Antibes: Yachts and more!

 A couple of days ago we took the regional train from Nice to Antibes - about a 20 minute journey.  

Antibes is an ancient town, first called 'Antipolis' by the Greeks when its port was used for trading. It is now a famous resort town known for its old town enclosed by 16th-century ramparts with the star-shaped Fort Carré.  This overlooks luxury yachts moored at the Port Vauban marina. The forested Cap d’Antibes peninsula, dotted with grand villas, separates Antibes from Juan-les-Pins.

I copied the following from the Antibes website:

The ancient walled town of Antibes is one of the liveliest and prettiest on the Riviera with its relaxed beachy feel, thriving super-yacht port and gorgeous old town of narrow cobbled streets, markets and cafes.  Famous for being hoe to the Spanish painter Pablo Picasso, Antibes certainly saw its fair share of glitz, glamour and a touch of the avant-garde through the 20th century,

Of all the seaside towns of the Riviera, Antibes is probably the most instantly recognizable thanks to its iconic skyine made up of a wonderful jumble of old building sitting on the high ramparts above the sea, dominated by the tower of the Picasso Museum rising above.  The curve of Port Vauban, the largest marina in Europe, is home to huge white super-yachts while the old fort stands watch on the far side. 

Lying to the east of Cannes, Antibes offers a calmer, more traditional vide.  Its old centre is a warren of pretty cafes and bars, ice cream shops and boutiques, with the busy Provencal market at the top of the town.  On the far side of Antibes, golden sandy beaches looked over by modern apartment blocks curve around to the famous Cap d'Antibes, where the gated villas of oligarchs sit along the rocky coast.

From the train station we walked down to the harbour where we were treated to views of a plethora (or is that a flotilla?) of yachts.  They were really amazing.  The value of the boats in that harbour could probably pay off the national debt of some countries!  I am always interested in googling the names of them to see their value and how much it would be to charter them.  One that caught our eye was called "She Got the House".  If you are interested, it is worth googling that name and taking a look at the video and photos on the website.  There were boats of very size and type you could imagine - and I doubt I would be even able to afford the dinghies!  I have heard on the local news here there is a big protest happening because Antibes is considering raising the moorage rates.  Aw shucks, those poor yacht owners!

From the harbour, we walked into the old town.  Its charming narrow streets and alleys provide innumerable photo opportunities.  The famous Marche Provencale was just closing when we got there (12:30) but we still managed to see some of the stalls.  There is also a marche aux puces in the old town square on certain days - but not when we were there.  

We walked up to what used to be the castle which now houses the Picasso Museum.  We gave that a miss (I had visited it that last time I was here).  The ramparts on the other side of it provide expansive views out to sea and westward toward Juan les Pins.  

We continued exploring the old town, had a lovely lunch in the town square - the 15 Euro menu I chose was filet mignon, green beans and frites followed by a creme caramel.  I thought that was an amazingly good price and my filet was cooked perfectly. 

By then, our feet were getting tired so we just took the train back to Nice.  Easy peasy!  However, it is not lost on us that the days are flying by and our time on the Cote d'Azur is fast coming to an end.