Montecarlo’s luxurious port

The buzzing Marche

We started our journey in the French Riviera with Monte Carlo last summer. There is a guard change at 11.55 at La Rocher, oldtown Monaco Ville each day that some people don’t know about. The white guards give a very regal vibe to the whole ceremony. Marche de la Condamine is the famous market in the old town. Every shop is full of colours. The filtered rays of sun sprinkled every little lane in the market. We chose an odd time to take a walk along the Monaco port. But here came the most memorable moment of our trip. The friendly owner invited us in and I stopped at the La Condamine yacht for a picture.

The premium Port

We shared the afternoon over a chat with a Moto race team owner. What was shared about his life and his business stays with Shreyas and me. Monaco Grand Prix de Monaco is a theme you see all around the city and every road has evidence of the race. We stopped to take a deeper look at the car collection of H.S.H. the Prince of Monaco. Fulfilled with the visual of vintage cars, we walked back to the Marche. Shreyas took his time picking the right souvenir and followed up with an ice cream near the palace. Instead of considering a shirt with a car or a casino on it, Shreyas picked the one with yachts. That’s what travel can teach you. Life is full of surprises.

Antibes’ calm beaches

Our travel group gave us the option to chill in the small town of Antibes or to hop on the bus to see Nice and Cannes. We decided that this trip was a vacation for us and not a checklist to rush through the French Riviera like that. Antibes is not famous for much. It cannot match the beach of Nice but it doesn’t have to. Antibes gave us the biggest luxury of all. A slow unrushed day.

The museum along the beach

We stopped at the Picasso Museum to make sense of the seemingly nonsensical paintings of Picasso. Shreyas tried hard to like it but he couldn’t appreciate it. He is a very creative individual but he has a very simple way of looking at things. If you have to explain the art, to like it, then it is not good enough. The asymmetry was especially bothering him throughout. I found Picasso’s art similar to a child trying to describe the world. We walked out into the old town and strolled along the city walls near Port Vauban. Seagulls, beach lovers and lovely French houses gave us company. We headed to the local thrift market for some holiday shopping.

Aside from beaches

Being a minimalist, I generally try to avoid impulsive shopping but when I travel I always shop at local markets. It is often a glimpse into the local culture and the local food. Whether I buy something or not, I enjoy the experience. We crossed the Provincial Market with fish shops and chilled at the Salis beach. We got hold of some rose wine at the Port Pin Beach. Again, being non-drinkers doesn’t mean we don’t taste the speciality of a place when we get a chance.

What India often misses is the accountability towards its beaches. To keep it clean, to make showers and bathrooms available. When we showered at Port Pin Beach, we couldn’t help but compare this simple facility missing on Indian beaches. We stopped shortly at the Archeologic Museum of Antibes before heading back to our hotel. We ended up watching the stars at the Antibes beach in front of our hotel while we grabbed some baguettes.

Marseille’s calanques

Starting at the Calanque

Marseille was my favourite stop, the last time I was on this stretch of the French Riviera. Unlike a typical itinerary to Marseille, we did not start with the Notre Dame on the Hilltop. I had to show Shreyas how the Calanques of Marseilles hypnotised me last time. We took a ferry to the Chateau d’if island prison and followed it straight to the frioul island. A deep hunt on the island for the most excluded calanques (sea inlets into limestone hills of the Mediterranean) took us to some of the most memorable visuals of our lives. We swam into the evening soaking in the turquoise shine of the sea around us. We paid our gratitude to the riviera at the Basilique Notre Dame de la Garde on the Hill.

The bad side

Our hearts were full when we gathered in the evening around the old port to take a leave. It was not the best idea to hunt for Indian dinner in the lovely market full of French cafes like la Panier cafes. Shimla restaurant did not have a spot for us and we had to be satisfied with some Chinese food next to it. Before we could leave on our buses, one of our fellow travellers had his phone stolen. I was the only one in the group who spoke French. But the conversation with Marseilles police turned out futile when they indicated that they could not find the thief in the absence of a witness or a location tracker. We had heard about the pickpocketers of Marseilles before we arrived but did not expect to see this in action. We had a long bus journey back towards Germany ahead to think about all the good moments and forget this one bad one.

Overall, we left the city with a general feeling of calmness. We felt our heartrates slow down throughout the trips. I still see the shine from the Monaco port, the smell of fishes along the Antibes coast and feel the warmth of the waves at the calanques of Marseilles. It was an absolute treat to all the senses.

Share your comments with your experiences at the Riviera or similar beaches.