Marseille

The day I arrived in Marseille, Michel dragged me to a rugby match at the Stade Velodrome. I don't like watching sports so it was boring, but at least I got to work on my tan and watch testosterone-fueled men.




Michel's dad used to be a choir boy in this Romanesque Byzantine cathedral, Cathédrale de la Major.


I love this lady's floral hat. She wore it to the fish market in the old port.


There's art lining the old port, as one of Marseille's many animations for its candidacy for Capital of European Culture in 2013.


Chateau d'If, where the Count of Monte Cristo was imprisoned in the novel by Alexandre Dumas. It's just off the coast of Marseille.


I just had to photograph this man's old-fashioned sacoche.


I was forced to dine in OM Café everyday, and as I ordered carpaccio, they served me two plate fulls.

Ventimiglia

After Monaco, my cousin and I drove to Ventimiglia in Italy. It was frayed at the edges and run down, but that's what I loved about it ... a strong contrast from Monaco's high gloss.



While walking through the town, we discovered a bridge leading into a very old village.





This brick road leads into narrow streets and paths, with decrepit homes, most of which looked abandoned but are really inhabited.



A family-run restaurant served us pizza from an ancient stone and tile oven. It was delicious.


Ventimiglia at sunset. Romantic.

Monaco

My cousin rented a car and we drove to Monaco. I was dazzled by all the luxury cars, which are a dime a dozen.


Standing on the right of this black-and-white photo is me in a hat, waiting for our car.


This yellow Lamborghini reminds me of one I saw in a Mission Impossible film starring Tom Cruise.


Not one, but two red Ferraris right after each other.


I've never seen a top-down Rolls Royce before. I guess this is less formal than the chauffeur-driven version, and the owner/driver can show himself off more.


Neon green Ferrari, anyone? This one has Arabic license plates. If you park a car like this in Paris, it will be dented in front and in the back, by other cars trying to get out of tight parking spaces.


This Fiat is made to be a summer car. I thought it was a golf cart.


I wonder how much it costs to park your boat here.


This is the church where Princess Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier III got married.


They also have their tombs side-by-side in the church. This is Grace Kelly's tomb.


Prince Rainier's tomb.


That's me appreciating an almost 360 degree view of Monaco.

Repetto Danse Avec L'UNESCO

For its 60th anniversary, Repetto, my favorite Parisian ballerina flat-maker, is reinterpreting its best-sellers and designing shoes inspired by artists and celebrities. The proceeds of this project will support UNESCO.








Read more about Repetto's UNESCO project here on Madame Le Figaro.

Where To Wed?

I won't have internet connection for a week in Marseille, where I'm headed for today (it's midnight now so it's officially Saturday). Will be back on the 28th June (by then I'll be in Vienna). I'll be sharing with you my lovely experience in Monaco and Ventimiglia in Italy.

I mentioned before that Michel and I were civilly married last September. We plan to do the church and reception part of our wedding in Marseille. So I've been hunting for reception venues in the Marseille region, and will check out some churches on my next visit this July 21.

In the newspaper, I found photos of a wedding reception, in ancient paper mill in Marseille. I like the idea of using a place with historical value, that is non-conventional at the same time. Look how they converted the paper mill's interiors into a lovely, cozy space.


With a profusion of candles and white blooms this space would look more romantic and festive.



Click here for the wedding of Audrey and Stéphane in Marseille as seen in Madame Le Figaro.

Le Croisette

The SNCF lady told me that there's a train from Nice to Cannes every 20 minutes, and that I can come to the station anytime, because it's easy to wait for the next train.

So I checked out of my hotel at 12 noon. When I arrived at the station, the SNCF officials announced that the next train to Cannes is leaving in three hours. I had a huge suitcase with me, meaning that I couldn't just hop back into the centre ville and kill time. So I bought a magazine and resorted to reading, with my suitcase as a bed / lounge chair, because the few chairs left were all taken.

But when I arrived in Cannes, this was what greeted me.








My cousin took me parasailing and we flew so high that I thought we would land right on the Croisette. I did massive window shopping and spent a ridiculous €60 for breakfast at The Carlton.

My Dream Job

Christine Albanel has my dream job. As France's Minister of Culture she gets endless invitations to fabulous events everyday, for art, music, fashion, film ... and everything that makes life that much more fun.



I don't like her fashion sense in these photos. She should follow the lead of our First Lady. However I've seen her in decent gowns for the Cannes Film Festival and other parties, so it's not fair to judge her entire wardrobe just on these two photos alone.

Being a foreigner, I may never get her dream job. However, we must remember that Nicolas Sarkozy is from Hungary, Carla Bruni is from Italy, Yves Saint Laurent and Zinedine Zidane are from Algeria. So there could be hope for me.