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Today we drove directly south 45 minutes to Antibes. Situated on a little peninsula, Antibes is home to a large marina and sandy beaches along the French Riviera.  The old seaside town was charming with its cobblestone roads, stone and tan buildings, and multi-level courtyards built along the old city walls that sit perched on the rocky shoreline. The Fort of Antibes is perched on an ocean front cliff and guards the natural bay. This harbor is now used to dock fishing boats, cruise ships, and mega yachts.

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We walked along the sea wall catching glimpses of the beach and ocean below through old brick arrow slits.  Near the end of the marina were docked the mega yachts and we looked up two of them. One belonged to a Saudi Arabian Prince and the other to the Crown Prince of Qatar.  The Katara is the 16^th largest yacht in the world and is worth $400 million dollars.

After viewing the yachts we went into Old Town and explored the central market where we purchased lavender sachets, black grapes, and Macarons!

Nearby the market was the Museé Picasso an art museum. In 1946 Pablo Picasso came and resided in Antibes. He worked in and with the art museum. We got to see about 150 of his paintings. There were other artist’s works on display, but most of the sunny museum was dedicated to Picasso.  Faywen really enjoyed walking around with us and describing all of the paintings!

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The museum opened up onto another sunny seawall, but the sky darkened and rumbled and the rain came pouring down! We had our umbrellas and the cover of the tight quaint alleys. We made it to a large outdoor café that was covered and we ordered lunch. The best part was the chocolate moose Robert and I shared. By the time we were done eating the skies had cleared.

It was time to walk the marina and then go swimming. Most of the mid afternoon we all enjoyed the sandy family friendly beach in the Old Town. It was accessed through the old city wall. It was a lovely 29C or 84F and the sun popped in and out of the clouds. The gentle breeze helped cool the wet skin. The kids enjoyed exploring the rocks along the wall, burying each other in the sand, and of course swimming in the turquoise waters. I took a lot of photos of the kids, the water lapping the beach, and the boats sailing around. The water was shallow and the swim area was protected by a natural little harbor. I took a photo of a nice English family and they took our photo in return!

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We cleaned up, found a gelato place, and the kids rode the giant Ferris wheel. We drove home stopping for dinner in Frigano at Papé Pizza.  We all agreed it was the best pizza we had ever eaten and the owner was very friendly and nice.

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