Cornwall, La Côte d’Azur and beyond

Place du Casino, Monte-Carlo

Fri, 9 May 2008 21:12:47 +0100

High rollers, James Bond, glamour and money beyond your wildest dreams seem to sum up Monaco. A tax haven for millionaires and a hub for commerce.

Steeped in history and glamour, Monaco is so rich that it is fun to just stop and gaze. Sports cars of all shapes and sizes glitter in the sun outside the Casino and Hôtel de Paris and Hôtel Hermitage. Police with dark glasses and ties stand on duty and top-hatted door men great the guests as they wander into the lobbies of these world famous buildings.

Simply from an architectural view it is worth the visit to Casino square, the buildings are fairy-tale beautiful designed by Charles Garnier with details and colours that will never be seen again in modern buildings. The principality is proud of its history and the distinctive red and white monaco flag can be seen flying from all locations.

Monaco is one of the most highly populated and built up places on the planet - but it is also one of the safest and cleanest. It is a very real place, but it seems very unreal for the visitor. World famous and with an ability to influence politics on a world scale this tiny 2km square principality cannot be overlooked, so even if it is for a cup of tea and a slice of cake at the Hôtel Hermitage, do pay Monaco a visit. You can escape very quickly to the beaches of Menton afterwards for a swim !

We will be exhibiting at the Belle Epoque Hôtel Hermitage, Salon Jardin d’Hiver. The impressive entrance to this salon takes you under the amazing Winter-Garden foyer dome designed by Gustave Eiffel and it makes a dazzling introduction to our new work and exhibition.

Join us for tea and cake on the terrace ! (June 14th 3pm 2008, see you there.)

Menton’s Last Garden

Wed, 7 May 2008 17:59:16 +0100

The Clos du Peyronnet is a House and Garden in the Garavan area of Menton on the south coast of France and only 200 meters from Italy.

The garden is regarded as one of the finest on the Riviera and is tended and curated by William Waterfield and his dog Prickles ! The Waterfield family started the garden in 1915 (the villa was built in 1903) and this is the last garden in Menton that is still being cared for by the family that created it, so it has an amazing living history. There is a book written by Giles Waterfield “The Long Afternoon” that contains some of the history of the house.

The garden isn’t a large one - but is has a real personality behind it. Sub tropical plants abound and there are a wide variety of bulbs and succulants to see. The Wisteria which comes out in April is really spectacular as it wraps itself around the front of the property.

The Clos has a famed series of small pools that terrace down the garden giving the impression that the sea is one of the pools at the end of the cascade and from one side of the garden you can look across to the old town of Menton.

In the evening with a full moon and bats and swallows flying around it is the most romantic place in the world. Rent the top floor of the Clos for a week and enjoy turn of the century faded opulence in the beautifully designed and appointed rooms of the tower apartment. It isn’t cheap - but it is worth it !

You don’t have to stay at the property to visit the garden. You may book a personal appointment with William Waterfield to view. There is a small charge for this.

This is one of Menton’s last Belle Époque Villas and the last family garden in the town - a must see.

On the Beach at Villefranche & The Cap Ferrat

Tue, 6 May 2008 16:19:31 +0100

Travel along the coast from Italy towards Nice on the train and watch people crowd to the windows as they approach Villfranche-sur-Mer.

The town is one of the jewels in the crown of the French Côte d’Azur and unlike so many resorts along the coast still retains the look and feel of what you would expect from a French town on the coast.

Villefranche really is a delight for a day out - there are plenty of cafés and restaurants and the old town has an amazing covered street that has buildings precariously built over the top.

Unlike Monaco which has lines of enormous millionaire boats parked in the harbour, the boats at Villefranche are more modest - small pleasure boats and yachts just as you would find in Cornwall. This all adds to the family friendly feel to the place and the beach which is only minutes away from the train station is the perfect place to make your base camp with the little ones.

The sand is as nice as it gets on this coast and the water is typically Mediterranean, clear, blue and inviting.

Villefranche looks out across the water to Cap Ferrat, an exclusive peninsular. There is a fantastic beach at Cap Ferrat - a little piece of paradise is how it was sold to us by an Italian family we met in Menton. The beach at Saint Jean Cap Ferrat is indeed a great place for a day and for snorkeling it is just a delight it is almost like being in the Caribbean !

If you want to be close to Nice but avoid the downsides of a city then head for Villefranche and Cap Ferrat - we do and it is fantastic !

Arty Weekend Nice, France

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 18:00:20 +0100

Nice is probably the best known location on the Riviera. Nice International airport is situated at the end of the city, in fact you can walk to the airport if you have the time and energy by following the Promenade des Anglais.

This close proximity to the airport gives Nice the attraction of being only a few hours away for travelers from Northern Europe. Hop on a plane in London and arrive two hours later virtually on the beach, perfect for a long weekend away.

The Negresco Hotel http://www.hotel-negresco-nice.com/ on the sea-front is one of the cities best known architectural landmarks, and there is a long pebbly beach that runs the length of the city front.

If you are looking for an interesting arty smaller hotel try the Hotel Windsor. http://www.hotelwindsornice.com/

Nice is a city, so take care while traveling around, it suffers from petty crime like all other cities, however it is a fascinating place to walk around and explore. The old town can feel like quite an adventure and there is a beautiful Provençal market set just back from the sea-front.

Nice has been painted by many artist during its history, and the city sports several galleries.

One of our favorites is the Chagall Museum which we consider a must see. They have varying exhibitions of the artist’s work so check before going.

In recent years the city has had major building works going on for the new tram - but this has now nearly finished and the tram is running, so if you have avoided visiting recently it might be worth going back now.

If you are in the area at carnival time http://www.nicecarnaval.com/ then expect to see one of the worlds most amazing carnival events - and at the same time of year you can get a coach up to the ski slopes of Isola 2000 or Valberg about 1.5 hrs behind Nice.

Fun Festival Cannes

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 17:23:30 +0100

Cannes is a world famous Riviera resort and it strives to keep up this commercial worldwide success by hosting a series of important international events throughout the year.

The Cannes Film Festival is without doubt the event that has put Cannes on the map, and this keeps property prices and rents at record highs. A place to invest if you feel inclined.

Cannes has all the charm you would expect. A wide and grand seafront the Croisette is covered in rides for the children, carousels, and snack bars.

There is often a market towards the old part of the town set amongst the beautiful Plane trees and with the typically flamboyant French architecture it really does epitomise the French coast.

Further along the strip you find the amazing grand hotels like the Carlton and Miramar and in front of these there is a wide and sandy beach.

Travel in late April and you will probably find a cosmopolitan mix of fur coated Italians (Italy seems to have missed the fur trade renaissance!), nearly naked French, and over excited Asian men. It is a great place to people watch !

Cannes isn’t as relaxing as the smaller towns on the Riviera, but the glamour and history of the town make it a must see destination, and as you wander under the towering Miami like palms you will probably be able to stick your head through a wooden cutout to pretend to be a famous film-star.

We all looked lovely as Spiderman!

Boules and Babes at Antibes

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 17:23:16 +0100

The mix of posing beach babes, young families and old French men playing boules is one of the delights of this famous French town.

It is a favourite location for ex-pats - so expect to hear plenty of English on the streets, there is even an English bookshop called Heidi’s (actually it is a really good bookshop so do pay it a visit).

We have stayed in the center of Antibes and spent a week exploring the town, the exclusive Cap d’Antibes and the Thuret Gardens. Antibes is a lovely place to spend a week - great play-parks for the children and two lovely sandy public beaches.

With fantastic train and bus links to the rest of the Riviera Antibes is certainly worth putting on your holiday plans.

Menton’s Jardin Exotique Val Rameh

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 17:10:32 +0100

Established in 1905 by Lord Radcliff and then in 1957 it became the English garden of Miss Campbell who decided to place the garden in the hands of the Natural History Museum in Paris in 1966.

The garden is close to the seafront of Menton and is absolutely beautiful.  Tropical plants and fruits abound and the garden is arranged with interesting pathways, and plants set in climatic zones; mediterranean, sub tropical, tropical fruits and bamboos.

The spectacular circular pond with giant water lilies is worth the trip in its own right.

The garden is larger than the Clos-du-Peyronnet - but could be visited on the same day as the gardens compliment each other and are in the same part of Menton.  This garden is certainly worth the trip.

Summer on the Beach at Menton

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 16:59:49 +0100

With one of the longest stretches of public beach on the Côte d’Azur and the mildest climate in France it is no surprise that the seaside town of Menton has been popular with Northern Europeans and Italians since the turn of the century.

Leave the packed expensive private umbrella and sunbed zoned beaches of Italy behind and head for the border for a spot of free beach life.

There are some private areas of the beach, but the vast majority of Menton’s coast is free and easy and we just love it ! 
Menton prides itself on the abundance of flowers and plants that are planted all around the town. Tropical date palms line the sea-front and flowers of all colours bloom all year round.

Hibiscus flowers and Bird of Paradise plants can be found casually planted along the front and this gives the beaches a feel of the Caribbean.

In the season platforms are positioned off the coast for swimmers to aim for. The waters are perfect for snorkeling and the council keeps a close eye on the water quality adding to the attraction of the resort.

Menton has a very family friendly feel - lots of young families head for the beaches along with a resident retired population. This isn’t a town for posing in like Cannes - it is a town for living in and relaxing.

The beaches in July and August do get very busy indeed - so if you can visit before or after - Early September is a delight.

Early Spring in Italy’s Garden

Sat, 1 Mar 2008 22:25:16 +0000

You could be forgiven for perhaps not noticing that winter has suddenly slipped away on the Ligurian coast. Apart for the occasional chilly moment and the odd day of gloomy grey sky - the winter didn’t really arrive and now we are in March you need to be quick to make the most of spring; with temperatures of 21 degrees forecast for Mothers’ Day I think we could possibly be about to waltz into summer !

The Giardini Hanbury just over the border from France in La Mortola, Italy, are looking fabulous. The succulents have all plumped up again after the baking heat of last summer and are putting out tremendous flower spikes of colour.

The citrus trees are still lit up with oranges, grapefruits and gigantic lemons and the incredible cactus are bursting forth with new growth and vigor.

March is a great time to visit - the garden is fantastic for children and we always have a magical time in this little piece of English history on the Italian coast.

Brief History of the Hanbury Gardens The Hanbury Botanic Gardens of La Mortola were founded in 1867 by Sir Thomas Hanbury, assisted by his brother Daniel who created his garden of exotic plants which carne from all parts of the world. Until his death in 1907 Sir Thomas helped the inhabitants in every possible way from La Mortola to Ventimiglia and even as far as Alassio and gave his name to the Istituto Botanico of the University of Genova. His great interest in the botanical world encouraged him to donate some land near London where the famous Wisley Garden was founded of the Royal Horticultural Society. When Thomas died, his work was carried on by his son and lady Dorothy who were both garden enthusiasts The Hanbury Botanic Gardens were sold to the Italian State in 1960, which are at present being managed by the University of Genoa; whilst the Faculty of Science is concerned with the scientific side, the Superintendence for Architectural and Environmental Liguria Estate covers the maintenance of architectural buildings and structures.

John Dyer Painting Eden’s Paradise

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 21:01:57 +0000

From the Amazon to the Mediterranean, Cornwall’s own Garden of Eden represents a world in miniature. To the Eden Project’s painter in residence, John Dyer, it also presents a wonderful opportunity for creating inspiring art.

When the door of the nursery glasshouse slid open it was like stepping off the plane in Brazil. Rows and rows of specimen plants from Amazonia, West Africa and Oceania stood waiting to be planted in the Eden Project’s biomes - Papaya trees covered in fruit, Balsa trees almost getting bigger before my eyes, Cheese Plants, Palms, Oranges, Lemons, Cacti, Sugar Cane, leaves of all shapes and sizes. It was fantastic. That was in 2000, and I have ben working with the Eden Project as the painter-in-residence ever since.

I started my residency at Wateringlane Nursery and also at the construction site of the biomes. The following year, Eden purchased my painting ‘Garden of Eden’ and launched the John Dyer/Eden Project range of calendars, diaries, posters, cards and a huge retail display. One of my paintings was also used as the official print to launch the Eden Project. This had a major impact on my work and dramatically increased the number of people who knew about my paintings. Since then I have painted at Eden, on related scientific projects abroad, and even with celebrities such as Alan Titchmarsh and Kim Wilde to publicise Eden’s environmental work.

People often ask how the relationship works: am I really ‘resident’ on site, and can I paint what I want or do I have to follow Eden’s instructions ? The answer to these questions-and the reason I am still working with Eden - is that our relationship is founded on simplicity, trust and a shared vision for the environment. Iam not on site at Eden every day - or even every month. I paint exactly what I want, when I want. If Eden wishes to exhibit or publish the resulting work, that is great, and it means I can remain a true artist, following my own heart and interests.

Tropical painting
The Humid Tropics Biome at Eden is a great place in which to paint as it’s almost exactly like a rainforest - without the danger of rain. It’s very humid; when the sun comes out the sprinklers are turned on so a really hot steam is generated. My acrylic paints stay very wet if the humidity is high, so I have to paint wet-on-wet, which is exciting as it creates a different feel to my normal work. In parts of the biome, however, it is much drier and you can feel like you are being gently slow-roasted and the paints start to dry immediately.

I mainly use acrylics because I’ve found that oil paints can be difficult in unusual environments. Oils not only tend to creep off the canvas onto me, plants and other people, but when I travel to paint Eden projects abroad, the airlines will not allow oil paint or turpentine onto the plane.

The speed at which acrylic dries has two huge benefits: the first is that it often allows me to work dry-on-dry within a few minutes, keeping the colours fresh and me on my toes. The other benefit is that I can roll my canvases up at the end of the day, jump in a Land Rover, helicopter or aeroplane, and re-stretch them when I get back to the studio.

The paint does dry very, very quickly in the dry tropics, such as in the south of Australia, but I do not see this as a problem. When I paint on location, there are many influencing factors: the speed that the paint dries, the insects that get caught up in it, the dust, heat, people and weather. Sometimes these things make a painting a struggle to realise, but it is exactly this struggle that will make the painting unique. The painting thus ends up recording the atmospheric conditions, my frame of mind and the landscape all in one. It becomes a special record of a unique moment in time.

I paint directly onto the canvas without drawing first so that my work is spontaneous. First, I do a brief ‘air drawing’ with a dry paintbrush for about five seconds over the canvas and I visualise in my mind the key elements of the work. Then I commit lots of paint quickly and directly to the surface, mixing colours on the canvas as I go.

I have to prepare myself for the crowds at eden but I’ve got used to painting in public. the staff are very good to me and the ‘green team’ will often allow me into a roped-off area, or even rope off an area for me. I have even been allowed to don hard hat and climbing gear and climb through the roof of the main biome to paint from on high.

I quite enjoy people watching me paint, though I usually start about 7am before the site is open to the public and make sure all my main decisions about painting have been made before the crowds arrive. Once the people arrive they - and their interaction with the plants - then become my subject.

People are generally very polite and tend not to stand over me making comments. I think that when you see a work of art created in situ you can connect to it and see what the artist is trying to achieve, and this is one of the reasons I enjoy not only painting at Eden but also on location, as well.

Recently I have been helping Eden to raise over £1 million for African artists. Falmouth Art Gallery and the Eden Project are working together on this and my paintings have been used to highlight the power of art and the environment. I will keep my fingers crossed.

Racing around in Monaco

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 11:35:29 +0000

The Monaco Grand Prix is a world famous event, and one that we think of most weeks when we visit the principality in our trusty old Land Rover !

As we race around the famous circuit at 10 miles an hour hopelessly looking for a place to park and staring at the armed police we always wonder why we drove as it is almost impossible to park a large vehicle and we always take the train now if we possibly can.

Monaco is famous for so many things, including the Jardin Exotique which is perched on the limestone cliffs above the town. Don’t try and visit with a child in push chair as they do not allow entry to push chairs !

There are many places to stay in Monaco, at a price, with famous hotels such as the Hotel de Paris being part of Monaco’s legendary status.

Monaco is very built up, very glamourous and at first sight very unsustainable, but the principality is addressing this and starting to take a leading role in climate change. H.S.H Prince Albert II is encouraging as many carbon and climate initiatives as he can.

Monaco is fabulously rich in many ways, the plants in the gardens are fantastic as are the fireworks that they set off for many events throughout the year. Enjoy, if you can find a place to park!

Tresco, an Island Paradise

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 11:13:54 +0000

If you like the idea of island life and a break from the hustle and bustle of mainland Britain then you could start thinking about long haul flights to the Caribbean, but hold on a moment as down in Cornwall we have our own island paradise that feels very Caribbean indeed, but you can still spend your British Pounds and there is no hurricane season !

The Isles of Scilly are off the Cornish coast - and offer a wide selection of locations from the slightly busy to the deserted. The island of Tresco offers a fantastic balance of the two and is the most sheltered of all the islands. The island is owned and run by Robert and Lucy Dorrien-Smith who have built up a winning combination of beautiful accommodation and facilities all set in the stunning setting of clear turquoise seas and brilliant white beaches.

Tresco has the world famous Tresco Abbey Garden which is curated with enthusiasm and life by Mike Nelhams. The island is just in the warm temperate zone on the globe and you will be totally amazed by the plants that thrive on this island paradise.

We have stayed in a good selection of the types of properties available on the island from Tower Flat in the Abbey, Beach Cottage, Borough Farm and the fabulous Island Hotel. All of the properties are run with a real panache and there is a real sense of quality about everything the island does.

The combination of an idylic island with sub tropical plants, white beaches, superb accommodation with contemporary paintings and sculptures takes a lot of beating, and it is only 20minutes away by helicopter from Penzance.

Villefranche Flower Power

Mon, 18 Feb 2008 19:40:25 +0000

The beautiful port of Villefranche-sur-Mer on the south coast of France is a story book location on any day of the year - but in the spring during their ‘Combat Naval Fleuri’ it takes on an even more magical appearance.

The small fishing boats in the harbour are bedecked with the bright yellow flowers of the Mimosa tree and an assortment of fantastically coloured blooms and palm tree leaves.

The crew dress up in traditional costume and parade the boats along the harbour side to the delight of the thousands of spectators who line the shore.

As the boats circle around the harbour a typically loud and exuberant mediterranean carnival makes its way along the streets with showers of confetti being thrown from all directions.

The festivities culminate with the flowers from the boats being thrown into the crowds. As each piece of mimosa sails through the air hundreds of hands are raised to try and catch the lucky branch.

A really magical place and a magical day, and you are sure to leave with a bouquet of flowers !

The Lemon Festival, Menton

Sun, 17 Feb 2008 15:32:54 +0000

The amazing Menton Lemon Festival is underway on the Côte d’Azur in France.

This year the 75th Fête du Citron in Menton, which dedicates itself to the celebration of everything citrus, has the theme of ‘islands’.

The gardens in the town are fenced off and huge sculptures have been constructed out of the oranges and lemons. Cafés have joined in with special citrus menus and decorations and the orange trees around the town are at their very best literally dripping with oranges.

In addition to the displays in the towns gardens the town puts on a fabulous carnival at specific times during the event.

Enormous floats with animals constructed out of the citrus fruits are paraded through the streets with musicians and dancers adding layers of colour and excitement.

Menton does become very busy during the festival and it is worth coming back when the festivities have finished to see the town in a more relaxed state, but if you are in the area during carnival season it is certainly worth a look.

Valberg, French Alps

Sun, 17 Feb 2008 15:11:42 +0000

Valberg is a ski resort in the French Alps, possibly less well known than Isola 2000 it is in the same area and is easily accessible by car from Nice which is about 1.5 hrs away.

We were invited to stay with a French family just outside the village and had an insiders course on how to enjoy the mountains without emptying your bank account !

First up and the most amazing experience was racketing (snow shoes). Our guides knew the mountains very well and suggested to us that if we were happy to walk a little way in the deep snow using rackets we would be able to have a mountain side all to ourselves. This is not something that can be attempted without a good guide, but the experience of walking through the forests on virgin snow and up to a sunny mountain slope really is amazing. the only sounds we could hear were the birds, the crunch of the snow and our heavy breathing as we slowly waded across the snow. It was absolutely beautiful.

In addition to this we took on Nordic skiing, which isn’t easy, but is a lot less dangerous (we think) than the alpine version. Again we met only a handful of people and had the forests and snow to ourselves.

Our daughter did have a go at traditional downhill alpine skiing, and the rest of the time we simply drove out of the village to a deserted mountain side, parked and picnicked on the frozen white landscape - with temperatures reaching 15 degrees it was almost a summer experience.