Peille: Lavoir

This is the old lavoir in Peille. I love that the women who washed in the old days were protected from the heat and the cold by a roof and walls. (see last photo).

I wonder how many sheets, how many pair of workman's trousers have been washed on this sloping slab of stone over the centuries?

Peille: Nine Lives

Cats wander freely in Peille. A nice life ... for cats and people.

Peille: Courage

Rather her than me! Crossing the hanging bridge below the village of Peille.

Peille: Hanging Bridge

Would you like to walk this hanging bridge in Peille?  Come back tomorrow and see who did?

Peille: Roofscape

How many lives? How many births and deaths and loves and despair have taken place under these roofs over the centuries in the medieval vilage of Peille?

Peille: Hollyhocks

Hollyhocks in Peille.  I absolutely love hollyhocks but never have any luck in growing them, despite having poor stony soil which they love.

Peille: Chez Nana Cauvin

The chef at Restaurant Cauvin in Peille doesn't have far to go to collect his bread.  The baker's shop is the opposite side of the square to his restaurant. 

This restaurant is also known as Chez Nana Cauvin.  Nana was a friend of Léo Ferré, a Monegasque poet, composer and a dynamic live performer whose career in France dominated the years after the Second World War until his death.  He wrote a song to Nana Cauvin.

Peille: Bar Tabac L'Absinthe 2

A different perspective on the Bar Tabac L'Absinthe in Peille.  Don't you just love these vaulted passageways in medieval villages?

Peille: Bar Tabac L'Absinthe

The Bar/Tabac L'Absinthe in Peille.

Peille: Gaby

Yesterday we saw Gaby, owner of Au Petit Cabanon in Peille,  serving a couple of cyclists in the square.  Now a close-up of Gaby. Isn't he wonderful! And so was his pretty customer drinking her morning espresso.

Peille: Coffee Chez Gaby

An early morning stop for two cyclists outside Au Petit Cabanon in Place Carnot in Peille.  That's the adorable patron, Gaby, serving coffee. Isn't this square heaven! 

A short history of the village: It's thought the area was once home to a little-known Ligurian tribe the Oratelli of Peille.


The village dates back to the 11th century and is of Celto-Ligurian origin.  In 1388 Peille passed to the Savoy, and later became the responsibility of the Sardis states in 1720, returning to French rule in 1792. From 1814 to 1860, it was part of kingdom of Piedmont and Sardinia and finally became French in 1860.

Peille: - the Gothic Fountain and Old Lavoir

This is the Place du Mont Agel in Peille, with its gothic fountain and lavoir.  And as you can see it's a fountain that is still used by the villagers.

You'll find a 'Circuit of Postcards in the village - 14 in all - each featuring a reproduction of an old photograph alongside each ancient monument or place of interest - see the smaller photo.  This was taken around 1910.

Tomorrow, we'll learn some of the history of this beautiful village.

Peille

Sometimes it's nice to get out of the hustle and bustle of Monaco and take a short trip into the mountains.  So leave your Louboutins behind and let's spend a while exploring the magic that is Peille. The medieval village is 630 metres above sea level and only 25 kilometres from Monaco.

We'll walk its ancient streets on stones weathered by time, wind our way through vaulted passageways, have a coffee in a magical square and doubtless fall in love with this beautiful village.

The sign, as you enter the village, says 'Peille, the most curious village in the Alpes-Martimes.'

More tomorrow ...

Lunch on a Bench

The casino gardens, lunch on a bench and a chat with friends before going back to work.  Not a bad way to spend your lunch break.

The dark green area in the background is part of the enormous fence that blocks off the centre of the gardens whilst construction goes on for the new shopping centre.  Oh dear ...

The Sphere at Jimmy'z

The side of the casino reflected in the mirrored sphere above Jimmy'z night club.

Fishing for Rubbish

This young man isn't fishing but is clearing rubbish from the waters of Port Hercule. 

Swimming in November

We've had glorious weather lately, although the meteo says we may have rain today.

Bit chilly for swimming though?

Walking the dog ...

Walking the dog below the Grimaldi Forum.

Hibiscus

Hibiscus at Larvotto Beach.  Happy weekend everyone ...

Supplier to HSH Prince Albert II

This is what you'll get if you own a shop in Monaco that supplies HSH Prince Albert II.

Craned reflet

Everywhere you look in the casino area at the moment, you'll see a mass of building work going on. Even the windows reflect the cranes.

The White Line

Steps leading up to the Hotel de Paris.  Is that a ladder I see in her stocking? ...

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz..............

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz............

Pattern on Larvotto

Almost no one on Larvotto beach but the sunbeds make a pretty pattern, don't you think?

Garden Crane

The joys of Monaco - massive cranes in the Casino Gardens.

Bentley Dreams

Reflections of Casino Square in the wing of a Bentley.

Diamonds and Crosses

Seen in Monte Carlo yesterday. Are these stockings (or tights) trying to copy the design on the Louis Vuitton handbag?

Folon's The Fountain of the Birds

Jean-Michel Folon's La Fontaine aux Oiseaux is a sculpture I've always loved and we've seen it before but taken from the other side of this street - so here it is from back.  It stands on le rocher.

Larvotto Beach

Larvotto Beach on a day when it's not warm enough for beach clothes.

Skinny People

If you are having a 'fat' day,  just look at your reflection in one of the curved glass doors alongside the casino!

Reflection at Dusk

A corner of Fontvieille at dusk.  Fontvieille is the area of Monaco reclaimed from the sea.

This was taken from outside the palace on the 'rocher.'

Concentration

I couldn't decide which photo to show you today so I'll show you a photo of a girl, at a bar on le rocher,  doing what we all spend too much time doing - staring at a computer screen.

A Rock and a Cigar

A rock, a cigar and fish to look at in the Japanese gardens.

Monaco by Night

The Hotel de Paris in black and white.

Drama in the Sky

Port Hercule on a day we had dramatic clouds roll in.

The Head of the Dog

The 'Tête du Chien' (head of the dog) that looms over Monaco.  This photo was taken from Fontvieille, near to the Parc Paysager.

Fishing at Cap d'Ail

Fishing at Cap d'Ail.

Double Cuteness

It doesn't matter your age, everyone enjoys looking at the boats in Port Hercule.

Crocodile

A crocodile of young kids, probably on their way to the Oceanographic museum.

Oceanographic Museum - the Wonder of Fish

The wonder of fish at the Oceanographic Museum.

The Washerwoman

Shafts of sunlight pass through the fountain and land on Renoir's La Grand Laveuse (the Washerwoman) - by Renoir - Guino 1917. It stands in the Parc Paysager of Fontvieille.

Moody Blues

Reflection between two boats in Fontvieille Harbour.

A Gentle Sunrise

A gentle sunrise over the Grimaldi Forum on Larvotto.