Visit to St- Paul- de-Vence and lunch at La Colombe d'Or

Tuesday February 21 was cloudy all day with a high of 15C.  We decided to follow in the footsteps of Marc Chagall and visit St- Paul- de-Vence where he lived from 1966 until his death in 1985.   We took a tram to the last stop of one line,  just past the Airport.  We then caught a bus to St - Paul.  The tram was about a 15 minute ride and the bus trip was about 55 minutes through some lovely towns.  

Alain (who is a bus fan) was very excited to be taking his first ride on an electric bus.  The verdict is in now: he liked the ride.

Alain posing with the bus--his first ride on an electric bus

Bus boy getting ready for our trip to St-Paul

St- Paul-de-Vence is a medieval village with a population of around 3500.  In the Middle Ages, it was basically a city-state and it controlled its own destiny for centuries.  By the early 20th century, it had faded into obscurity until it was rediscovered in the 1920s when a few penniless artists began paying for their drinks at the local auberge with paintings.  Those artists included Signac, Modigliani and Bonnard,  In the 1950s, Picasso, Matisse, Dufy and Chagall met at the La Colombe d'Or Hotel and restaurant, where the walls are still covered with their work.  During the 1960s, the village was frequented by French actors Yves Montand, Simone Signoret and poet Jacques Prévert.  James Baldwin lived in St-Paul-de-Vence for 17 years until his death in 1987.

The rampart views and the old stone houses are magical. The village is built on a small hill, from which there is a view of the whole area.  It is located a few kilometres from the sea, but the coast is visible and one can also see the snow-capped peaks of the Maritime Alps.  The city walls were built in 1538 and some of the buildings date back to the 16th and 17th century.

Near the bus stop entering the town

Outside of entrance to La Colombe d' Or where we would have lunch

Géneral de Gaulle Square is the main square- a tramway line inaugurated in 1911, facilitated the arrival of artists.  The quality of light and colours of the village and countryside was a major attraction.

Mohammed Ali and Yves Montand have played pétanque on the square.

La Colombe d'Or and the Café de La Place are found on the two sides of the square.  We stopped for a coffee at the Café de La Place before heading into the narrow streets of the town.

Café de la Place and place where pétanque was played

Coffee at the inside bar

Sculpture everywhere

Signage as one enters the village

An old cannon-- also signage in the stone that notes the November 27, 1944 liberation of St-Paul
through the Gateway entrance below (Gateway dates back to 14th century)

Entering the medieval town

Ramparts with views

Beautiful countryside

Stairs up narrow streets with small shops

Very quiet on a Tuesday in February

The St-Paul cemetery is located in the village.  We stopped at Marc Chagall's gravesite.  Chagall (1887-1985), his second wife Valentina (known as Vava) (1905-1993) and her artist brother Michel Brodsky (1913-1997) are all buried there.  There is an inscribed Chagall angel at the top of the tomb.

Marc Chagall's tomb in the St-Paul cemetery

The ancient walls

Iris in bloom

A hospital turned into a centre for the arts, which was closed

A beautiful perfume store caught our eye.

Godet perfume founded in 1901

Sign noting that one of the signature perfumes "Folie Blue" was created in 1925
for the muse of Henri Matisse

Inside of store-- one lifted the ceramic bells in front of each bottle to smell the scents

Older bottles of some of the perfumes

We tried a number of scents and I chose a small bottle of Cour de Russie, which they call the Chagall scent.

A lovely Valentines gift from Alain

Beautiful store

Small book outside the store with the history of some of the signature scents

Cour de Russie

We wandered through the narrow streets

We stopped at Le Roy René to get some nougat and calissons

Great Fountain Square, built in 1850 on a former market square

Tess

Lovely pavement

Then it was time for lunch at La Colombe d'Or.    

Yves Montand and Simone Signoret met and married at the inn in 1951.  A ceramic Léger mural is found on the terrace and a giant Calder stabile is found at the swimming pool.  Today, the fourth generation of the Roux family runs the inn and restaurant.  The art collection continues to grow.  It was amazing to have lunch in what amounts to an art gallery filled with Picasso's, Matisse's and even a Georges Braque painting.

Alain holding up the menu

We had a wonderful table against one wall where we could see the two rooms of art

We ordered 1/2 bottle of white wine.  Bread, radishes and an accompanying anchovy sauce came with the lunch.

Lovely radishes and anchovy sauce

There was a very well behaved dog sitting quietly at a nearby table

I had a delicious chicken with sausage dish with amazing potatoes (Alain got most of these) and vegetables.  Alain had cod with aioli sauce and lovely vegetables.  Traditional dishes well done.

Alain's cod and veg- aioli in separate dish

Delicious chicken and sausage dish

Bon Appetit

We chatted  briefly with a neighbouring couple.  The woman was from Comox, B.C., but had lived in LA for many years and was now living in the south of France.  Her friend from LA was visiting her on his holidays.  There was a lovely Maurice Utrillo hanging above their table.  Most of the people having lunch were French--- it was very busy for a Tuesday afternoon.

Utrillo painting

We ordered two espressos after our meal.  The coffee was very good.  We were also given two dark chocolate sticks and a mandarin liquor digestive.  Fabulous ending to an amazing lunch.  As we didn't finish our coffee until almost 3:30 p.m., there were only a few people left finishing their meals (the kitchen closes at 2:30).  We were able to walk around the restaurant and take pictures of the incredible paintings.

Coffee, chocolate and mandarin digestive 

Calder

Picasso

Georges Braque

Picasso on the right

Calder

Dufy on the right wall

Picasso

We then walked outside the restaurant where was a large Calder stabile beside the swimming pool.

Looking back at the hotel.  What a gorgeous spot

Small bar area

Fernand Léger (1881-1955) mural in the outdoor patio

Too cold for outdoor dining but on a sunny, warm day, it would be lovely

We walked around the town for another 45 minutes, before catching the 4:25 p.m. bus back to Nice.

Another view

Manicured trees

Stone ramparts and Alps in the background

Beautiful Chapel of the White Penitents, not open when we were there

The Église la Collégiale was very close by.

Inside the  Collegiate Church of the Conversion of St Paul

 (Construction started at the beginning of the 14th century with additions between the 15-18th centuries)

Jacques Prévert's refuse- he settled in St-Paul from the start of the Occupation until the 1950s.  He would meet with friends like Pablo Picasso and André Verdet at the Colombe d'Or

Farewell St-Paul

We got back to the apartment just before 6:00 p.m.   We weren't very hungry, so just had some very nice Pistou soup from a nearby shop and a salad.  It has been great doing day trips from Nice.  We are seeing some lovely small towns all within a 90 minute radius of Nice.