Robert De Niro is due to be on Nice Promenade des Anglais this evening for a photo-call prior to his scheduled talk at the Cinematheque de Nice in the Acropolis, Nice. The actor is in town to give a master-class at the cinema that was established in 1974 in order to promote and present world cinema in France.
De Niro is also here to open an exhibition by his late father, artist Robert De Niro Snr.that is being staged at the Matisse Museum in Nice. The late artists work is being honoured with an exhibition in recognition of his inspiration drawn from Matisse. In particular his composition and painting techniques.
RobertDe Niro Snr., a representative of the New york School and student of bauhaus and abstract expressionism, turned his artistic attentions towards France during the 1960's after an extended stay here. He studied European art history and many famous French and Flemish painters before finding something of an affinity with the late great Henri Matisse, without losing his own style and translations.
The exhibition was opened on 8th March 2010 and will remain on show until May 31st, 2010
Elite fashion brand Hermes, famous for it's scarves and handbags, has announced it's retreat from the co project with Wally Yachts. After making such a splash at the most recent Super Yacht show Hermes has announced that it will withdraw from the ambitious project WHY.
The huge floating island of a yacht, which could in theory change the face of super luxury personal yachting, not because of it's ground breaking or rather ocean breaking, expansive size and exorbitant cost but because of it's incorporation of new technologies into the build process, is a showcase for the what's possible in this sector of the industry.
Hermes issued a statement explaining the decision, "it's technically complex and requires on-the-spot decisions, it seemed a good idea to have only one decision maker."
It was a statement that could have shielded a variety of reasons for the decision from a hint of disagreement on development, lack of experience on the part of Hermes of the luxury yacht industry or just plain and simple bad timing.
Monaco based Wally Yachts will progress with the project on its own and will apparently be paid in future commissions on sales. There have been suggestions of a future order already but none confirmed and the future of the dramatic WHY 58X38 remains to be seen.
Originally the ancient city of Nice was packed onto the fortified hilltop that sits between Nice Promenade and Nice Port. This is where the Greeks sited it in ancient times, no doubt as a measure of protection. A very successful measure it was too as it took the King of France 6 long months of sustained cannon ball fire to raze it to the ground.
Blasting Nikaia to the ground turned out to be one of the best things that could have happened to the city not just because it brought Nice briefly under French rule, but because it allowed the city to blossom along the coast and spread its wings as far as Cimiez in the foothills and across the river Paillon.
It changed the face of the city of course but it also changed how the city developed and shaped what it was to become. The town seeped along the coast claiming the sloping beach front as it's own. The locals sent out fishing boats from the sea front while the women washed their linens in the river.
As foreign tourists poured into the city the Promenade began to take shape. The genteel English liked to take their sea air there and being seen on the French Promenade became an essential part of British society.
The promenade was built up to give the delicate ladies somewhere to walk beneath their frilled parasols. The Victorians gifted the French the tall palm trees that sway on the sea front and the area became know locally as the Promenade des Anglais. It was quite simply where the English liked to promenade.
Nice was something of a 'spa' town during the 1800's too as UK and Northern European physicians recommended the gentle climate and dry air for consumptive patients. So Nice beach and the Promenade des Anglais was not quite the fun beach holiday destination that it is today. The elite visitors of the time, shaded themselves from the bright sun as fashion dictated a pale English rose complexion and the elderly and infirm where wheeled by their nurses along the newly built Promenade.
It wasn't until after the World War and the arrival of recovering American war veterans that the fun times on Nice beach started. The Americans where not afraid of the sun and their relaxed attitude soon caught on.
Nice Promenade today is the central focus for the city of Nice. It's wide sweeping bay and startling blue waters captivate tourists, visitors and locals. Residents use the 7 kilometre stretch as their front garden as apartment living reduces the size of peoples private space. Nice Promenade is everyone front garden, children cycle, teenagers hang out, Mum's and Dads wander. People, jog, cycle and walk the length of the Promenade des Anglais. It is used to stage events, put on exhibitions and show case new projects in the city.
The Promenade is a place to get fit, sun bathe, have lunch, meet your friends, take your children or just sit in silent contemplation of the vast horizon. The atmosphere is communal and private all at the same time. Nice Promenade des Anglias is the gateway to the Mediterranean and it is the beating heart of the city of Nice.
It's a natural partnership, an innovative luxury yacht company and a high end luxury fashion brand so there are no real surprises there. What is a surprise is what that partnership has yielded. From the company that has delivered some of the most super of the Super Yachts, Mega Yachts and even Giga Yachts, now comes the aptly named WHY.
The WHY 58X38 is more a floating island than it is a yacht. It's resemblance to a yacht is in the simple fact of it floating, otherwise it looks more like a luxury five star apartment building but...flatter....and floating. You can see why they called it WHY, but perhaps they might have also named it WHAT?!
The Hermes designed super structure is built over three levels, has a 25metre interior pool, a 36metre 'beach' at the rear and an on board spa, dining room, music room and cinema. It has guest suites, solar panels, weighs 2,400 tons and has a square meterage of 3400 sq.
It is, says Monaco based Wally, an entirely eco friendly, low environmental impact, sustainable energied super structure. Calling it a yacht whether Super, Mega or Giga just doesn't seem apt. It is quite simply an astonishing development for super luxe Ocean-goers which delivers the space of a private island and the freedom of a yacht all wrapped up in designer duds, and is kind to the planet. Whoever wrote that design brief was ambitious beyond belief but it looks like they have done it.
A €160 million price tag may be a slight hitch for most people but let's hope it will at least be the centre piece of the Monaco Yacht Show in 2010 and we can all at least all get a good look at it.
You know how it goes, you've decide on which pretty corner of the French Riviera you want to holiday in. You've found the large, lavish villa that you and your family are going to rent for your summer holiday.
You've even invited different friends to come and visit you while you are basking in your two weeks of holiday sunshine, longer if you are lucky. Now you've just got to find the flights, not just your own flights but now you are getting emails from Auntie Beryl who lives in Edinburgh and wants to know how she can get from the Firth of Forth to the Bay of Cannes?
Finding airlines is not difficult, finding airports is not difficult and even finding a flight is not difficult but finding who flies to which airport and from where seems to be information that we are supposed to be blessed with at birth.
National air carriers are of course a natural start point but they are rarely going to be the cheapest or even the most direct option. Meanwhile trying to recall that 'easy-fly-be-boo.com' low cost airline website is not always the first thing on your mind. Especially if you don't regularly fly from Newcastle to Nice or live locally enough to Cannes to know that there is also an airport in Toulon that is closer than you think to your Saint Tropez holiday villa.
That is why you need to bookmark some useful information websites that may just make your trip to holiday heaven a fraction more divine that usual. The first step is to know where your holiday villa is and where the nearest airport is.
It might sound obvious but the French Riviera is an incredibly linear stretched out holiday destination and is dotted with more airfields and facilities than you might think. Nice International airport naturally has the largest web presence than the smaller airports in the South of France but it doesn't mean you have to rule out other options.
Cannes Mandelieu airport for instance is a small private airport that mostly caters to the business flyer and private planes but they also have helicopter transfers that may make the start of your holiday a memorable experience.
These are without doubt the closest airports but it also depends on the type of holiday you are coming to the South of France for. Perhaps you are flying in, collecting a rental car and cruising through the French countryside on a tour of some of the most beautiful towns and villages that Provence has to offer?
In which case it doesn't really matter which airport you arrive in. Both Marseille and Nimes airports are within a couple of hours drive of the most famous French towns like Cannes, Antibes and Saint Tropez and have international flights from Alitalia, British Airways, Aer Lingus and Air Arabia as well as low cost airlines from Baboo, Easy Jet, Jet4you and catering for countries as far flung as Russia, Senegal, Madagascar and the Czech republic as well as the more neighbourly Spain, Germany and Corsica.
There are some great websites that can be very useful if you are flying to Nice or the South of France for the first time and want to view all the options; Kayak.co.uk may not actually sell flights but you can search by your start country to your final destination and you will get most of the options, for example Moscow to Nice or Stanstead to Nice.
Skyscanner.net is good for showing you multiple fares in order of price and you can book through the site while Jumblefly.com will show you what the budget airlines routes are between European cities. Flightmapping.com focus's on the UK and Irish flight routes but it does a good job of connecting the dots on a worldwide basis; did you know that you can fly from Durham to Nice for instance?
The airports themselves usually have a web presence and while there are plenty of disastrous, useless airport websites Nice Cote d'Azur International airport has one of the best airport websites online with relevant information on flights but also useful onward information including bus timetables, average taxis fares to a variety of destinations and train information.
Choosing the best holiday villa with the best view and the best swimming pool for the kids with enough bedrooms for all the family was just the beginning of organising your holiday and quite possibly the easiest bit, but arm yourself with the information and you'll find that you have plenty of options to choose from.
Robert De Niro is due to be on Nice Promenade des Anglais this evening for a photo-call prior to his scheduled talk at the Cinematheque de Nice in the Acropolis, Nice. The actor is in town to give a master-class at the cinema that was established in 1974 in order to promote and present world cinema in France.
Elite fashion brand Hermes, famous for it's scarves and handbags, has announced it's retreat from the co project with Wally Yachts. After making such a splash at the most recent Super Yacht show Hermes has announced that it will withdraw from the ambitious project WHY.
Originally the ancient city of Nice was packed onto the fortified hilltop that sits between Nice Promenade and Nice Port. This is where the Greeks sited it in ancient times, no doubt as a measure of protection. A very successful measure it was too as it took the King of France 6 long months of sustained cannon ball fire to raze it to the ground.
It's a natural partnership, an innovative luxury yacht company and a high end luxury fashion brand so there are no real surprises there. What is a surprise is what that partnership has yielded. From the company that has delivered some of the most super of the Super Yachts, Mega Yachts and even Giga Yachts, now comes the aptly named WHY.
You know how it goes, you've decide on which pretty corner of the French Riviera you want to holiday in. You've found the large, lavish villa that you and your family are going to rent for your summer holiday.