Beaulieu-sur-Mer, April 9-11

 On April 9, we woke up to more drizzly weather and temperatures in the low 50s. We walked to the local Tourist Bureau and got information about busses/trains/museums etc. The trains here on rolling strikes. They are on strike for 2 days, then off for 3 days.

   It was a day of strikes, so we took the bus into Nice for 1.5 Euros each. We got off in the old port and walked along the waterfront in the rain. Then, we walked to Place Massena and into Old Nice. From there we walked to Place Garibaldi and bought 20 tickets for the trams and busses. It gets to cost to 1 Euro each, so quite a savings. From there we walked back to the old port and got the 100 bus back. Because of the strike, there was a huge line for the bus and we did not manage to squeeze into the first one. But, we got on the 2nd one and were able to sit down.
    Later, we took a drive into Villefranche to the Carrefour for some food and also drove down into the old port of Villefranche before heading "home."
   On April 10, we woke up to rain, thunder and lightning. We took a short walk in Beaulieu-sur-Mer to get some bread and some stamps. After lunch, we drove up to the Middle Corniche, through Eze-le-village and down into Cap d'Ail. Then, we drove around St Jean Cap Ferrat and came back to read and look out the windows. Quiet day.

   We enjoyed watching 2 large yachts anchored off Beaulieu-sur-Mer and watching what we assume are the crews coming and going into the port. One of the yachts is the 258 foot long S.S. Delphine, built in the U.S. in 1921 for one of the Dodge brothers. It sank in NY in 1926 and was recovered and restored. It ran aground in 1940 in the Great Lakes and was again repaired. In World War II, it was acquired by the U.S. Navy. After the war, it was sold back to Mrs. Dodge and restored again.  It is now restored to its 1921 decor and has its original steam engines. For a while it was owned by Princess Stephanie of Monaco, but is now under another power and is a charter boat based in Monaco.
   Another rainy day on the 11th, but we decided to drive to Antibes anyhow, a place we have never visited. While it is only about 20 k, you have to drive either around or through Nice, so it took us about an hour each way.

   It is an ancient town, founded by the Greeks. It was owned by the Grimaldi family (royal family of Monaco) for a while and was the easternmost area of France when Nice was part of the Italian state of Savoy. It is now an expensive tourist destination on the Riviera and has a big port with expensive yachts.
   After a frustrating half hour or so of wandering around and losing our bearings, we managed to park in a garage by the port. We walked (in the rain) into the old town, small medieval streets and little stores and cafes. Many were closed due to the weather. Of course, the plus side is not having crowds. Hmmm. A good trade?
  We wandered through the open food market and then to the Picasso Museum. It is in a chateau once owned by the Grimaldis, built in the 1600s, but it became the city hall in 1702. In 1946, Picasso lived here from 4-6 months (depends on the sources you read). Happy that WWII had ended, he painted "happy" pictures while here. He donated them to the museum, the first museum devoted to Picasso.

     The chateau is beautiful with a lovely terrace overlooking the Mediterranean. It was, however, disappointing to pay for entrance, to be told that the museum would be closing in an hour. However, that was plenty of time because the floor with the Picassos was closed for renovation! So, while we saw a few Picasso paintings, we mainly saw works of other artists. That was disappointing as the museum has over 200 of Picasso's works. Oh well, it was still enjoyable to walk around.

     On the way home, we stopped a large grocery store and filled up with gas as it is far cheaper at the large grocery stores. We also scoped out the route to the airport as we pick up Norman L and Jane C tomorrow. We hope that the weather changes!