Antibes, France

On Tuesday, we slept in, had a leisurely morning and spent the afternoon in Antibes on the French Riviera, located between Nice and Cannes. The city was originally a Greek trading post known as Antipolis, due to its location opposite Nice on the Bay of Angels. It is now another gem on the Côte d’Azur, know over the last century as a boating mecca, destination of the wealthy and hangout for artists and writers. Pablo Picasso had a studio here in 1946 in the Chateau Grimaldi, which became the first museum dedicated to the artist and one of the few in the world located in a space where he actually created his art. Author F. Scott Fitzgerald lived here in the 1920s and the Riviera lifestyle inspired his fourth and final novel, Tender is the Night, published in 1934. Map link: Antibes, France

We began our day at Port Vauban, the largest marina in the Mediterranean, named after King Louis XIV’s chief military engineer who improved the harbor and built Fort Carré to protect it in the 16th century. A major sailing and yachting center, the harbor is home to 1,500 boats of all sizes, from tiny sailing skiffs to mega-yacht hundreds of feet long. We walked along the coast to one of Amy's favorite beaches, and she and Kathleen brought swimsuits, but it was way too rough for water sports. Instead we wandered through Old Town Antibes’ labyrinth of markets, shops, restaurants and ancient buildings, all connected by cobblestone streets. We ate lunch at Sau, a small Vietnamese restaurant with excellent banh mi and rice bowls, then resumed our window shopping and visited a couple of pâtisseries (pastry shops) for dessert. 

Art imitating life

Too rough for swimming

Antibes Cinema

We walked past the Picasso Museum, then along the waterfront ramparts, which date back to Roman times, with views of the city, ocean and Italian Alps in the distance. The seas and winds were boisterous and the rain went from drizzle to a steady shower as we got to our last stop, the Antibes Christmas Market. We enjoyed some hot wine, cider and roasted chestnuts before the rain, wind and cold finally got to us and we threw in the towel for the day. After the train ride back, Danielle and Amy made us dinner, followed by chill time at the apartment. 

Bonus Question: What popular instant coffee’s name is derived from the French phrase for “without caffeine”?

Picasso Museum

Bonus Question Answer: Invented in Germany in 1903, decaffeinated coffee expanded into France under the name “Sanka,” a portmanteau of the French “sans cafeine.” Sanka’s bright orange jars and labels were easily recognizable and when General Foods bought the brand and introduced it to the US in 1932, it gave orange-handled carafes to restaurants as a marketing gimmick. This successful branding association remains today and the color orange has become synonymous with decaffeinated coffee.