Day 2706 (Monday) 4th November 2024

This is Antibes

and this is Nice Old Town.

 

Huw went to Nice first thing this morning and when he came home we went to Antibes because we need some sausages, we got there in about 50 minutes.

This is Port Vauban.

There was a lot evidence of the storm last week with driftwood all over the beaches – it’s so hard to believe we missed the whole thing. I assume these structures are art.

There were a few people swimming in the sea.

We went to look at Picasso’s Museum and I found this article when we got home.

On 27 December 1966, Grimaldi Castle was turned into the « Picasso Museum ». The building was extensively renovated between 2006 and 2008.
Built on what had been the ancient Greek Acropolis of Antipolis, and then a Roman castrum and a Medieval bishopric, it was owned until 1608 by the Grimaldi family, giving the Castle its name.
In 1925 it was acquired by the City of Antibes. In 1946, Picasso, who was living nearby in Golfe-Juan with Françoise Gilot, accepted curator Dor de la Souchère’s offer to set up his studio in the Castle. Picasso worked from mid September through mid November of 1946, creating many works, sketches and paintings, including Les Clés d’Antibes (The Keys of Antibes), covering an entire wall surface. When the artist decided to move back to Paris, he left 23 paintings and 44 sketches in the Castle’s custody.
Subsequently, apart from the 78 ceramic works created between 1947 and 1948 at Madoura de Vallauris’ workshop, various donations and purchases spanning from 1952 until the present day, as well as the custody pieces conferred by Jacqueline Picasso in 1991, have significantly enriched the Picasso collection of the Museum.

Nicolas de Staël’s works presented at the Museum bear testimony to the artist’s stay at Antibes from September 1954 to March 1955.
In 2001, a donation by the Hans Hartung and Anna- Eva Bergman Foundation provided for the opening of two new galleries on the ground floor of the museum. A permanent exhibition permits retraces the creative periods of each of these artists over several decades.
The Modern Art collection, begun in 1951 by Dor de la Souchère, has grown thanks to exceptional gifts from artists whose works had been exhibited at the Museum and to equally exceptional acquisitions made over the years by the City of Antibes.
The terrace of the Picasso Museum is home to a permanent collection of remarkable sculptures by Germaine Richier. Other artists represented are: Joan Miró, Bernard Pagès, Anne and Patrick Poirier.
The museum is closed : the 1st January, 1st May, 1st November and 25th December.

After the museum we bought a sandwich and ate it on the beach basking in the hot sunshine. It’s pretty cold on the scooter but when we stop it’s beautiful.

We finished the day in British Smith’s (the shop that’s taken over from Geoffrey’s) and bought some sausages, chocolate and sweets.

What's happening in France this week – the Local France

The French skipper Paul Meilhat trains ahead of the start of the Vendee Globe around-the-world solo sailing race in November. (Photo by Sebastien Salom-Gomis / AFP)

From the start of the famous solo sailing race to the end of the Toussaint holidays for pupils in France and a new episode of The Local's Talking France podcast, here's what is happening in France this week.

Monday

School holidays end - Pupils across France head back to school on Monday, November 4th, following the two-week Toussaint holidays.

Strikes in healthcare - The inter-union (CGT, GO, Solidaires and UNSA) representing health professionals in France (including hospital workers and GPs) has called for 'renewable' strikes beginning on November 4th to denounce the proposed Social Security financing bill for 2025 and what they see as insufficient funding for public health.

Prix Goncourt - The French literature prize will be awarded on Monday.

Tuesday

US election - Americans will vote for a new president on Tuesday, November 5th, but the results may not be available the night of the election and they could end up taking days.

Taxe foncière bills - For people who will pay the property tax all in one go, your bill will appear in your online space at impots.gouv.fr on Tuesday. 

More draft budget debates - French lawmakers will start debating the expenditure element of the 2025 budget bill in the Assemblée Nationale on Tuesday.

Thursday

New episode of Talking France - The Local's podcast will be back after a two-week break for the Toussaint holidays with a new episode about current events in France. 

Paris Photo - Some 236 exhibitors are lined up to display their artistic photographs at the newly renovated Grand Palais in Paris from November 7th to 10th. 

Saturday

Rail work - The high-speed Paris-Lyon TGV line will be closed from November 9th to 12th for the implementation of a new signalling system. During the work, passengers travelling to Lyon, Grenoble or Marseille should expect “a significant increase in travel time”, SNCF has said.

Sunday

The Vendée Globe - The famous Vendée Globe solo sailing race will start on November 10th and finish in early March, 2025. Sailors will traverse 45,000 km, setting off from the Sables-d'Olonne coastal town in western France. 

Ardèche marathon - The 40th edition of the Ardèche marathon, which takes place in the gorges (canyon) of Ardèche, will start on November 10th, with 1,800 people are expected to take part, according to France Bleu.

EES border system delayed again - The EU's new biometric checks for non-EU travellers when entering the Schengen area - known as the Entry/Exist System (EES) - was set to launch on Sunday, November 10th, but it has been delayed again. The new launch date remains unclear.