Le Vieux Mougins: Best Pretty Little French Village Ever, So Far

It took us two tries to get to Mougins. The first was in our camper, but Mougins does not welcome camping-cars, nor buses, for parking, and so we retreated back to Cannes and more pedestrian undertakings there. Next day we took buses up to Mougins, one to Cannes and then one to Mougins, and that worked out. Well, there's an up-hill kilometer after the bus stop to the old village, but it wasn't bad, and quite scenic. If you go, which we recommend, take the bus, a car, or a taxi, or, preferably, a limousine or helicopter. It is a beautiful place, carefully vetted. Mostly we went to see the Musee d'Art Classique de Mougins, next post, but the old bastide village is a visit well worthy unto itself. A place never to be trampled by turbusses.

After the hike, the view to the Maritime Alps is great

Thus

Grasse, where they make perfume

Other destinations

Prominent cliff, to the right of which, far off, is Nice

Calamandin tree

Among the shoppes, museums

Alley scene

Studio/gallery

Me, boating

In a shoppe/cafe where we had second breakfast

All set for Halloween and proud of their work

In addition to the museum, there is an annual celebration of chefs

One of the restaurants, adorned by shells of Coquilles St. Jacques

Another radial city! The Michelin Blimp was again available,
so we availed ourselves of this aerial view

Taste everywhere

And the price that goes with it...high season rooms for a couple
grand...

Cannes Scenes, 2

Continuing our wanderings in Cannes...

Big boulidrome in the big city park; these people were impressive

Movie of the year type stuff

At the TI

It's so sad when there are so few starry pix you
recognize...Robert Wagner and Natalie Wood

Sean Connery?

Interestingly, to me, I watched Modern Times on the
Emirates flight to Barcelona

Paw prints of the stars

Palace of the stars

Next time we'll do better

Vicki posted this on Facebook with appropriate comment

One of those huge "Africa-mobiles" one sees all over Europe, and the States,
but not in Africa

Cannes is camper-friendly but only within prescribed limits

Second day in; I took shots of many star paw prints but thought Jean Paul Belmondo's
the right one for the blog

Watching a chess match; seriously

Some beautiful old buildings

At the mega-exclusive shoppes: boots made
for walking

Just a touch of art nouveau here and there

Take me back to Vienna so I can see The Third Man again

Cannes Scenes, 1

Not being in the film industry, we really didn't know what to do except walk into town, nose around, eat, take pix, and come back. We were in Cannes four days and did this twice, also taking an administrative day and a day up in the bastide town of Mougins to see a museum. We were at a campground, Les Cigales, in Mandeliou la Napoule, the first couple nights, then moved closer in for the next two.

The campground map of the region reminds that the Cote d'Azur is mostly about
mountains, with the beaches comprising just an infinitesimal bit; nonetheless...

A "boulidrome," that is, a park devoted to boules, petanque, with a dozen or more
match areas

Our path to the boardwalk went down this short canal

On the beach, a physical therapy class

Rules, etc.

There were several areas where people with disabilities
could enjoy the beach

Sibling cities

Disneyfication of Guignol; this is scandalous!

The Royal Clipper, a steel-hulled cruise ship that makes runs between Cannes
and Barcelona

Mountains

We had lunch at a place called The Bay...my moules farci

And my salmon atop a bed of grilled veggies, with rice

Vicki's steak and frites; don't remember her dessert

In the marina area

Fleet's in; rather a better show than St. Tropez

So we're walking past the Hotel de Ville, from which a big wedding party is
emerging...and they are boarding two tourist trains...

Well, all but the bride and groom and driver and his partner

Thumbs up: vamos! Weddings have changed so much...

In the big city square, an antiques/brocantes market is under way

Sundial that shoots a brass cannon