The French Riviera

Am I here?

Ya'll, if I'm dreaming, don't wake me!

All my life I have heard about the world's most prestigious and publicized Cannes Film Festival and about all the movie stars flocking here to attend. And now, I'm in Cannes! 

Yesterday (Saturday) we bid farewell to Italy and crossed the border into France. It was a pretty drive and the weather was beautiful . . . maybe a little too hot in the afternoon. We got checked in to the hotel and then had lunch on the patio.  The rest of the day was mellow. I stayed indoors in the afternoon to escape the heat and later had dinner overlooking the Promenade de la Croisette (the main boulevard) doing one of my favorite past-times - people watching.  My oh my. There are certainly a lot of beautiful people in Cannes this weekend!

The first thing I realized is that "white" is the uniform this season. White dresses, white pants, white jackets, white hats, white scarves . . . and even the classic little black dress has been replaced with the little white dress.

For him.

For her.

This part of the city has a Beverly Hills / Las Vegas / Miami vibe. The main boulevard stretches along the shore of the Mediterranean Sea and expensive shops, restaurants and hotels line the street. We are staying at the Marriott and thanks to Stan's points, we do not have to pay the asking price of 700 Euros per night. Yay! Big Yay!

JW Marriott in Cannes, France.

Promenade de la Croisette.

Cannes, France.

This morning I got up early and went out to take pictures before the crowds, traffic, and topless sunbathers come out. (This is a G rated blog!) Stan saw an older woman sunbathing topless yesterday and he said that cured him! LOL. Later today we are going to go to Nice to check it out.

Beach in front of our hotel.

Our hotel in the background on the right.

I love the color of the water. You can see to the bottom.

The Carlton is up the street from us and I loved the detail on this building. You know I always check out the architecture.

Carlton Intercontinental.

Carlton Hotel.

I love the detail on this building.

Big yachts and fast cars.

P.S.  I am adding this at the end of the day (Sunday). We did not make it to Nice today afterall. We ended up staying in Cannes. We had a relaxing dinner at the hotel with a view of the sea and the boulevard. Tomorrow we leave for Monaco - just a hop, skip and a jump away.

Dinner in Cannes, France.

The Italian Riviera

Before we left the Tuscan region, we just HAD to stop and take pictures of the sunflower fields. (This reminded me of Lompoc, California when they have their annual Flower Festival and there are fields of flowers everywhere.)  While we were taking pictures, this cute old man walked up the road and we tried to talk to each other but neither one of us understood the other. He wanted me to take his picture because he said he was handsome. I agreed! Such a cutie pie!

Sunflower fields in Tuscany, Italy

Another pretty face.

Cute old man.

We got on the road and headed North-West.  Our destination was Santa Margherita De Ligure (Italian  Riviera) which is on the coast of the Liguarian Sea (an arm of the Mediterranean Sea). This is a part of Italy I have never visited before! After about 3 hours of driving, we arrived at our hotel, got checked in, had a late lunch and then hopped on a bus to go sightseeing in Portofino.

Let me just mention that we are becoming pros at navigating narrow roads and not losing our lunch during scary bus rides along the cliffs. Thank you very much!

Portofino is a small Italian fishing village with a small harbor and lots of little shops. I don't know very much about it, but look how pretty it is.

Portofino, Italy.
(taken from the church)

Stan was shooting right into the sun so it
was hard to get a good shot.

See the yellow church on the left?

Our main quest was to see a 15th century castle called "Castello Brown." It is perched waaaayy up on a hill. In fact, the pictures above were taken from the castle's terrace. So you can see how far we hiked to get up there . . . and it was hot . . . and I was sweaty . . . which is why I am not in any pictures today!

On the way to the castle, we stopped at the yellow church and people were gathering for a wedding. I took a quick snipet of the bride as she arrived in a little scooter car.

Little yellow church in Portofino.

Cliffs beside the church. So beautiful.

The water looked turquoise along the edges.

So, back to the castle. From what we could learn, the castle was a fortress that protected Portofino until it became strategicly unnecessary and was sold in 1867 to Montague Yeats Brown who was the English consul in Genoa, Italy. He renovated it and used it as a private residence until his death in 1905. His heirs held the property until 1949 and then sold it to an English couple, Colonel and Mrs. John Baber who restored several ruined sections. They in turn sold it in 1961 to the City of Portofino who turned the property into a museum.

Oddly, after all that, I didn't take a single picture of the castle! Can you believe that? LOL. I did, however shoot a short video on the way up. I also pulled a picture off the Internet so you can see where we were.

By the way, Elizabeth von Arnim wrote her book, "Enchanted April" here in 1922, and the 1992 movie was filmed here as well.

Castello Brown

Grape vines on the castle property.
Reminded me of my grandmother's house.

My Worship Counts!

Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His Name. Psalm 100:4

God delights in our worship. He responds to our thanksgiving and expressions of gratitude. It's so important for us to incorporate the daily habit of worshiping the Father throughout the day.  

There are choirs in Heaven made up of angels and the redeemed who are continually before God's throne singing songs of praise and shouting declarations of His Glory.

Can you imagine the sound? Voices lifted up in unison glorifying His Name in spirit and in truth? I bet it rocks the house down!

But today I realized that MY praise and thanksgiving is distinctly audible to Him.

Wow! That is a sobering thought.

I am not lost in the crowd. My worship counts and it delights the Father. My gratitude connects us in a way that goes deep. He is near and I experience His blessing.   

It's so simple and the benefits are so great. Why do I make it so hard? Why do I allow the distractions of this life to keep me from something that is so rewarding? 

Worship can happen in a moment; in an instant. It doesn't have to be complicated. A simple acknowledgment of His greatness when we see a beautiful sunset. A "thank you, Lord" when we receive an unexpected blessing or when the Holy Spirit whispers direction in a time of need.  We can stop, just for a moment, and tell Him He's awesome. We can thank Him for His Goodness. We can acknowledge His Lordship over all creation. And we can tell Him there is none like Him, He has no equal, no competition for our love and hearts.

John 4:23 - Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.

"Father, help me to always be the kind of worshiper You seek."

Last Day in Tuscany

I spent the day enjoying the hotel where we are staying and spending some time with the Father. I have a lot to be grateful for. (For more on this, see today's post under the "Spiritual" tab.)

This evening I had a relaxing dinner on the patio, listening to music and watching the sun slip behind the hills. It was so beautiful and I tried to make mental notes so I won't forget the sights and sounds. I hope that in the future when I am feeling low I will be able to summon these memories and feel the same warmth I felt this evening. And no, it did not have anything to do with the chocolate cake I had for dessert!

Tomorrow we leave for northern Italy.

At dusk.

Siena, Italy

Happy Independence Day! It feels so strange to be away from home during our nation's birthday celebration!  Today at lunch, we met a mother and daughter from Kansas. We lifted our glasses and toasted our great country. May God bless America and keep her safe from harm.

Today (Wednesday) we got up early and headed to the city of Siena. As we were driving to the city, I took this picture of a vineyard. It was a little before 8:00 AM.

Tuscany

Maximilian had an appointment for his first 1200 mile service, so we dropped him off at a BMW dealer and headed to the city center in Siena.

Piazza del Campo
Siena, Italy
This city center has been declared a World Heritage Site.

My introduction to the heart of Siena was passing through the massive gates that once protected her. It felt like I was being transported back in time. Suddenly, I was standing in an ancient walled city.

Our first stop was the Piazza del Campo (pictured above). Stan, armed with his trusty iPhone, began to look up the history of the city and thus our tour began.

We learned that Siena retains a "ward-centric culture" from medieval times. I think there are 17 districts and each one has their own boundary and distinct identity, and each are represented by a mascot (usually an animal). There are ward rivalries which play-out in a big way during the annual horse races (Palio).

We found out that the infamous Palio had just taken place in the Piazza this past weekend. The Palio is held twice per year (July and August) and lasts for eight days. All 17 districts take part in the race but only 10 (by rotation) get to nominate their jockeys for competition.

In a nutshell, riders wearing historic medieval costumes, race around the Piazza three times (riding bare-back no less) and the winner is awarded a flag that will adorn the streets of his district for the following year. (I was  disappointed I missed the event by two days . . . although we heard the whole town goes crazy . . . maybe just as well.) I found a YouTube video from last year's race that tells the story. This is great and it gives you a view of the city as well. The race seems a little dangerous - not much protection for the riders or the spectators!

Our next stop was the Siena Cathedral. It is a marvel. It is a feast for the eyes. It is overwhelming. I could never do it's description justice.  What amazes me is how these great cathedrals were constructed without the aid of Autocad and power tools! What further amazes me is that these buildings are hundreds of years old. This cathedral was built in the 1200-1300's.  

Siena Cathedral
Santa Maria Assunta

We were not allowed to use flash inside the cathedral so I pulled this photo off the Internet. The resolution may not be very high.

The alter at Santa Maria's Cathedral.

Adjoining the cathedral is the Piccolomini Library. My jaw hit the floor when I walked in.  There are frescoes (1502-1507) painted around the entire room that tell the story of Siena's favorite son, Cardinal Enea Silvio Piccolomini, who eventually became Pope Pius, II. The ceiling is covered with painted panels of mythological subjects (1502-1503). There are no words. Again, I was not allowed to use flash, so here are some shots from the Internet.

Frescoes in the Piccolomini Library

Frescoes in the Piccolomini Library

Piccolomini Library Ceiling

Just a few shots around town . . .

I love the detail in these doors.

The streets are so narrow,
the delivery trucks have to be small too!

Clothes lines are very popular in Siena.
Notice the pulley system!
Makes access from the window much easier.

Love the pulley system!

This smart lady covered her clothes
in plastic to protect them from bird poop!

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More of Italy, 2012

My eyes popped open at 5:00 AM! What in the world??

I am typically NOT an early bird so I tried to go back to sleep . . . but I finally gave up. Today (Tuesday) was a travel day so the morning consisted of packing, breakfast, and check-out. I was sorry to leave Lezzeno. I really liked the village, the people, and especially the villa.

We held our breath as Max navigated the narrow streets through all the little towns until we got to the highway at Como.  Whew!

On the road we headed south. Destination: Tuscany! Yeah, baby!  (Have I died and gone to Heaven?)

Along the way we saw mile after mile of farming towns. It looked like they were growing mostly corn and hay but I'm not certain. We commented that the area looks very similar to the farmlands in our area of California. As we got further south, the terrain changed and looked more like the typical rolling hills you would expect to see in wine country. We drove 4-5 hours and finally turned off the highway to find our hotel which is located in the Tuscan hill country in a town called Castellino in Chianti.  Oh. My. Goodness.

The area is absolutely stunning. There are vineyards every where the eye can see. There are also olive groves, cypress trees, and sunflower fields all around the area.  

View from the pool.

View from the pool.

Hotel Belvedere di San Leonino is actually an old converted animal farm! According to the brochure, the Falassi and Orlandi families set up two hotels in two 15th century buildings in the area.  The one we are visiting is in the country surrounded by it's own vineyards. It is rustic and charming and feels more like a Bed and Breakfast. There are only 29 rooms here - all decorated with Tuscan furniture, wrought-iron beds, terracotta floors, wood beam ceilings, wood shutters, and brick archways throughout.  The original trough for feeding pigs, is still in the sitting area! This is such a departure from the places we usually visit. We are literally out in the country. I can envision spending quiet, peaceful, relaxing days by the pool or in the garden enjoying the spectacular view. 

We haven't had an opportunity to explore or take pictures yet, but I took a few shots just before dinner to give you an idea of where we are. 

Hotel Belvedere.

Front gate to hotel.

Hotel side view.

The pool.

Front patio area.

The garden patio where we had dinner.

The original well.

Tomorrow we have a busy day planned. Lights out early tonight!