Tuesday 16th Nice

 Tuesday 16th Nice to Vance and back 

I set out with Lisl, my tour mate from the Hawkes Bay on a quest to see Matisse’s stained glass windows. She had a half day tour booked already that took in Antibes again, Cannes and St Paul de Vance, where she had been told the windows were, along with Marc Chagall’s tomb. Why wouldn’t I want to see those? 

I was ready and waiting at appointed hotel, and all started well, we were crammed in the front together with the driver, with Canadians from Montreal and Calgary and some Russians whom seemed to have lived outside of Russia for sometime. Our tour driver switched effortlessly between French and English although she was from Transylvania. One thing I didn’t get a photo of each time I have passed by the way to the airport is the hundreds of private jets parked along the way!

It was a pleasure to see Antibes again and explore a different perspective.

Birdlife, I have seen very little since being in Provence, mostly seagulls, the vultures and a few little sparrows in the gardens in Nice. - Maybe it’s just on hot for them!

Victor Hugo’s homage to Antibes - very roughly translated! Everything shines here, everything flourishes, everything sings. The sun, the woman, love, are at home here. I still have the resplendence in the eyes and the soul. It is a charming place if you are lucky enough to live in the old town. 

The rot began to set in when we got back into the van, the couple from Calgary, or as Lisl called them -entitled North Americans- had complained that they couldn’t hear the commentary so we were pushed into the back and they sat up front.

We visited Cannes, a quick walk along the beach front, full of designer shops and fancy hotels, and of course the red carpet.

Proper sand here, but that is pretty much what we saw of Cannes, quite enough.

Up a winding road to St Paul de Vance, a beautiful hill top village, full of little art galleries, we set off towards the chapel.

We got to the chapel, but it was the wrong one, the one we wanted was further up the road in Vance.

Marc Chagall’s tomb is in this graveyard at the end of the village, I did go down to see it, but it was surrounded by bloody tourists, and was covered in stones and plastic tat, so I didn’t photograph it.

Part of the walls at the end of the village

We decided to jump ship at this stage, as we were determined to see the stain glass windows, so Lisl and I, stayed behind had a drink and a snack ( sausages and fried) and then caught the local bus to Vance, walked to the chapel, on the way was able to photograph St Paul de Vance from a distance, yet another pretty hilltop village. 

A very simple chapel from the outside, but inside it takes you through the process of how Matisse got involved, a young nurse who look after him after an operation, became a nun there, and he decided to help out, worked with the brothers etc and produced the designs for tile work on the walls and the glorious windows.

It was well worth the mutiny, we decided that even if we had gone as part of the tour, would not have had enough time to enjoy it. 

It’s amazing what can be conveyed in a few lines, Matisse was quoted as saying

“I always try to hide my efforts. I always wanted my works to have the ease and joyful mess of spring, thereby seeming effortless”

Part of his commitment to the Chapel, he also designed the chasubles for the priests  they were extremely beautiful-I wish I had photographed more

We caught a bus back down towards Nice, with a grumpy bus driver, we had to quickly buy cards for the bus before we could get on, then we ended up at Grand arenas which was a little far to walk, we couldn’t find a taxi, in the end we went into a tyre shop and the kind young lady there organised an uber for us, good to play the old person card sometimes and then we were back at our respective hotels. a quick walk to the supermarket for some salad and another day was done.