AzurAlive

Le Rouret: Hikes, Strolls and Discoveries

 

There are times when I hike simply to breathe in gulps of fresh air, to stroll, to relax. 

Other times I trek to plunge into a new environment and discover new grounds.

In this south eastern corner of France along the French Côte d'Azur, miles of footpaths cross the country side. Some paths skirt the sea and lead us by ancient Roman vivariums, others have us cool off by riverbeds as we walk from one village to another (see hiking from Biot to Valbonne), others take us around islands or over volcanic rocks (see our hikes postings on the Esterel Mountains).

Some of the hikes start out as exploration and end up as simple strolls.

Recently, I trekked up by the little town of Le Rouret along the rolling hills behind Cannes and just ahead of the Gorges du Loup.

Le Rouret is a quiet village, even if the Pink Floyd keyboardist, Richard Wright, used to live there part of the year (Sep 15, 2008 addendum: we sadly learned today of the death of Richard Wright in London, of a yet-undisclosed form of cancer). Because it's close to the perfume town of Grasse, Le Rouret cultivates patches of flowers that blossom in season with jasmine, violet  and roses.

My idea was to hike from Le Rouret and reach the Roman Camp at the top of the forested hill behind the village.

Excavated by a team of archaeologists lead by Paul Goby, at the end of the 19C, the site revealed not just a roman camp site, but ceramic debris dating from the Iron Age.

So off we walked to discover Le Rouret and its Roman wonders.

The walk to the opidum site headed uphill, with a short steep section followed by a gentle climb. The dirt trail passed by a handful of villas, then headed for the woods. Anyone who thinks the French Riviera is nothing more than blocks of palaces by the sea needs to visit these cool wooded hills.

After about forty minutes of gentle uphill following the signs "Camp Romain", we reached the top of the hill...

No Roman ruins.

They were supposed to encircle the top of the hill.

Were it not for some rusty old sign that said "Défense de Fouiller", we would have missed the Roman camp site altogether.It's essentially a ruin covered by vigorous shrub.

We headed back down the other side of the hill. The dirt road was wide and winding across park-like settings.

Around a bend in the road, we stumbled upon a sign: "Champ d'Essai Truficole." We had hiked by a black truffle farm, one of the very few in the Alpes-Maritimes.

In the early 1990's around 30,000 truffle-friendly trees (oaks mostly) were planted in the departement of the Alpes-Maritimes, between the coast and up to 1200 meters altitude. The idea was to cover 300 hectares (600 acres) of truffle farm of "truffières" in this departement by the year 2010 to expand the production of these precious mushrooms.

Today, the Alpes-Maritimes produces about 100 kg a year of cultivated black truffles and another 400 kg is picked up from wild truffle hunts.

This truffiere of Le Rouret is experimental and pretty secretive. Not a lot of information is published about it, possibly to keep intruders out given the price of black truffles.

And thus ended another Côte d'Azur hike filled with discoveries.

Click here for directions to Le Rouret, on the French Riviera.

Click here for more information on Le Rouret, on the French Riviera.

Skirting the Mansions of Cap d'Antibes

Cap d'Antibes may be the land of exclusive mansions, of marbled hotels with fluffy slippers and valet parking.
It may be Russian oil billionaire Roman Abramovich's much beloved relaxation spot.
And sure, it was the setting for F. Scott Fitzgerald's Tender Is the Night.

But you don't need a 100-feet yacht, a Ferrari or a Porsche to explore the Cap d'Antibes cape. All you need is a pair of sturdy legs fitted with good hiking shoes.

 

In two energetic hours, you can experience the richness of Cap d'Antibes on foot, along its coastal path that winds around the cape. The Sentier du Littoral coastal path is always well-maintained here and fitted with a few bridges and ramps where creeks plunge precipitously into the sea.

It skirts by private multi-million-Euro mansions. These mansions are guarded around the clock and so walled-in that you won't have much of a chance to admire their landscaping, much less the celebrities that drop by.

More interesting is the scenery by the water: white limestone creeks nibbled by salt and water, the deep blue all around, a few sails dotting the sea, flowers in bloom (in spring especially). You're the one with the best view in town as you walk along Sentier du Littoral. And the view is free!

The Sentier du Littoral or Coastal Path and takes you from the Plage de la Garoupe, around Cap Gros,
by the heavily-walled Chateau de la Croé and then back inland to the streets of the cape.

Getting there: You'll be away from the old town of Antibes. From Antibes, you can drive or take the bus. Park at Plage de la Garoupe or take the friendly Envi Bus (Ligne 2 from Antibes) to Garoupe. If taking the bus, make sure to wave the driver for pick-up: I've had the experience of a bus driving by while stood by the bus stop...

More info:

For EnviBus information, look here.
For the Antibes Tourism Office, look here.

Click on the below button to read our latest hiking guide to the Western Côte d'Azur, from Hyères to the Maures Mountains to the Esterel Mountains by Cannes.
Available in all Amazon.com online bookshops and in all local English-language libraries, including in Heidi's Bookshop in Antibes: 24 rue Aubernon in Antibes (daily 10am–7pm), web site.

      
                         

What:      Cap d'Antibes Sentier du Littoral Hike           Where:   Cap d'Antibes, begin at Plage de la Garoupe           How Long:  The full hike is 5.3 km long and takes about 2 hours. The Sentier du Littoral is NOT a place for high heels or even flip-flops. Wear study walking shoes. Bring plenty of water: no water fountains are available.

Cannes Film Festival: How to Escape

61th Edition of the Festival de Cannes
Cannes Film Festival 2008

Brace yourselves.

The Cannes Film Festival (locally "le FIF") is about to begin.   

From May 14-25, Cannes will be packed, sections of the city blocked off to traffic, and crowds will descend on the Croisette for a close-up encounter with a star or two. They might catch a glimpse at Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Harrison Ford, Catherine Deneuve, Clint Eastwood among many. They may even brush up with Sean Penn who heads the FIF jury this year as movies fight for the prestigious Palme d'Or awards.

The festival opens on May 14th with Brazilian director Fernando Meirelles' movie, Blindness.

Yes, it is exciting, glamorous, fun!

For those who live close to Cannes, it's complete madness for 11 days. Thankfully, we can always head for the hills and take a walk to escape the frenzy.

Looking for a reprieve from the buzz of the Cannes Film Festival? Consider the following local escapes:

• Hike the Esterel Mountains, a short drive/bus/train ride west of Cannes.  See our web site index on the Esterel Mountains for hiking suggestions, or consult our hiking guide.
• Catch a ferry to the Lérins Islands, a 10-minute boat ride away from Cannes' western port. The island of Sainte-Marguerite homes the intriguing Masque de Fer prison and lets you hike around its footpaths for the afternoon. The island of St Honorat is smaller, planted with vineyards and cultivations for local consumption with a gorgeous monastery (in activity) that produces excellent wines and fine lemon liqueurs.
• Hop up north of Vence toward St-Jeannet for walks around the best-loved baou of the Côte d'Azur. Or reach around the Col de Vence for more fantastic country hikes on the French Riviera. This time of year, those spots seem to stand still. A breath of fresh air after much wild festival buzzing in Cannes.

Interested in more gorgeous walks in the Western Côte d'Azur? Check out our latest hiking guides.

Biot: The Bridges of La Brague

Hiking from Biot to Valbonne: Les Ponts de La Brague

May is a lovely month on the Côte d'Azur. Not only is it often sunny as it points the way to summer, but it has lots of jours féries often extended with ponts that bridge a day off work with another day off into order to reach a weekend or possibly another day off. Gently and without  straining, the single day off stretches into a short week off. It's a brilliant touch on an already wonderful month, sort of like a stained glass window over an arched doorway.

So Antoine and I decided to celebrate the ponts of May by hopping on a few stone bridges in the Parc Departemental de La Brague, west of Biot and east of Valbonne.

This wooded La Brague park is huge: 1500 acres (633 hectares). It shoulders the sprawling Silicon Valley center of the French Côte d'Azur, the Parc Technologique de Sophia-Antipolis. What's more, Parc de La Brague links the villages of Biot and Valbonne so you can hike from one village to another.

We trekked the 18 kilometers (round-trip) along the La Brague river banks. The round-trip walk takes about 6 hours at a very leisurely pace.

The entire walk takes place alongside the river, under the umbrage of European Alders (les Aulnes) and their rounded leaves, the Ash trees (Les Frênes), linden or lime trees (Les Tilleuls), by the wide fronds of moisture-loving ferns. The small cascades make the river gurgle. All we could hear was water splashing and a few birds singing spring. No cars except for one fleeting road intersection at Le Bruguet.

The trees rule at La Brague. In fact, they speak. Don't believe me?  Next time you visit,  take a look at their roots. And  see what this tree did to the "No Hunting" sign?

If you leave Biot before 10AM, you can reach Valbonne for lunch, stroll around town (you might think you're elsewhere - English is widely spoken in the little streets of international Valbonne) and return to Biot on time for dinner. We had to be back by 7PM so we ended up running part of the return leg. The terrain is rocky part of the way, with jumble of roots  over the footpath - I don't recommend running it with a recovering sprained ankle... 

Still, I love les ponts de May.

Interested in more gorgeous walks in the French Côte d'Azur? Check out our latest hiking guides.

      
                         

What:         Parc de La Brague, Biot and Valbonne,                        Cote d'Azur, France      Where:       Between Biot and Valbonne      More Info:    www.biot.fr

Antibes Marineland: Show or Tell?

Marineland, Antibes, Cote d'Azur, France:

Not everyone had the day off on this May 1st (Fête du Travail) on the French Côte d'Azur.

Orcas or Killer Whales dashed under water, shot their 5,000 pound shiny bodies out of the water and splashed everyone watching around the "splash-zone" in the pool. "Such a Shame" music by Brian Ferry pounded from speakers around the stadium. It was business as usual, if not busier than usual, at Marineland in Antibes, France.

The orcas (Orcinus orca) are likely the most popular animals at Marineland in Antibes. Crowds love to watch them perform. The animals are huge, majestic. They move like torpedoes under water (up to 30 MPH). There's more than a tinge of danger to their show. After all, orcas are the largest predators of warm-blooded marine mammals. In the wild, they feast on seals, sea lions, otters, in addition to plain fish

Yet, as you watch these large predators slide out of their water tanks to give their trainer a kiss, audience applauding, you can't help but think of them out in the wild. Many of the Marineland orcas come from the waters off Iceland. You picture them surfaced in family pods of three or four, spraying mist from their blow hole above the cold waters, with the wide expanse of water around them.

Orcas live in many oceans and seas around the world. They live in the Arctic, the Antarctic, along the coast of Washington, Oregon, California, Baja California. Rumors have it that they have been spotted in rivers as well, traveling up from river mouthes to follow their preys.

By most accounts, the animals are treated with great care at Marineland Antibes. Some of the orcas were born in captivity rather than hauled out of oceans. We've probably learned something about them from keeping them here. And Marineland has likely sparked a lifelong passion for oceanography in a few kids. Few of us could ever watch these animals in the wild.

Yet personally, I would prefer a Marineland more focused on education rather than show. Tell us about these animals in the wild: where, how do they live? To meet the orca's and otters up close with more detailed information about them, you need to pay an additional fee.

What are the endangered marine mammals in the Mediterranean? What is Marineland doing to help? It supports the banning of fish nets where dolphins end up tangled up and injured or killed. That's good. Why is this not explained at the park?

I would prefer a facility where local injured sea animals are nursed back to health with the help of school kids, a facility that sponsors scientific research and protection, a facility we could feel entirely good about supporting.

With 1 Million annual visitors, I'm a minority with this view. Share this viewpoint? Drop them a constructive note. Unfortunately, the issue is so polarized that it often fills with nothing but anger, shutting ears on both sides of the debate.

Also in Antibes and far less controversial: Heidi's Antibes Books. They carry a huge assortment of English-language books.

You'll find  our latest hiking guide there: "26 Gorgeous Hikes on the Western Côte d'Azur".

Also available at all of the international Amazon.com sites (US, UK, Germany, France, Japan).

Cannes before the Film Festival 2008

La Folie du Festival

It's not just the Cannes Film Festival 2008 (runs May 14-25, 2008) but the smaller but still large MIPTV event. MIPTV 2008 begins now in Cannes (April 7-11 at Cannes Palais des Festivals) and brings together TV and film producers & distributors, broadcasters and digital media content providers under Cannes palatial atmosphere to discuss ideas and deals.

From this weekend until Fall, Cannes turns into a grand palatial host. Was the city busy this weekend preparing for the upcoming festivals? You bet!  Shop keepers in the Rue d'Antibes and Rue Meynadier still had the time to chat. But you could feel the frenzy of preparations across the Croisette: crews hoisted up giant posters, new terraces, podium with tents; beach restaurants widened their sea front setting.

Watch the below movie for a feel of the preparations...

And if you're looking for a hotel room in Cannes for the Film Festival, consider nearby towns such as Antibes, Juan-les-Pins or even Nice further east. Although cancellations do free up a room here and there, Cannes is pretty well booked up months in advance of the May Film Festival.

Hiking: Circling the Mont Peygros, Auribeau-sur-Siagne

Hiking Mont Peygros

It’s on the Côte d'Azur, so close to Cannes, but you would not know it. Mont Peygros is a small hill (peaks at 301 meters) part of the Tanneron hills, admired for their expanse of mimosa trees that turn yellow in February, and for the touch of wilderness they bring to an otherwise generously built area between Grasse and Cannes.

Hiking up Mont Peygros, you find wild mimosa trees, the darkened trunks of knotted cork oaks, a couple of black and white spotted European Magpies bouncing on the GR51 Sentier de Grande Randonnée footpath, the muffled barks of dogs below, two rectangular patches of fluorescent blue by villas to the east, bright among the dark green on the hill and the golden crust of the earth. You might even spot a Golden Eagle circling above the hills and casting a wide shadow against the sky. Footprints mingle on the dirt path. Horses, humans, dogs, mountain bikes all share the trail that loops around the quiet hill.

They say the best time to come here is winter, when the mimosas bloom. I say come anytime. It’s a great place to get away and get energized, off-the-beaten-track on the French Riviera.

Getting there:

Off the A8 highway, exit at Mandelieu. Take the D109 towards Grasse and Pégomas. Then follow the signs for Auribeau-sur-Siagne, taking the D109A, then the D9 which turns into the D509. Park at the Place Léon Mallet in Auribeau and head down the wooden steps on the GR51, then up the DFCI de Peygros to loop around the Circuit de Peygros.

 

 

Grasse: International Marble Sculpture Symposium

Stroll through the town of Grasse and you might come across white puffs of smoke and the grinding sound of tools slicing, cutting, edging and polishing stones. Between June 19 and July 5, 2007, nine artists carve big blocks of white Carrare marble, one block per artist. They carve, inspired by a theme at the heart of Grasse's heritage - flowers and fragrances.

It's Grasse's 2nd International Marble Sculpture Symposium from June 19 to July 5, 2007.

If you're more interested in seeing the end result of the sculpting, on July 6, the jury will review the sculptures amidst a little celebration. Grasse will get to keep the sculptures and exhibit them around the city.

A Dog Day in: Cannes

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When I found out that Cannes celebrates the canine heroes of show-business with a yearly Palm Dog Award, I knew I had to pack up bone and leash and visit.

Not for the Palm Dog Award - I enjoy beautiful fellow dogs, but I'd rather roll and tumble in the park with them than watch them parade and sit. No, I went to sniff uptown and downtown Cannes to get to know this enlightened place.  Here's what I found.

Top Things for a Dog to Do in Cannes:

Sniff until your muzzle drips

Sniff-wise, France is a dog's paradise.  Paved road, parking meters, store fronts - everything is doused in wonderful aromas.  Unfortunately, Cannes tends to be scrubbed clean.  Even the beach is combed clean, like a Japanese zen garden.  Look at this, Cannes offers poochie business garbage in stylish  blue, complete with plastic bag dispenser.

Dog Note: Do not pee on this blue pole.  It's considered de mauvais gout.

To get a head full of aromas and colors, start at the Place du Suquet. Trot down the Rue du Suquet (medieval paved road heads downhill, watch for nails screeching) and Rue Forville to the covered Marché Forville where fellow french dogs bring their masters for meats, links of saucisses, but also vegetables, cheeses, flowers.

Gorge on Panoramic View

By the rue Mont Chevalier, which used to be an old mule path, head up the hill to the church of Notre-Dame d'Esperance built in the beginning of the 16th century, when a dog year was 0.1 of a human year.  Tuck under its clock tower and reach the Place de la Castre for the best panorama of the city. If you are a small dog, hop on the wall of the place and admire the view: the port de la Pantiero, the Croisette, the Islands of Lérins.  So much to walk and smell.  You may not visit the Musée de Castre - no dogs allowed.

Dog Note: the beautiful church of Notre-Dame d'Esperance is also closed to dogs.

Trot by Palatial Dog Houses

Head down to the Croisette and walk by palatial hotels (hotels are extremely plush kennels for humans) like the Majestic, the Gray d'Albion, the Hilton, the Martinez.  Dream the life of the royal poodle nibbling duck legs in gravy, of the bichon frisé carried in a hand-bag.

Dog Note: if the sight of humans in uniforms makes you cringe, beware of humans in suits opening doors around fancy hotels.  Restrain your bark.

Dash in front of Ferraris

If you live on the edge - say, you enjoy chomping into gluts in uniform, go ahead and cross the Croisette boulevard in front of the fancy Grandes Dames of hotels. You may skim a Ferrari, a Rolls Royce, possibly with a greyhound wearing a diamond-studded collar upright in the passenger's seat. Worst-case scenario, you'll be road kill under an incredible set of wheels.

Search for Paw Prints outside the Palais des Festivals

Your paw imprint may find its way here (please write if you figure out how to do this), but for now you'll find tons of famous human hand prints reaching out as if to pet you. Aww - c'est si bon.

Shop for sausage links and chewy slippers

After strutting down la Croisette head up Rue Amouretti to Rue d'Antibes, Rue Hoche and Rue Meynadier for shopping.  Meynadier tops my list as most dog-friendly shopping streets (no cars!).

Fellow canines, the streets beam with boucheries and charcuteries, not to mention cute small shops of leather boots, sandals and felt slippers!

 

Pee on Lawns in Le Californie

This one is tricky - I'm in fact typing this under the kitchen table, without my master's permission.  Some of the lawns in the neighborhood of 19th century multi-storied villas called La Californie are distant and gated (some with gorgeous and appetizing iron-carved gates). Even if you can't pull it off, the classy and classic villas will perk up your walk.

Have a ball in Cannes, and if you find other interesting dog things to do there, please write or add as a comment on this post.  When my master's asleep, I read emails at:  azuralive (at) gmail (dot) com.  Woofingly yours.

For more info on Cannes:

• Human Tourist Information
  Palais des Festivals, La Croisette
  Tel: (04) 9339 2453. Fax: (04) 9299 8423
• For a Google map of Cannes, click here.