Easter In Cap d'Antibe
I needed to be in Paris for work in the week before Easter and again at the Start of April. It was school holidays in Dubai and Lucy had gone to Australia via Mumbai to visit Universities and Colleges. As my project was yet to start and my dance card was free, Kate and I decided on a lazy trip around Provence in the south of France with some climbing at Chateauverte while staying at Contignac before traveling north into the shadow of Mt Ventoux and staying in the village of Caromb while climbing at Montmirail.
Before leaving Dubai, we contacted our friends, Nicola and Ewan, to see if they were in the south of France and to try to meet for lunch. As it turned out they were hosting lunch on Easter Sunday, which was my birthday. So after just arriving in Contignac, we set off for a day and a night at Cap D'Antibe.
The lunch was great fun and we got re-acquainted with Nicola and Ewan's local friends. The next morning I enjoyed the scenic run around the Cape followed by a rock walk/run around the very tip of the headland with Ewan, Nicola, Kate and Ada. Although this was beautiful, the highlight was Cannes for lunch. Ewan and Nicola suggested that on Easter Monday we should take the boat to Cannes and moor it while we lunch at a famous local seafood restaurant. We thought that sounded great so we packed some warm weather gear and set off for the marina at Juan-les-Pins
The run over in the boat was fun but the highlight was Ewan letting Ada drive the boat as we approached the harbour in Cannes. Ada thought that she was the king of the world and after being relieved of the helm to allow Ewan to moor, she just kept singing "I drove a boat". Finding somewhere to tie up was a bit of a challenge. We were ushered away from one jetty by a larger black speedboat that looked like it should belong to a Bond villain.
We found a different pier and started to drop anchor when a French fisherman started to call out to us. What he was trying to say was lost on us but when we tried to pull up the anchor on our departure from Cannes, his message became clear. It was something like this "Don't drop the anchor you stupid English person. There are lots of chains and rope under the water that you will get tangled in. If you open your eyes and look you will see a mooring line to tie onto". If only my French was better!
Lunch at Chez Astoux was excellent and consisted of winkles, oysters and prawns with some amazing salads and a nice local rosé. The service was great and the company, as always was very very good.
There were some interesting moments as we worked to untangle the anchor from assorted chains and ropes and for a short time I feared that I would be in for a swim. Eventually brute force triumphed and we were heading back Juan-les-Pins.
While we were having lunch, the wind had picked up and there was a stiff wind-swell on leaving the boat harbour. Ewan's Boston Whaler handled the conditions with ease but the ride back was a little wet and cold. All in all a brilliant day!
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| Ada's favourite house |
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| Captain Ahab at the helm of the Whaler heading into Cannes |
Before leaving Dubai, we contacted our friends, Nicola and Ewan, to see if they were in the south of France and to try to meet for lunch. As it turned out they were hosting lunch on Easter Sunday, which was my birthday. So after just arriving in Contignac, we set off for a day and a night at Cap D'Antibe.
The lunch was great fun and we got re-acquainted with Nicola and Ewan's local friends. The next morning I enjoyed the scenic run around the Cape followed by a rock walk/run around the very tip of the headland with Ewan, Nicola, Kate and Ada. Although this was beautiful, the highlight was Cannes for lunch. Ewan and Nicola suggested that on Easter Monday we should take the boat to Cannes and moor it while we lunch at a famous local seafood restaurant. We thought that sounded great so we packed some warm weather gear and set off for the marina at Juan-les-Pins
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| Our park in Cannes with Ewan executing the dismount maneuver |
The run over in the boat was fun but the highlight was Ewan letting Ada drive the boat as we approached the harbour in Cannes. Ada thought that she was the king of the world and after being relieved of the helm to allow Ewan to moor, she just kept singing "I drove a boat". Finding somewhere to tie up was a bit of a challenge. We were ushered away from one jetty by a larger black speedboat that looked like it should belong to a Bond villain.
 |
| Lunch |
We found a different pier and started to drop anchor when a French fisherman started to call out to us. What he was trying to say was lost on us but when we tried to pull up the anchor on our departure from Cannes, his message became clear. It was something like this "Don't drop the anchor you stupid English person. There are lots of chains and rope under the water that you will get tangled in. If you open your eyes and look you will see a mooring line to tie onto". If only my French was better!
Lunch at Chez Astoux was excellent and consisted of winkles, oysters and prawns with some amazing salads and a nice local rosé. The service was great and the company, as always was very very good.
 |
| Ewan somewhat aghast at Ada's table manners! |
There were some interesting moments as we worked to untangle the anchor from assorted chains and ropes and for a short time I feared that I would be in for a swim. Eventually brute force triumphed and we were heading back Juan-les-Pins.
While we were having lunch, the wind had picked up and there was a stiff wind-swell on leaving the boat harbour. Ewan's Boston Whaler handled the conditions with ease but the ride back was a little wet and cold. All in all a brilliant day!
