SDP on tour . . . African music in Gorbio

The band of entertainers were from Burkina Faso in West Africa. It was previously known as Upper Volta, and is a former French colony. It's had a pretty turbulent political history.

 

Here's a couple of short videos to give you a flavour

SDP on tour . . African night in Gorbio village

Gorbio is a medieval village in the hills above Menton. It osts numerous cultural festivals, particularly in summer. This night was an African night. Before the entertainment we all sat in the main square of the village and dined on African-inspired food, and drank some wine.

This adorable baby and her family above were part of the spectators. I just love that these events involve the whole community, and multiple generations of family. I can think of very few occasions other than family-specific celebrations where this happens in my home city....

Darkness fell and the singing and dancing began....which I will show tomorrow.

SDP on tour ... the shower

Recently Jilly from Menton Daily Photo commented that the beach showers in Menton are superior to those in Ventimiglia - and they are!

SDP on tour ... angel in Old Menton cemetery

SDP on tour ... bougainvillea

SDP on tour . .. anyone home?

Can I come in please?

SDP on tour ...colour

We are in the old town of Menton. As with yesterday's photo of the cat, the colours - the shade of yellow and the pale green attracted my eye and seem to be the signature colours of the old town of Menton.

SDP on tour ... trompe l'oeil in Old Menton

At the top of l'escalier Saint-Michel, shown yesterday, is this building with trompe l'oeil windows. Trompe-l'oeil literally means "deceive the eye".

SDP on tour ... into Old Menton

There's several ways to enter the Old Town of Menton. You can chose to climb the stairs to the Basilica of Saint-Michel, the spire of which dominates the skyline.

I plan to spend the next few days having a poke around the old town.

SDP on tour ....Paparazzi in Menton

Photographers only need apply????

Theme Day .... Mystery Object (SDP on tour)

These children in Menton certainly thought this busker was a mystery object! They were very intrigued to know where his head and face were!

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

SDP on tour....Horizon in Menton

SDP on tour ... Menton covered market

The covered market in Menton, built in 1898, has some beautiful belle epoque decorative flourishes.

SDP on tour ... people watching in Menton

...watching you, watching them.....one of the greatest pleasures in life : sitting in a cafe watching the world go by.

SDP on tour ... boats in Menton

SDP on tour ... a sunny wall

High above Menton, this sunny wall is the perfect spot for plant pots, with a view to the blue Mediterranean.

I love the Marseilles tiles of the roof; these terracotta tiles were imported to Australia and for decades formed the basic roofing tile (albeit differently shaped) of much of the country. People used to remark that when they flew into Sydney there was a carpet of red tiled rooves below. Nowadays red roof tiles seem to be out of fashion, and there's far more grey, especially in the newer, outer suburbs. People also re-roof older houses and seem to prefer the grey. Still, there's plenty to see in the older Sydney suburbs.

SDP on tour ... Bouncing at the beach

What a great day! Summer fun combining a day at the beach and some bouncing. A perfect day, a perfect setting. For my wonderful friend Jilly's gorgeous portrait from the same event - click here.

SDP on tour . . . Menton's "old port"

The harbour at Menton provides a sheltered mooring for luxury private yachts and working vessels alike - right at the foot of the old town.

Above : A panorama looking across "Sablette" beach towards the wall and lighthouse in the background.

Left: The harbour wall extends away from the Bastion; at the end is a lighthouse.

SDP on tour....Menton, looking from the Bastion

This shot was taken from near the Bastion (Jean Cocteau museum) shown yesterday. It is looking west. The Cape in the distance is Roquebrune-Cap Martin. The white tent near the sea is where the tango was being held, shown a couple of days ago.

For followers, I got distracted and missed a day of blogging, because my son finished high school and we went to his farewell assembly today!

SDP on tour . .. Jean Cocteau in Menton

Jean Cocteau (1889 - 1963) was a poet, novelist, dramatist, designer, playwright, artist and filmaker. He often visited Menton in the 1950s, and in painted the salle des mariages (wedding room) in the Town Hall in 1958. He was quite taken with this small 17th century bastion and had it restored. He created a small museum there; it was inaugurated as a museum in his honour three years after he died.

The bastion was built in 1619 by Honoré II, Prince of Monaco, to defend the bay of Menton.

Belgian-born American collector Severin Wunderman decided to donate part of his art collection, which includes many by Cocteau, to Menton. The local council undertook to build a suitable museum, which is under construction now, at the foot of the old town, by the water, and near the bastion.. It includes also a collection on Sarah bernhardt and the theatre as well as modern paintings by artists such as Modigliani and Miro.

I think the museum is going to be quite spectacular, and look forward to being able to visit at some time in the future.