Wednesday, April 6, 2017
The Riviera, France
Interested in a Music and Markets Tour? We’d love to hear from you!
We’re looking ahead to summer – why not join us on the fabulous Amalfi Coast , in Provence, or Amsterdam?
Menton’s cheery yellow market is the first stop of the day. 
With the colorful town rising behind, the mountains beyond, 
flowering lemon trees 
(Menton is proud of its lemons and has a fabulous festival celebrating them every February – a terrific winter trip!) and fresh produce 
show off in a beautiful setting.
Our tour continues with picturesque squares,
perfectly shabby shutters, 
and steep vaulted passageways. 
We’ve been told that “Riviera” signifies mountains meeting the sea, and Menton’s built right into this abrupt rise from the water.
Outside of town near a hilltop village,
the Val Rameh gardens offer a round-the-world botany tour 
clustered around a lovely home. 
From jasmine draped bridges 
to bamboo forests and even a unique specimen of the Toromiro tree of Easter Island, it’s a fascinating wander.
The one garden and villa we’ve visited before, when we hosted a private tour of Provence and the Riviera in 2010, is the fabulous Villa Ephrussi-Rothschild. 
We’re invited for lunch 
and a quick tour of the interior 
before entering the gardens, fragrant with wisteria
and in full spring bloom.
My favorites of the 7 gardens are the Florentine, 
with azalea draped architectural beauties, 
and the Spanish, golden arches 
beside an Alhambra-like rectangle of water.
With views across the bay to Villefranche-sur-Mer, 
I can well understand the choice of this perfect peninsula for the majestic home and gardens.
As on our previous visit, I could spend hours by these musical dancing fountains – 
what a delight!
The best way to describe us (Kirk and Anne Woodyard) is that we're interested in the stories that make the places we visit come alive.
We've visited Europe more times than we can count, learned some entertaining stories there, and met some warm and helpful people who also enjoy the wonders of music and life in Europe. Between our music-related travels, we split our time between our homes near Washington DC and in the the south of France. We look forward to sharing these stories and friends and experiences with you.
I first heard about Menton from the movie, “Two For The Road in 1967.. A group of school girls were headed there for a music festival. I can’t believe, after 27 trips to France I still haven’t made it to Menton. I had always heard it was beautiful and your photos prove it to be true. I would especially love to visit the Villa Ephrussi-Rothschild. One day…hopefully sooner than later!
I’m so happy to be introduced to this part of France. It does remind me of the French cinema I watched in college. Would love to visit.
This area of France is stunning, so aptly captured in your photographs!
Oh, your flower photos against the historic architecture are breathtaking!! I really enjoyed your post!!
Beautiful photo display. I was not familiar with this part of France, but certainly would love to visit.