Tag: nice

The French Fort

© 2017 Snapping the Globe, L.L.C. All rights reserved.

Sometimes I have trouble getting to or from work, so I take Amtrak.  But, as an American, that is about the extent of what we call train travel here in the United States.

Everyone in Europe takes the train…everywhere.  The rail networks reach far and wide and it is extremely easy (and relatively cheap) to visit, shop or go to the beach in other cities.f

Recently, a trip to Nice had me itching to see more of the coastal area.  Having been to Monaco and Juan le Pins, I had only spent a small amount of time in Antibes and decided that I would like to see what else it had to offer.

Shortly after my arrival (and a shower), I made my way to the train station, Gare de Nice-Ville and purchased a ticket for the next departure to Antibes.  Though it was running a few minutes  late, I was soon on my way.

The train was filled with beach goers carrying floats and beach bags, excitedly talking amongst themselves and eager to arrive at their destinations to enjoy the beautiful warm and sunny day.  A short 25 minutes later, the train was pulling into Gare d’Antibes and after pushing past a man carrying two beach chairs and a child already wearing his floaties, I was soon making my way down toward the marina, Port Vauban.

Port Vauban, a natural harbor used since before the Roman Empire, is home to the Yacht Club d’Antibes and is the largest marina in the Mediterranean.  The harbor houses some of the world’s largest and most extravagant yachts.  When visiting Antibes, a great way to spend an afternoon is to walk around the marina, check out some of the amazing vessels and imagine what it would be like to cruise the vibrant waters in absolute luxury!

Though it was nice to spend some time near the harbor, my destination was actually on the far side, Fort Carré.

When making plans to visit Antibes, I had spied Fort Carré on the map.  It appeared to be directly between the train station and the harbor and my original plan to was to walk nearby and see if it was open to the public.  Well, maps aren’t always correct and after my arrival, I discovered it was about a fifteen minute walk away from the center of Antibes.  The route was well marked and I soon arrived at the Antibes Football Club stadium.  A large statue that appeared to be some sort of memorial and the fort was visible on the other side, however, it was quite confusing as to how to make my way there.

Spying an open gate near the Football Club, I made my way to the far side of the stadium.  Climbing the stone stairways, I made my way to the statue, Le Poilu.

One of the tallest, yet, little known War Memorials in France, the statue stands guard over the Stade de Fort Carré.  Walking around the base of the statue, you are reminded of the terrible losses that the town of Antibes suffered during World War One.  Two hundred and fifty-four names are engraved on all four side of the monument’s base…a number larger than any other town in France.

The statue stands 22 meters in height and was sculpted by Henri Bouchard and inaugurated in 1927.  Legend has it that upon completion and installation of the statue, the sculptor committed suicide when he realized that he had placed the soldier’s rifle on the wrong side.

Walking past the statue, I began earnestly searching for the Fort’s entrance.  Though a fence separated me from a road bordering the stadium and the fort, I noticed people walking in the area.  Certain that I needed to be on the opposite side, I slipped through a hole in the fence (yes…I did) and finally found the unassuming entrance to the fort’s grounds.

Quite overgrown and appearing to be more of a natural path, I followed others up the rocky and dusty trail, stopping occasionally to admire the wildflowers growing in the area.

Finally, the entryway to the castle stood before me.  Paying the admission fee of 3€, I was instructed to remain on the lower level until greeted by a guide.  Walking around the circular interior courtyard, I was mesmerized by the contrast between the dark red doorways and the aged tan stone walls.  An exhibit detailing the construction of the castle was contained in one of the rooms off of the courtyard and an old well occupied the ground space.

A young, female guide soon joined us and we were escorted up the rounded stairway to the level above.  Making our way through the structure, she informed us on the history of Fort Carre.

The star shaped fort was built in the 16th century by Henri de Mandon and redeveloped in the 17th century by the Marquis de Vauban.  Housing barrack buildings for officers and men and an ancient chapel, the fort is devoid of cannons or other military accoutrements.

Set on the headland that divides the Antibes harbor from the Baie des Anges, the most impressive part of traversing the walkways at the top of the structure is the panoramic views of the Mediterranean and its nearby beaches, Port Vauban, the southern Alps and on clear days views down both ways to Monaco and Cannes.

 

As we dodged an aggressive seagull, guarding its nest, we were informed that one of the most famous inhabitants of the fort was Napoleon Bonaparte during the French Revolution.  After the overthrow of Robespierre in 1794, he was detained in Fort Carré for ten days.  The fort resumed its penitentiary role during the occupation in World War II when it acted as holding place for foreigners.  Before opening to the public as an historic monument in 1998, the fort was used as a sports college where soldiers learned to climb its precipitous walls and as one of the locations for the Bond film, Never Say Never with the return of Sean Connery as 007.

Enjoying the warmth of the sunny day, I could have stayed on the top of the fort for much longer, however, being required to stay in the company of our guide, we were escorted to the lower level for the completion of our tour.

After my departure, I made my way around the entire base of the fort, stopping to pay my respects at a nearby soldier’s grave.  Finally, following a drive down the backside of the fort, I found the green entrance gates.  Not anxious to slip through the hole in the fence once again, I walked toward the stadium’s left side and sure enough found the path which I should have taken when I arrived.

Much easier than the latter method of entry!

Excited that I was able to experience a part of French history, I made my way back past the harbor and to the center of Antibes.  If you enjoy history and photography, I strongly recommend a visit to Fort Carré…and the view’s not so bad either!

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Fort Carré

  • http://www.antibes-juanlespins.com/culture/fort-carre
  • Address:  Avenue du 11 Novembre, 06600 Antibes, France
  • Hours:  February to May, 1000-1230 and 1330-1700, June to October,  1000-1300 and 1400-1800, November to January, 1000-1230 and 1330-1630.  Closed Mondays and January 1, May 1, November 1 and December 25.
  • Admission:  3€

Port Vauban

Le Poilu

  • Address:  60 Avenue du 11 Novembre, 06600 Antibes Juan les Pins, France.  Behind the Antibes Football Stadium

 

 

 

A Nice Weekend

© 2016  Snapping the Globe, L.L.C. All rights reserved.

France for the weekend?  Yes, let’s go!

Working for an airline most definitely has many upsides and downsides.  Being on the front lines, flight attendants sometimes endure our passenger’s cordiality and sometimes their wrath.  There have been days that I have returned from my trips vowing to my husband that I was quitting my job.  Why didn’t I, you ask?  Simply put…I enjoy seeing the world.

Ever hear the phrase, “Marry me, fly free”?  Well, it’s true…or almost true.

Each airline policy regarding employee travel varies.  My airline, for example, offers free travel to employees and their families from the very beginning of their career.  Domestic travel incurs no charge; however, taxes are paid for international travel, for the specific city.  Italy’s taxes tend to be the cheapest, while England’s are some of the most expensive…about $160 difference between the two.  That being said, paying the taxes versus buying an international ticket is definitely a plus!   Travel, however, is not confirmed.  Employees check flights for available seats and place themselves on an employee standby list for that flight.  The employees are assigned seats just before departure in order of seniority.  No available seats?  No go!  So, employees definitely must have flexible travel plans and travel in off peak time periods. But, having that ability offers us the chance to go to places on a whim that most people spend months planning.

Travel benefits are also extended to our immediate family.  Again, while policies vary between airlines, my husband, parents and children are also offered benefits.  Over the years, we have taken many wonderful vacations…some we could have never afforded if we had had to purchase five tickets.  Unfortunately, as my children grow older, I realize that this will eventually come to an end.  Our benefits are extended to our children until the age of 26, if they are actively enrolled students or in the military.  If they graduate at 22 or 23 and do not seek advanced education, they will no longer be covered by my travel benefits.  It is no wonder that many airline employees’ children seek airline employment later in life.

When the children were younger, it was much easier to travel when school wasn’t as much of an issue.  On many occasions, we packed up on a Thursday night and went to Grand Cayman or some other exotic locale for the weekend.  I remember the preschool teachers thinking that our children were making up stories about their travels.  Not many people can travel to far flung destinations, just for a weekend.

Last week, my oldest son turned 19.  He is currently in college and his benefits will run out in about three and half years, unless he opts to pay for continuing education.  Trying to take advantage of his school break, I decided that he and I should try and travel somewhere that he has never been.  Checking flight availability, I noticed that the flight to Nice, France had a large number of seats open on Friday and a large number of seats open three days later, returning from Nice.  Standing in the doorway of his room, I offered to take him to Nice for the weekend.  We would only be there for half a day on Saturday, the whole day on Sunday and would be returning on Monday. Take it from a flight attendant; you can most certainly squeeze in a lot of sightseeing in that time frame.  I was shocked when he declined my offer, stating that he had plans with friends.

Nothing I said would change his mind.  “You do realize you will lose your benefits in three and a half years?”  “Don’t base your decisions in life on others.”  “This is your birthday present!” and all the “Mom” things I could muster.  His friends said, “Wow, I’d go to France in a heartbeat, if I were you!”

Still, nothing would persuade him.

Frustrated, I realized that an opportunity could pass by. Having been to Nice many times myself, my husband and younger sons had never been. Why couldn’t the four of us go without my oldest son? Secretly though, I was assuming that if my oldest son saw that we were going to go without him, he would alter his plans and come with us after all.

Securing hotel rooms, plans were quickly put into place.  We decided to leave on Friday afternoon and travel  to New York.  Our flight would depart at 9:20 pm and we would be arriving in Nice at 11:10 am the next morning.  My oldest, sadly, still refused to travel with us.

After departing New York’s JFK airport and a seven hour flight, we were soon standing outside of Terminal 2 and boarding a bus enroute to Gare de Nice-Ville train station.   Arriving a quick 20 minutes later, the walk to our hotel was a quick five minutes.

Having only opened last July, our hotel was modern, clean and perfect for our short stay.  The hotel presented us with adjacent rooms and was very helpful in providing us with information on local activities.

After quickly getting settled, we were on our way to explore Nice, Monaco and St. Paul de Vence.

Although, it was a quick weekend, I was so thankful to be able to give the gift of seeing a different city to, at least, most of my family.  All too soon we were back on the bus, returning to the airport for our return trip to New York and Richmond.

My oldest held down the fort while we were gone, taking care of the dog and the laundry. He inquired about our trip when we arrived.  He even asked to see the pictures from the trip. I thought that maybe he would have regretted his decision a bit and maybe he did…but we will never know. I just hope that he realizes what an amazing opportunity he passed on and doesn’t continue to do so in the future.  It would be a terrible shame to be further in life and look back with remorse stating, “I wish I would have taken the opportunity to travel when I had it.”

My two younger boys, however, enjoyed the fact that they benefited from his passing on the trip.  They posted pictures of their adventure on Facebook.  They had a wonderful time and were eager to share their exploits with their friends.  For them, it is thrilling to know that they have been somewhere where many of their friends have not.  To quote a friend of theirs, “You went to Nice for the weekend?  Who DOES that?”

We do!!!

Group Shot SPDV
Me and my family in St. Paul de Vence.
Coast
Nice, France
Palace
The Prince’s Palace of Monaco
SPDV2
St. Paul de Vence, France

 

 

Delta Airlines provides service to Nice three to four times a week during winter months and daily during the rest of the year.

http://www.delta.com

 

Transportation from Nice to City Center

 

Ibis Styles Center Gare Hotel information

http://www.accorhotels.com/9907

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