Thursday 15 September 2011

AU - REVOIR SOUTH OF FRANCE!

We've just returned from our holiday in the South of France. We were so pleased to get there, after Michael's injury to his leg, we half expected to have to cancel.
I think that's why we enjoyed it so much, we certainly have returned home, batteries recharged!
We took our car - I drove all the way and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Before we set off I made just one request.
I told Michael he was NOT to fiddle with the sat nav or the radio. Nor was he to empty the glove box due to boredom. Even more importantly he was NOT to criticise my driving.
AND he didn't, even when I was driving through Nice doing about 10 miles an hour and thinking "OMG!"


We stayed in a little hotel in Villefranche sur Mer. We thought it was a very nice place.
 Plenty of time was spent relaxing by the pool with a book or two and  the pool was lovely and refreshing.
It certainly helped Michael with his convalescence.


We did spend a morning at Villa Ephrussi & gardens, not too far from our hotel. This house was built for Beatrice Ephrussi de Rothschild at the beginning of the 1900's.


A very quiet place where you could stroll quite easily for a couple of hours. 


We did have a couple of rainy days while we were away so, one day we decided to take a drive up to Vence to visit the Foundation Maeght. A famous gallery, so it said in my guide book.
Mmmm, we went in and we tried but over lunch in a litle picturesque village perched high in the hills called Carros (above) we both came to the same conclusion - we didn't get it!


Unlike the Franchement Art exhibition in the citadelle in Villefranche sur Mer
this was a free exhibition displaying lots of different kinds of artwork. 
Some of it was really beautiful.
An artist whose work did catch my eye was Gigi Lopez.
I loved the textures and her ideas and spent some time chatting to her.
It's thanks to my cousin Miriam and my friend Diane who probably without realising it have encouraged me to actually look at art, whether painting or textiles rather than glance at it as I pass by.
You should check out Gigi's website  www. gigilopez.com - I have!