Mandelieu La Napoule on the Cote d’Azur

Hi Everybody

After what seems far to long, due to you know what, we have just returned from a lovely holiday in France with much of our time spent back on the fabulous Cote d’Azur.

Driving through France in June in very hot weather was very beautiful with the Flowers, Lavender fields, Countryside and Mountains all sparkling in the Summer Sun.

Watercolour sketch of the Pyramid in Vienne.

Overnight in Vienne , about 10 miles south of Lyon, was an opportunity to eat in a local Restaurant ,Le Bar a Vins des Saveurs which was very enjoyable and worth seeking out. It is near the Roman Pyramid , quite spectacular ,a Roman column in a  town of many Roman ruins.

Market day at a town in Isere. Watercolour sketch

From Vienne we set off for The Cote d’Azur and on the way passed many fields of lavender and the hills and farms of the Rhone Valley

Here are two larger watercolours of that route

Lavender Farm near Orange. Watercolour 15 inches by 10

Lavender Farm in Provence. Watercolour 15 inches by 10.

Our destination was Miramar, just outside Theoule on the Esterel coast and about 12 miles from Cannes.

This is the view from our terrace of the bay at Miramar, tranquil sea, and the red rocks so prominent on this part of the coast. And hot too, every day over 30 C!

We love to travel on this spectacular coast road and this next painting is of the beach at Agay, quite near to San Raphael. Hot again!

Enjoying the Beach at Agay

It would really not be a visit to the Cote d”Azur for us without wandering around Antibes. This lovely old, yet busy, coastal town is a great place to wander.

The view of Antibes from the nearby bay is a very famous one painted by me and many others over the years. This is a new version.

Antibes with the mountains to the North. Watercololour 15 inches by 10.

This little Antibes street caught my eye as we walked around.

A side street in old Antibes, sketch 7 inches by 9.

We moved for a few days to new accommodation near Mougins, another pretty hill village north of Cannes. From there the view of the mountains is great, here is quick sketch of the scene from the walls of Mougins.

toward the mountains from Mougins. sketch, 10 inches by 8

The centre of Mougins with it’s many restaurants, cafes and houses is a delight to wander around. Here is sketch from a welcome seat in the shade

The main square in Mougins. Watercolour sketch.

One of our favourite places in the area north of Mougins is the spectacular hill village of Gourdon. Small but always worth a visit. This is a watercolour from a few years ago which gives an impression of the position of this amazing perched village.

Gourdon, a watercolour sketch from 2018. 20 by 9 inches.

Up in the mountains this cottage farm gave me an idea for quick sketch of the typical Provence scene

Whilst at Mougins we played some golf , even though it was very hot!. From the Course the view of the houses and hills nearby, gives, I hope and idea of the local scenery.

The countryside and houses around Mouans – Sartoux.

Our return journey to the UK was via the lovely lake side town of Aix les Bains and there the beautiful Lac de Bourget. From a boat trip on the lake this watercolour seemed appropriate for the final watercolour for this post.

Lac de Bourget at Aix Les Bains. Watercolour 18 inches by 9. Abbaye de Hautcombe in the foreground.

Of course I have come home with many photos and ideas for more watercolours of France and our great holiday. I will post those when I have managed to do a few more.

We will never tire of the Cote d’Azur, one the world’s most wonderful holiday destinations. If you know it well I hope these will be a reminder  of it, if you haven’t been there, then GO!

Happy travelling

Brian