My good friend Ann's mother, used to be my neighbour in London years ago. Ann lives in Geneva and has a place in Cannes. I got to know Ann quite well when she often came to visit her mother. She'd always be very appreciative of us helping to look after her mother who was nearly, if not over 90 years old back then. Ann is a lovely lady, full of laughter and still very English despite living in Switzerland for so many years, not sure if that's a good or bad thing!!
One year Ann invited us over to her place at Cannes for a few days. We went in July, perhaps one of the best times to be there unless you're into chasing stars during the film festival. We didn't have much planned during those few days, apart from a lovely lunch which I previously posted about - A meal with a view at the French riviera.
VALBONNE
Other than that, Ann just took us to visit some of the beautiful places around the region. That was enough really, as the region was so beautiful, she could have just dropped me off any village and I'd happily spend a day there. Valbonne and Biot were two of these places, but of course, she didn't just leave me there!
To be honest, I can't remember which, if any of these photos are from Valbonne. It was quite a few years ago and I wasn't exactly planning to make a post of my visit back in those days. The folder on my computer says Valbonne and Biot. The time stamps for my images are pretty close as are the two places, they're only 15 minutes away by car. Anyway, I think this is Valbonne. I don't have many photos and there's an hour gap after I took this photo.
BIOT
Biot is a small village some 15 km away from Cannes, and is located on a hilltop. It has a long history dating back to 154 BC when the Romans settled here for five hundred years. As the Romans does, they normally leave behind some legacy and history for future generations to enjoy. The village is so charming and quaint, it wasn't too difficult to forget you're in the 21st century.
I remember Biot wasn't that big, or maybe we only walked around a small part of it. We were definitely in the center, as shown in this map made from tiles and mosaics.
Part of the delight of walking around Biot is some of the steep small roads as it sits on the hilltop. This is where you can really feel like you're being transported back to ancient times. Window with open shutters is always a very homely sight especially with laundry hanging out from the window. I love how raw and rustic this all looks.
It was a beautiful July day, the sun was out and the sky was blue. Save for the occasional local going about their own business, there was hardly anybody else around. No rowdy groups, no annoying tourist. Just a few of us, hardly rowdy and annoying.
We didn't do much in Biot, just spent a few hours strolling around this ancient village soaking in what it had to offer us. Every building, every wall, every archway, every alley was standing there, patiently, as if waiting to welcome us.
Thank you darling Ann, for a lovely break. Hope to see you again some time!