French Escape

Decorations are going up all over  Menton , the animals are out, I'm sure  Father Christmas  won't be far behind.  The lights aren't lit in the town yet but  the casino is ready for hoards of hopeful gamblers ready to win a fortune. In the centre of town, I love the way the washing hanging from the shutter is as festive as the Christmas tree . You can tell  Christmas  is approaching, I'm thinking about making  mince pies . There won't be many this year as I didn't bring any  mincemeat  from  England  (or make any six months ago) and the cost of mincemeat in France is a bit steep! I have secured two jars but it looks like that will be my lot (I don't think I'll be ordering from  Amazon.fr  ) Look what I did buy this week. Am I back in the 1950’s   or is this a more economical (possibly environmentally friendly) way to keep warm? It’s certainly cheaper than updating the heating in the apartment for the three mont...

  Tangier, positioned at the gateway to the Mediterranean  has been fought over and controlled by many different counties over the centuries. It's a city of trade with a reputation for intrigue.  Sightseeing :- As all visitors should, we wandered through the medina  many times but only visited the central food market  once (you need a strong stomach for the sights in the meat market and the smells in the fish market );  we climbed to the Kasbah palace ( Dar el Makhzen ) and almost bought a carpet on the way down; visited the American legation , originally residence of the American ambassador it now houses a fascinating museum (including a collection of miniature soldiers, forever at war with each other) and a cultural centre; we called in at the    Cafe de Paris —there was no alcohol, no lunch and not  a double agent in sight! We ate at Villa  Mabrouka—a house that had  belonged  to  Yves Saint Laurent , and more recent...

What a fabulous city! The four hour train journey taking us from Ventimiglia to Torino passed quickly in spite of the rather uninspiring scenery and pouring rain (which blotted out any possibility of a view of the mountains as we arrived). Our little group of five old(ish) ladies were deposited at the imposing Torino Porto Nuova railway station in the centre of the city. The rain had stopped by the next morning but I certainly noticed the difference in temperature and missed the Mediterranean sunshine we'd left behind in Menton .   We got our bearings and an overall impression of the city from the top of a bus. A very positive impression of a planned, cared for city with  wide streets , tall elegant  buildings , miles of arcades lined with shops, cafes and restaurants offering temptations of all kinds; museums, open spaces, parks and squares . Something for everyone. Food and drink is an essential part of any trip and the restaurants we visited offered delicious ...