Summer 2010

Returning to Antibes is nothing short of a homecoming.  Nearly a year has passed since our family lived here in the Côte d’Azur, but we immediately re-find our roots through a “scary boy” from school, an invitation to a so-called apéritif dinatoire, the return of “our” topless sunbather and – importantly – a heartwarming association with the gelato.

Judy and I enroll in a full-on French sailing class through Antibes’ École Française de Voile.  The course unwittingly becomes a swear-fest as we maneuver around Abramovich’s latest megayacht floating serenely in the bay.  We finally learn to tack and jibe (à la française) while marveling at the calming influence of a Frenchman’s love affair with cheese.

We welcome a celebrated musician and his young daughter with a severe peanut allergy to Bellevue, prompting fits of Frenchness about the way food is prepared in this country.  After a week-long diet of imported, peanut-free kale chips and quinoa sticks, we consider enlarging Elle Sophie’s culinary world by posing peanut-related questions to boulangers and chefs – with amusing results.

With the Côte d’Azur season in its full, glorious swing, Philippe and I head to the Jazz à Juan festival in neighbouring Juan-les-Pins with complimentary tickets and after-party passes from none other than the velvety voiced Diana Krall.  But the inside scoop comes from within the stands as we find ourselves seated among another famous clan:  the Eastwoods.

Is France’s economy like its diet:  full of croissants, fois gras and red wine, yet no one gets fat?  Stories from a local pharmacy, dry cleaner and toy store, as well as the travails of our entrepreneurial electrician, suggest that France’s renewed mission to devalue traditional GDP measurements could eventually kick the country off its top Quality of Life rankings.

In this summer’s roundup, we name our favourite spots along the fêted Côte d’Azur.  From Monte Carlo to Nikki Beach, here are the best coffees, croissants, gelatos and sundowners, as well as the best ways to feel like a local and to get away from the crowds.  These are the places and faces, foods and moods you simply cannot miss.