A Travel Tutorial (of sorts)

Sometimes people wonder how I manage to travel as I do, and ask me what my secret is. Others claim I'm "lucky", as if my travels happen by magic, without any effort on my part. I can assure you that a lot of effort (at times, blood, sweat and tears) goes into planning and executing my travels, but it's always worth it in the end. And no, I'm not wealthy, or even well-off. I am 73 years old and I still work part-time to fund my travels. In my everyday life, I live frugally, and I travel the same way. When I started traveling in 2006, I had little savings and used my credit card more than usual that year. The main thing was deciding to go somewhere - Italy - to book a flight, and to arrange lodging. At that time,  it was more of a challenge to get things squared away, and I relied completely on guide books to choose where to stay. I won't go into all that was involved in making that trip work; instead I'll talk about what I learned from it. 

I learned that I could travel on my own and feel safe, find inexpensive lodging, figure out train and bus schedules, communicate well enough to be understood, and eat well without spending a lot at restaurants. I was easily able to use public transportation,  which was also inexpensive. Suddenly I was entering a new world of possibility. From that maiden voyage, I developed a strong desire to travel more, to explore another culture, language and people as much as possible. And I've continued that journey nearly every year since 2006, until covid derailed my traveling life.

For several years early on in my travels,  I had a housesitting gig, for several months at a time, in the countryside near Rome, which eliminated lodging expenses. (If that appeals to you, look into it!) After that I started renting apartments in Florence, and discovered I could rent them for a rate similar to that of apartments at home. (In other words, not that expensive.) To manage long stays in Italy financially, I acquired several online jobs to earn an income while living abroad.

In 2019, I rented an apartment in Bologna for 6 weeks, then traveled around for several more, visiting Italian friends. That trip was particularly outstanding, in that I visited numerous interesting and beautiful places within a relatively short time, often accompanied by Italian friends. It set a standard that I wanted to replicate in the future. But then covid came along and stopped me in my tracks. I stopped traveling completely from 2019 until now. 

Planning my travels this year was difficult, as I feared I had lost much of the confidence and momentum I'd  built up from planning and traveling yearly. I'd also experienced a devastating loss that had broken my spirit. Niggling fears and anxiety made me wonder if I would be able to manage as well as I had before. And the fear of getting ill while abroad was another concern. And yet, I made ambitious plans, adding France to the mix, along with the desire to learn French well enough to communicate basic needs effectively. I felt the need to be near the sea, to explore the Cote d'Azur in France and Liguria in Italy. I pushed through the worries and packed my bags.

Since I hadn't traveled for four years, I'd saved a considerable amount of money that could be used on nicer lodging - apartments with full kitchens and washing machines, instead of the lower-priced studio apartments or 2-star hotel rooms I'd relied on in the past. My flight was covered by a voucher from a canceled trip in 2020, so overall, this year's travel plans were easily affordable.

As it has turned out, my travels this year have been absolutely stellar, reinforcing the traveling moxie I've devloped over the years. Every little thing has worked out, none of my fears materialized, and many wonderful surprises have shown up along the way. I'm so very thankful I was able to move past the troublesome (and needless) worries that could easily have prevented me from enjoying the wonderful moments I've been able to experience. 

It seems I'm rambling, so I'll cut to the chase. There is no magic answer or advice to give to those who would like to travel as I do (and are physically and financially able to do so). It's basically a matter of choice: choose a place you'd like to visit, do some (or a lot of) research, plan an itinerary, book your flight and lodging, and GO!  It will be scary, and it will be exhilarating. You will learn along the way what works best for you and your confidence and skill at traveling will grow from your experiences.  Be bold - the world awaits you!

Art Museums in Nice, France

"Woman reading at a yellow table", by Matisse

While in Nice, I bought a 3-day museum pass for 15 euros, which allowed me to visit 10 of the city's museums, and turned out to be a great bargain, since I'd been planning to see many of them anyway. What was surprising is that the two big name museums, the Matisse and the Chagall museums, were the most disappointing.

The Matisse Museum had very few of his paintings at all, and only a couple of his later, more colorful pieces. I had really hoped to see his scenes of life on the Cote d'Azur, but none were included in this collection. Similarly, I was led astray about the Chagall Museum by an online review that stated the museum has the largest collection of Chagall's work in the world. Absolutely not true! There are 12 very large paintings of biblical scenes and 6 other paintings that refer to the "Song of Songs". But the room where those six paintings were located was closed, as were several other rooms. Due to the various closures, entry was free that day, (this museum is not included in the 3-day pass), so at least there was that. Basically, I got to see 12 large paintings that were not the colorful, whimsical works I had hoped to see. 

Getting to these two museums is easy enough if you know which buses to take, which I did. But they are both across town from the city center, and up a steep hill, so those who try walking to the museums are often put out when they arrive and find little to see.

A few lesser museums I visited were a nice surprise. Musee Massena is housed in a majestic villa on the Promenade des Anglais, and surrounded by a lush garden. It houses a collection of historical artifacts about Nice's history, from the end of the 1800s through to 1930 and the end of the Belle Epoque.

Musee Massena

Musee des Beaux Arts de Jules Cheret houses a collection of six centuries of art, including works by Bronzino, Bruegel the elder, Fragonard and many others. It also has an important collection of the painter and poster artist Jules Cheret, for whom the museum was named.

The two museums that turned out to have the most fascinating exhibits were Palais Lascaris and MAMAC, The Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art. Palais Lascaris is a 17th century baroque villa that was once home to the Lascaris family, and is still furnished as it was then. Many frescoes adorn the rooms, still in pristine condition. A vast collection of musical instruments is housed there, as well as a current exhibit by the fabric artist odon. 

One of odon's pieces.

After having a heart attack at mid-life, the artist Guy Hudoin changed his life, his name, and the focus of his art away from tragedy. Odon became a master at intricately braiding pieces of paper that he painted on both sides into elaborate designs. 

Another work by odon.

Seeing his unique works of art hanging amidst 17th century furnishings provided a remarkable contrast. 

The MAMAC has a large collection of many great works of modern art, which I'm usually not a big fan of. But I thoroughly enjoyed perusing the art in this museum, and was especially entranced by the work of Niki de Saint Phalle, who donated much of her work to the MAMAC in 2002, the year before she died. Her work initially focused on violent themes, and she was considered an "outsider" artist as a result of her controversial pieces. But much like odon, she moved away from tragedy and towards work that represented modern woman in all her fabulous forms. Over time, her figures became more joyful, whimsical and colorful. 

Unfortunately,  my phone was broken when I visited the MAMAC and Chagall museums, and I'm currently unable to access the photos I took with my digital camera of those exhibits. I hope to add photos at a later date. In the meantime, there are many images and explanations of the biblical scenes in the Chagall Museum online. You can also find  information about the life and work of Niki de Saint Phalle and odon. Enjoy doing some research on your own to learn more about them!

In any case, Nice is definitely a city of art, with many wonderful museums and exhibits that will appeal to every taste.

Villefranche, Beaulieu-sur-mer, St. Jean Cap Ferrat

 

Villefranche

One of the highlights of my stay in the Cote d'Azur was walking along several coastal paths that link villages along the coast between Nice and Monaco. 

A map of the area.

I started by walking early one morning from Port Lympia in Nice to Villefranche, about 5 km away. The beginning of the walk was quite lovely, traversing over rocky ledges hugging the coast, in view of a few people swimming, snorkeling or doing yoga below me. 

Doing yoga on the rocks below the coastal path.

Other than a few fishermen,  I was alone on the path, which seemed a bit surprising, as I'd heard it is quite popular with tourists. After about 30 minutes, I hit a rough spot that I'd been warned about, the need to climb two sets of several hundred steep stairs leading up to a road.

Two sets of stairs like this!

I managed to climb the stairs with several rest stops to catch my breath, only to discover that I would be walking along a busy road with constant traffic the rest of the way to Villefranche. Ugh! I did not enjoy this walk in the least, and had I known that most of the path was along this road, I would have taken the bus instead. 

St. Pierre Chapel

In Villefranche, I stopped to visit the St. Pierre Chapel, decorated by the artist Jean Cocteau in 1957. It costs 4 euros to enter the tiny church  and no photos are allowed. It is a lovely little chapel, and Cocteau's somewhat sarcastic designs, still pristine, cover every inch of the interior, so I found it worth the entry fee.

Rue Obscure

Another point of interest in the town is the Rue Obscure, or hidden street, where soldiers in medieval times gathered to defend the city. Villefranche also has the deepest waters in the area, and cruise ships come here to dock, though thankfully there were none in the harbor that day.

Beaulieu-sur-mer 

After Villefranche, I caught the bus to Beaulieu-sur-mer,  to tackle another coastal path, this one going to St. Jean Cap Ferrat.  After arriving at the Baie des Fourmis, I noted the beach below, then immediately located the coastal path and began the 1.3 km, thirty- minute trek to St. Jean. This walkway was delightful! The path was flat and the view was stupendous! 

The coastal path to St. Jean Cap Ferrat 

I enjoyed every single minute of this walk. The Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild is accessible from the path, but I was not in the mood for a Villa tour, so continued to St. Jean. Once there, I bought a slice of quiche with salmon and spinach - sensational - and sat by the marina, watching  boats moving in and out, while eating my lunch. By this time I was weary from several hours of walking,  so after an hour in St. Jean, I caught the bus back to Nice.

Looking back at Beaulieu-sur-mer from St. Jean.

The next day, I returned to Beaulieu-sur-mer and spent some time walking along the beach at Baie des Fourmis before repeating the walk to St. Jean. After all, it only costs one euro fifty (one euro on a multi-pass) to take the bus from Nice to any points east of town, and I had so enjoyed the beauty and tranquility of the previous day that I wanted more of it. The bus ride alone is a treat, with winding roads and amazing views. 

This time I'd hoped to reach Cap Ferrat, where there are several more coastal paths outlining the edge of the Cap. One is 1.8 km, the other is 4.8 km. From St. Jean, it's a long walk across town and up a steep road to reach the trailhead for those paths. By the time I got there, and knowing I would have the long walk back to the bus stop, I decided I'd had enough walking for one day. Cap Ferrat will have to wait until another time.

Alassio, Italy: Is Italian Beach Life in Jeopardy?

The sandy beach in Alassio

Alassio is a small town of 10,000 on the Italian Riviera, in the region of Liguria, and is known for its shallow, endless beaches. And here,the beach is composed of fine sand, so much nicer to walk on than the pebbly beaches of the Cote d'Azur. After two hectic weeks in Nice - wonderful but tiring - I've come to Alassio to relax, enjoy the sea, and write.

The bagni are ready for the summer crowds.

In July and August, Alassio swells with untold numbers of vacationers eager for the beach experience, but the day I arrived in early June, the beach was nearly empty. The local beach concessions, known as stabilmenti balneari or bagni, are up and ready for customers, offering two lounging beds (lettini) and a large umbrella for 20-50 euros per day. A bit exorbitant for my budget, so I sought out the free beach (spiaggia libera). It took a while, but I eventually spied a small, empty space sandwiched between two bagni. That will be my go-to spot for the next week.

La spiaggia libera.

An Italian friend informed me that free beaches must be provided in each town, by Italian law. In addition, the first ten meters of the shoreline (bagnasciuga) must be left open for public use, so that people can walk along the beach. Looking deeper into the beach rules in Italy, I discovered that many changes are in store, and some have already been implemented. In Sorrento and Rapallo, for instance, swimwear is not allowed on city streets, and large fines are given to those walking around only in swimsuits. In Le Cinque Terre, flip-flops are not allowed on the hiking trails. 

A view to the east of town.

A major change is in store for the 30,000 concessions (the previously mentioned bagni)  that cover 98% of the beaches in Italy. To comply with EU regulations , a new law going into effect next year means that instead of families automatically renewing their licenses to run the concessions, as they have done for generations, they will have to compete with interested parties from across the EU, which could introduce big businesses. The law was to take effect in December 2023, but Meloni's government has provided n extension for one year. It has become an understandably volatile controversy. Italians have been complaining for years about the high cost of going to the beach while the concession owners fear the loss of their livelihoods. How things will play out in the next several years is anyone's guess.

My plan is to hit the beach by 9 a.m. each day and enjoy a few hours of beach life while people are few in number and before it gets hot. But I also enjoy watching children at play in the sand, witnessing other activities of beach life as they unfold, and being part of that life, so unlike my landlocked home in the States. It would be a shame to see this kind of beach experience altered or constrained by too many rules.

Visiting Eze-le-village

A view of the Riviera from the Exotic Garden atop Eze.

Yesterday I caught an early bus to reach Eze, a gem of a hilltop village, before the crowds. By the way, it only costs 1,50 euros to ride buses all over the region, and if you buy a multi-pass, it's only one euro per ride. Tram rides are the same price, and one ticket includes transfers between bus and tram rides. It's an amazing bargain! 

Bus 82 arrived at our destination about 8:30 am, with only a few people already ahead of me. But we had 30 minutes to wait before the main attraction would open, the Exotic Garden. So I wandered the steep, winding streets as the sleepy town started waking up, and vendors prepared to open their doors. Once the garden opened,  a small crowd ventured in to peruse the pathways and get to the top, where there are spectacular panoramic views of the Riviera.

A map of the gardens.

But rather than try to tell the same tale twice, please read the post I wrote about Eze when I first went there, in October of 2014. It hasn't changed much! (The entry fee to the gardens went up a euro: big deal.) Enjoy!

 (Click on link below)

Eze-le-village