ANTIBES SHINES
On the Riviera’s French coast, this charming city is a great home base for exploring the Cote d’azur
Whoever said the French do it better was right. After all, what could be better than sitting on a deck in southern France, glass full of red wine, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea sampling truffle cheese, Nicoise olives, fresh baguette, charcuterie and local strawberries. My partner and I have just returned from the Marché Provençal in the vielle ville (old city) of Antibes, having fought hard to restrain ourselves from blowing all our euros on our first day in France. Nowhere is it more difficult to resist the temptation to empty your pockets and try everything than in a food market in Europe.
Although some wind chills the air, sunbathers spread themselves out on the beach, soaking up the sun. The ocean sparkles green and blue, and the palm trees that line the boardwalk sway gently in the breeze. The path is filled with people, mostly locals, who exercise in the morning and take lazy strolls in the afternoon.
I close my eyes and listen to the soft coos of turtledoves and the peals of laughter coupled with heated arguments from the pétanque pitch below.
I breathe it in. Life doesn’t get any better than this.
Antibes in the spring is sleepy and comfortable — like an old friend waiting to greet you with a warm hug. And this is precisely what we were looking for. A place that is happy to host weary travellers after long days of sightseeing.
Located between Cannes and Nice, Antibes feels more like a smaller town, which means you can really get to know it well in a week.
The highlight is definitely Antibes’ old city, with its tangled maze of streets that open onto beautiful squares lined with restaurants and cafés.
Here, locals walked around with baguettes tucked neatly under one arm, so arm ourselves we did — over and over, making sure to give every boulangerie (bakery) equal attention so as not to offend our ever-expanding stomachs.
Next we made sure to sample the crepes, both sweet and savoury, although the one I still dream about was Nutella accompanied by banana slices (a “healthy” choice) and whipped cream (to balance out the banana).
In the afternoon, we would find a café in a square in the old town for an espresso and partake in our favourite European pastime, people watching.
Here one can soak up culture in a totally relaxed fashion. Take out coffee? What’s that? In the South of France, people sit and drink their espressos and coffee drinks from real ceramic cups without rushing to the next event.
Things here are done slowly — with intent and purpose.
It made going out for meals a little tricky for us frantic North American folk who aren’t used to sitting in one place for three hours, attending to full-course meals.
By the time we left, we were experts, ordering aperitifs, pitchers of vin du pays (house wine), coffee and dessert.
We did manage to get out and explore the small medieval towns tucked inland and perched dramatically on hills, but it was our return to Antibes each evening that we invariably looked forward to the most: sweet, beautiful and charming Antibes that we will inevitably return to again.