Art tripping, Musée Picasso, Cap d’Antibes, France….

The Musée Picasso lives in a statuesque building, formerly a Grimaldi Chateau, positioned right on the Mediterranean Sea in the village of Antibes, France.

We brought some friends down there with us one day, via the train. The local train runs along the Côte d’Azur, making it very easy to explore all of the great little towns along the Riviera. To start our visit we toured through Le Marché Provençal to smell the massive displays of fragrant olives and ogle over the fresh produce.  

Prior to touring the art we decided to visit one of our all time favorite beach clubs, Plage Keller, which offers a splendid sandy beach, an inviting pier loaded with lounge chairs, the terrific restaurant Le Ceasars,

and some of the loveliest roses.

It’s a place where you can stick your toes in the soft sand and savor a classic plate of grilled local fish and vegetables

and sip some chilly Côte de Provence

and stare out to the magnificently sheltered Baie La Garoupe.

On past visits we’ve stayed at the charming Hotel Baie Dorée {<<– click there to take a visit with me}, which I highly recommend for staying a night or a week or just taking  a meal and a lounge. The club and hotel are both ideally situated on the bay.

After lunch, some of us to a lounge on the pier and others hike around Le Sentier du Littoral au Cap d’Antibes, or the coastal trail that goes around Cap d’Antibes.

From Keller we took Uber {it works great over here} back to the Musée to look around, here are some of my favorite pieces:

Most of these pieces Picasso painted in his workshop in the Chateau in the mid 40’s, you can see the sea inspiration.

I loved the massive display of painted plates that Picasso collected.

There was also a substantial arrangements of photographs of Picasso and his family and friends, chronicling the years he lived in Antibes.

I loved seeing the clues on this wall to the “remodels” that have happened to this building over the centuries as it served as a home to bishops in the middle ages, the residence to the Governor of the King, the Grimaldi Chateau, barracks and the town hall before being established as the Musée de Antibes in 1923.

The legendary Blue Lady Pub is beacon for Brits, boat crews and people who are in the mood for a lively time and pub food, beer and Pimm’s Cups and a chance to just speak English for a while.

In my case, I opted for  a Pimm’s Royale, where the soda is replaced with a dry champagne. This is a great summer drink, and if you’re entertaining a crowd it’s an easy libation to offer.  You can fill a punch bowl with this delicious concoction to serve everyone with ease.

Here’s the general formula I like to use {multiply quantities by the number of drinks you plan to serve}:

Pimm’s Royale

1 part Pimm’s no. 1

2 parts brut champagne or Prosecco

1/4 cup  mix of chopped cucumbers, berries, sliced fruit, fresh thyme leaves and brandied cherries

2 cucumber spears

Combine the first 3 ingredients, chill and allow to sit for an hour or more.

When ready to serve, insert cucumber spear into glass, fill it 1/3 full of ice and ladle the mix over the ice.

We checked the train schedule and realized that we had time to hit our favorite {and famed} Italian restaurant, MAMO  Michelangelo for dinner and still catch the last train to Eze.

 

We enjoyed a great meal with great service and plenty of people watching and then took the train home.

 

What a great day of exploration, art, good food and wine, a traditional marché, a little exercise, a splendid cocktail, friends and flowers. That’s what I love about this part of the world, it is so easy to compose days like this.

If you’re planning a trip to the area and would like some help planning out a couple of days, feel free to contact me.