things like that.
I did purchase a wonderful slightly off-white fully sequined beret.
You know, I just had to have it.
never has it been worn, but it makes me smile to see it.
Cannes is not casual, it's elegant casual "Riviera Chic"


the honeymoon was to be the beginning of many travels.
more tales from the Cote d'Azur forthcoming.

 visit Castles, Crown & Cottages

please go HERE to see all the other participants





GIVEAWAY

3-Strand "Shades of Pink" Acrylic Chain

perfect for the Cote d'Azur

retail value $ 90

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