Luxury Travel Consultant2

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anne@luxurytravelconsultant2.com, independent affiliate of Cardoza Bungey Travel, Luxury Travel Consultant2, Virtuoso

Luxury Travel Consultant2, is an independent affiliate of Cardoza Bungey Travel, part of Virtuoso Luxury Travel Online.

” If Luxury Travel were professional golf, we’d be your caddie” Virtuoso Travel

Luxury Travel Consultant2 ” we make a difference in the way you experience Travel ”

Anne Suire is a virtuoso Travel Advisor , we provide the value, expertise and connections you expect from all a trusted professional. Put us to the test, we will make your next travel experience a hole in one.

anne@luxurytravelconsultant2.com

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Nice I love you!

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British community, Cimiez Hill, La Promenade des Anglais, Luxury Travel Consultant2, Musee d'Art contemporain, Nice, Russian community, Tchekov, Virtuoso

Nice , from glam and sunshine to tragedy,I will never forget what took place on July 14th, my heart goes out to the families who died that day or lost a loved one.

In the 19th century the European aristocracy colonized the place, drawn by the beautiful Bay of Angels and the mild winter weather. A lot of film stars have endowed France‘s fifth city with a legacy of luxury. A lot of artists have found their niche in Nice as well and have left a legacy of culture, Chagall and Matisse were inspired by the light and left their mark here with their abstract works. Alongside the opulence there  is another Nice , rooted in the Mediterranean  history and fiercely independent. The city of Nice voted to join France in 1860 ( It had been for centuries the kingdom of Savoy) and until today Nice retains its own dialect, cuisine and traditions.

Nice is also known for the famous ( Promenade des Anglais), this seafront promenade owes its name to the English community which funded the initial construction in 1852, the community very often gave work to the local poor. Now the promenade is flanked by traffic lanes and sweeps majestically the Bay of Angels. Belle epoque edifices, notably the very magnificent hotel  are the symbols for when Nice was the magnet for European nobility.

Museums to visit on a Sunday afternoon.

Musee Matisse.

Just shortly before his death Matisse donated a collection of paintings to the city in which he had lived for 37 years. They have found a superb home in a 17th-century Italianate villa on Cimiez hill. The Matisse collection affords affords a comprehensive overview of the artist’s work. 164 Avenue des Arenes de Cimiez. ( open 10am -8pm) . Free.

Musee d’art moderne et d’art contemporain.

The collections trace the story for the avant garde from the 1960s to the present day. Particularly notable are the US pop artists and European New Realists . Promenade des Arts. ( open 10 am – 6pm). Free.

Musee des Beaux Arts.

This 19th-century townhouse was originally built for a Ukranian princess, holds collections of art from the 17th to the early 19th centuries. 33 avenue des Baumettes. ( open 10am-6pm). Free.

Palais Massena.

This 19th-century Italianate villa houses the Musee d’art et d’histoire. A very interesting collection of diverse objects covering from Bonaparte to the 1930’s, worth the stop!. 65 rue de France, open ( 10am -6pm). Free.

Cimiez Hill and Musee National  Message Biblique Marc Chagall.

European nobility colonized Cimiez Hill with magnificent villas. The most impressive of all is the Excelsior Regina Palace , where Queen Victoria once stayed. Also the museum houses Chagall‘s 17 great work on “the biblical Message”, the artist also created stained glass windows, a mosaic and tapestry for the museum.

Port Lympia.

Built in the mid eighteen century , the port never really took off commercially and remains much quieter than most Mediterranean city harbors. The port is surrounded by beautiful Italianate villas. The Russian writer Chekhov loved this quieter part of Nice.

Cathedral St Nicolas.

The Russian community was as prominent as the British community in the late 19th to the early 20th centuries. This Russian Orthodox church was finished in 1912 as the community’s focal point.  Rue Nikola II. Open daily, not sure it is free!.

Nice is a special place in my heart, my parents used to vacation there in September.

Luxury Travel Consultant2 is an independent affiliate of  Cardoza Bungey Travel.

For more information regarding our private tours and International Travel please contact us at anne@luxurytravelconsultant2.com. We are part of Virtuoso , luxury Travel online.

Anne Suire

Provence in the Fall 2016

 Musee Matisse.

 

 

 

Musee D’art contemporain. Mansion , Cimiez Hill. Old Nice.

A beautiful one day drive on the massif des Maures

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A drive on the Massif des Maures, Arboretum de Gratteloup, Chartreuse de la Verne, Collobrieres, Frejus, Heyeres, La Mole, Le col des Fourches, Luxury Travel Consultant2, Maures, Notre Dame des Anges, Provence. Fall tour 2016

Between Frejus and Hyeres, the coast  bulges out and up again to form the steep rolling heels and arcadian amphitheatres of the ancient massif des Maures. This mountain range is a geological oddball; The name Maures is derived  from maouro, Provencal for black describing its dark deep forests of umbrella and Aleppo pines ( pines native to the Mediterranean region), chesnuts and cork. For a few centuries the latter two trees provided the main source of income of the few inland villages.

If you take a drive in the morning.

You will start in the village of Grimaud and take the D558 up to La Garde-Freinet . Continue 4 miles before turning left before Gonfaron and make a stop at the Village des Tortues to see the very rare Hermann tortoise ( Quartier plaine – Open 9am – 7pm daily and 6pm ( December – February). After that take D39 towards Collobrieres At the col des Fourches head up to Notre-Dame -des-Anges , The Maures ‘s highest  point. There is an amazing chapel with outstanding views. Two miles before Collobrieres you will make a turn left ( D14) to the Chartreuse de la Verne , a Carthusian monastery of local stone ( Quartier Verne, 11 am -5pm ; Wednesday-Monday) . Then head back to Collobrieres . There is a place called La petite Fontaine, stop by for a drink or dinner, try the soupe au pistou or game in season , no thrills regional cooking. Place de la Republique. No credit cards – $$

If you take an afternoon drive.

Leave towards Pierrefeu, 1 mile later you will make a turn left towards Bormes Les Mimosas. This is a dramatic drive , between wooded slopes and plunging valleys will take you over the Col de Babao to the N98. You will have to make a turn left towards  La Mole, make a stop at the arboretum de Gratteloup , a forest garden with 50 tree varieties.

Then you will continue to La Mole and make a turn right to the Col du Canadel and stop at the domaine du Rayol gardens. Upon return to Grimaud , enjoy a wonderful dinner at Le Coteau Fleuri , Place des Penitents. $$

Anne Suire / http://www.luxurytravelconsultant2.com

Provence.Fall 2016

Another walk to take

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Alpes Maritimes, Anne Suire, Chateau de Villeneuve, Luxury Travel Consultant2, Place Clemenceau, Place Surian, Porte de Peyra, Provence. Fall 2016, tours, Vence

Walking through Medieval Vence.

Giant ash trees,( Les Frenes ) will be part of the landscape as you stroll through the old quarter of Vence.  The walk will take about a couple of hours and you will enjoy Vence very much with its old stone -paved streets and medieval houses huddling inside a ring of 13th-century battlements. Before you enter the walls through a sixteen century Porte de Peyra  pay a visit to the Chateau de Villeneuve ,  which is a host to different programs of contemporary art and design exhibitions.

After walking through the gateway, make a turn right and allow half an hour to walk through La rue du Marche where rows of shops selling herbs, fruit, fresh pasta and fish will make your mouth water. If you want to see the cathedral, walk to the end of Rue du Marche ,you will turn left and walk across Place Surian and Place Clemenceau  and there it will be. Look out for Roman inscriptions dating back almost 2,000 years back on the masonry of the buildings either side of it carved when Vence was the Roman settlement of Ventium . Also you will see the oak choir stalls carved with little satirical figures , commissioned by a witty 17th-century bishop. Leave the square by its north side underneath the arched Passage Cahors  , then you will walk up Rue du Seminaire and you will turn left to follow the old walls along Rue de La Coste. If you leave the old quarter by the Levis Portail which takes you back to Place du Frenes, you will come across several cafes and restaurants where you can enjoy lunch or a drink and snack.

Anne Suire

http://www.luxurytravelconsultant2.com

Provence.Fall 2016