Paris

Together with Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford, Gloria Swanson. Today Madonna, Claudia Cardinale, Alain Delon, Robert de Niro, Schwarzenegger…. The chateau de Croe housed the sweet but forbidden love of Wallis Simpson with the Prince of Wales, duke of Windsor. Bought by the billionaire Niarchos in 1952 its was destroyed by a fire in 1980. Next to it, the Villa “Eilenroc” was built in 1867 by Charles Garnier (the one of the Paris opera) The singer Helene Beaumont who bought it in 1927 built such a luxurious antique bathroom for 180,000 FF (more expensive than the building costs of a villa at that time). Leopold II king of Belgium, ex-king Farouk of Egypt, Onassis, Greta Garbo, Henri d’Orleans, they all lived here.

Zelda and Scott Fitzgerald

The French photographer Lartigue remarked in the fifities: ”Before you hadlarge and empty beaches and you had plenty of time. Now we have tourists. I don’t know when they were invented, but suddenly they invade the south of France like a swarm of locusts. The days are gone when you felt yourself one with nature, when you could relax and find quietness. “ Noel Coward fully agreed. It is worth to walk through the gardens of the hotel du Cap and even to lodge there, if you have the budget for it. End 1993 it costed 600 dollars per night. Today you can add 50 to 60 %.
Like I said already Cap d’Antibes is a reserve for capital villas and extended, large gardens where the ordinary tourist has no right to enter. The same for the rocks and beaches along the coast. The Cap for us, tourists, starts at the port “de Salis”. On of the most agreeable (free) beaches of the cote, juts south of Antibes. When you are in the water you have a splendid view on the wealthy Cap vegetation, mimosas, pine trees and others and the grey ramparts of Antibes on the other side. You can also see small “old people’s” homes or children’s vacation establishments with vast glass cases housing roses or carnations. Also the east side, a bit southwards of Antibes id free entrance and this overpopulated sand beach: “Plage de la Garoupe”. There is an agreeable trail where you can take a walk: the “sentier du Tire Poil”. The Plateau de la Garoupe has a chapel, a lighthouse and orientation table. The view is outstanding reaching as far as Saint -Tropez or the Italian Alps.
In the chapel paintings, small scale models and the statue of Notre Dame de Bon Port to protect the sailors.
Try to ascend the 116 stairs of the lighthouse to have an even more extraordinary view.
Returning to the Garoupe site we see along the busy boulevard the hotels and condominiums are lined as for a parade. On the Peninsula we have also the “” in the Tour du Graillon and the “Jardin Thuret” with exotic plants and palm trees looking the best in February and June. George Sand was struck by “that Eden that seemed to swim into immensity!”. Free entrance.
The Musee Naval et Napoleonien houses some collections about Napoleon's landing in Golfe Juan when he returned from Elba island.

Bibliography

Mary Blume, "Cote d'Azur. Inventing the French Riviera" (Thames and Hudson, London 1982) Stephen Liegeard, "La Cote d'Azur (Ed.Serre, Nice 1988), Guide du Routard 1998-99, Patrick Howarth, “When the Riviera was ours” (Century, London 1977), Tender is the night, by Sott Fitzgerald, Living well is the best revenge”, by Calvin Tomkins-“Grandeur et déacadence du Cap d’Antibes”, by J.Dallonoé (ed.Adennes, Nice 1997)

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