sunset and promenade run

Only a short walk from the apartments in Old Town, is the sea front Promenade des Anglais. It's a famed landmark of Nice dating back to the early 19th century. Built by the English aristocracy, this wide and long pedestrian walkway still attracts locals and visitors alike. It's easy to see why. There's even a clearly marked bike lane. Walkers, bikers, scooters and rollerblades abound. Because I know your asking yourself, "Did Anne Lois get rollerblades?". She sure did. And her mom made her buy the wrist, elbow and knee pads. Say a little prayer.

A few days ago, I walked with Abigail to the water's edge taking sunset photos while Camille, Pete and Wilson went on a run. It's was stunning.  You can also see bleachers in some of the photos. Every year for 2 weeks, Carnival is celebrated. They have lots of bleachers set up on the Promenade as well as the big square in town. You have to buy special tickets for those prime seats. Just when we left Mardi Gras at home we stepped right into the famed rivera Carnival. It has been a special treat to take in while on our Travel School Project. 

Park and Chagall

Story and photos by Anne Lois

Yesterday, after morning school time, we all met up to grab lunch and have a picnic at the huge park next to our apartments. Next, we headed over to the bus stop to catch a ride to the Marc Chagall Museum.  Each of us enjoyed learning more about his paintings and history.  Then to top it all off, we went to a nearby bakery for some delicious desserts to share later after dinner. 

Day trip to Antibes | Fairhope family travel

There is no denying that Nice, France is loaded with things to do and see. But this past Sunday, the 14th (and Valentines Day), I asked to go find the train station, figure out how to buy tickets and take a small excursion. I wanted to tackle a task that I'm not used to doing without PB taking the lead. With WD's help, I think we'll be able to handle it from now on.

We took a 30 minute train ride to the west of Nice along the Mediterranean to Antibes. A small, picturesque town with large yachts. Luck have it that we walked straight into a quaint chocolate and specialty foods fair. Maybe we bought some chocolate truffles and artisanal cheese! Beyond the fair, we ate lunch on a square and then went for a stroll to find the Pablo Picasso museum located in the Chateau de Grimaldi. The collection is small but special because Picasso lived there for a few months to paint.  After leaving post war Paris, he was seeking a new joy in life. Many of his works are on scrapped materials and depict happy, playful characters by the sea. A light and happy art study that was a quick stop for us. It was a great place to gain appreciation for his outlook on life at that point in time and how it fits into his body of works. 

monday's antique market

No food and few flowers are found in the large market by our apartments on Monday mornings. I was eager to peruse in search for potential food photography props. One of my goals here is to take the time to plan, set up and produce food shots. I grabbed PB as soon as we awoke to get there. There was so much to take in and quickly I found myself in sensory overload. I definitely had 2 people in my mind as I "shopped" looking for the just right items- my sweet cousin, Kaye W. who would have totally find the perfect items and be charming enough to ask for  "best price" and my talented food photographer friend, Elizabeth G. . I weaved in and out of the rows and then made mental selections before circling back to them to buy. I'm not complete in props, but made got a nice start. My eyes are peeled for old and worn as I move around on my my walks in the city and nearby towns.