Que de parasols sur les plages - Juan-les-Pins

Tourism statistics for the Côte d’Azur suggest that between 60,000 (low season) and 600,000 (high season) visit the area. No statistics seem to exist on the number of beach umbrellas that open and spread with the summer months.

Locals grumble about the inconvenience of the waves of visitors and pets or the increase in traffic and nightlife, but the place scintillates!

The day begins early at the beaches of Juan-les-Pins. City workers clean beaches and wash down boardwalks.

By 9 a.m., beach goers begin to arrive at this public beach near the west end of the boardwalk. By noon, the place is jammed packed with tourists.

The private beaches (owned by the city but rented out) have restaurants, dressing rooms and comfortable lounge chairs. Not to mention brightly colored umbrellas. Here, for 15 euros a day, you can bask in the luxury of having space, access to food, drink and bathrooms and avoid the crowds. This is vacation after all.

The beach restaurants (which also have the lounge chairs), with parasols, enable diners to eat lunch and dinner with feet in the sand.

The umbrellas contribute to the festive atmosphere (as does the sun). In a way, everyone hates to see it come to a close in late August.


My Note:

Probably one of the more spectacular views is from the Plage de la Salis, a public beach that overlooks the old city of Antibes. But best to arrive early. It's difficult to find a space to put your towel.

I'm not sleepy, it's just that. . . . my cat

It’s only 9 p.m. and tonight a bunch of us have meet at a restaurant, which has a dance floor in the back. I yawn. I hope no one saw me. Oops, someone did! No, I am not bored. I’m not particularly sleepy. Well, take that back.

You see, I have two cats. Cat #1 insists that 5 a.m. is a good time for me to wake up. Cat #2 loves to sleep. Cat #1 begins with the purr, the nudge with whiskers. When those maneuvers fail, she moves to the back-and-forth jump over. A cat who weighs 9 pounds and who wants you out of bed gives the impression of something much larger. When that fails, Cat #1 goes for my glasses or begins to move fragile objects on the bookshelf and watches them fall to the floor.

O.k. I’m awake. What’s the rush? Cat #1 waits for me to open the back door. She goes to the screened porch where she promptly settles in a lawn chair to catch up on sleep. Cat #2 continues to snooze. Tonight I’ll be yawning again, but maybe tomorrow morning Cat #1 will let me sleep in.

The Reluctant Lawnmower. . . . .La tondeuse capricieuse

It’s not that I mind mowing the lawn. It’s the time it takes to start gas-powered equipment. I have years of experience trying to start generators, large bushwackers (with both 2- and 4-cycle engines) and mowers. Right now my daughter is having a similar experience. We often commiserate. She’s really the only person who understands—all my friends have lawn services.

Today, the lawnmower refused to start. I checked the oil and gas. I primed and tugged on the pull cord. Nothing. I checked the spark plug. I tugged. I went to the online trouble-shooting videos, some of which have more than 300,000 views, which means a lot of us out there have problems with our gas-powered tools. I could follow the video until the narrator mentioned the carburetor. That was outside the range of amateurs! Given that my mower does not fit in my car trunk (which precludes servicing), I checked with a friend in another town about the model of his electric mower. . . just in case I could buy one later.

By now, I have spent more than 90 minutes trying to start the mower and wondering why Briggs and Stratton does not make a Lego-type machine, where you remove the defective part and snap on the new. I took a shower and changed clothes. Just before I left the house, I gave the mower one last tug. Voilà, it started!

I planned to email my daughter, the only person who would understand my mower experience. But she was taking the day off. Something about an invitation on a yacht. She did attach a photo with the subject heading, “Life is hard.”

The French Bac. . . . Results are in

There’s something to be said for the French educational system.  The graduates of the lycée seem knowledgeable of culture, sciences and politics and well adapted to life.

But the educational system itself seems pretty grueling.  This past week, on July 5, the results of the French baccalauréat (or bac) became available to the public.  Approximately 84 percent of the 665,000 students were expected to pass the five-day exam, which ran from June 17 through June 21. 

Given that the questions are the same throughout the nation for every exam (e.g., sciences, literature), all students take a specific portion of the exam at the same time.  Usually, each segment lasts four hours.  Students write out the responses  in ink.  They come equipped with bottles of whiteout.   

The bac itself is grueling—I’m not sure I would have survived!   Then, if the exam isn’t bad enough, the results are publicized in newspapers and on the internet by candidate’s name, date of birth and exam score. 

The Fourth of July, Bar sur Loup and Admiral de Grasse

Village of Bar sur Loup

Years ago when I lived across the valley from Bar-sur-Loup, the village celebrated July 4th with fireworks. My dog thought the end of the world had come and hid under the pillow until the noise subsided. But I enjoyed the view.

Statue of Admiral de Grasse on the village square


The village hero, François Joseph de Grasse (1722-1788), born nearby in the Château des Valettes, commanded the French fleet at the Battle of the Chesapeake, which led to the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown (September 1781). Hence, Bar-sur-Loup and Yorktown are sister cities.

Today I looked at the events calendar for the village—nothing has been marked for July 4th, but Bastille Day celebrations begin with a ball on the night of July 13. I found no mention on the web for any fireworks at any historical time on July 4th.


Well, my dog and I distinctly remember fireworks . . . . Happy Fourth of July!

For more information on Bar-sur-Loup,


For more information on the village, visit Provence Beyond

For information on the main hotel, see L’Hostellerie du Château


For a memorable dining experience, see La Jarrerie

Pack your carry-on bag carefully! There may be a tanguero nearby!

Little did I realize when my first Argentine tango instructors imparted their passion for the dance, I would become addicted. But there it is—We plan our lives, schedule trips, purchase clothing and shoes on the basis of this addiction for a connection. We practice our walks daily. . . . We watch Isabella Fusi’s footwork on Youtube. We become hopeful when new instructors come to the region. Here, Natalya and Ramiz hold a practica.

We tangueras wait patiently (well, somewhat) on the sidelines at a milonga, scanning the men for that cabeceo (glance and nod), or invitation, to dance. We may have walked down the street or driven many miles in hopes of getting one tanda with a great partner. That one connection, comparable to the euphoria of a runners’ high), keeps us returning.


When we are not dancing, the music continues to play in our heads. Wouldn’t it be nice if another tango addict worked at the same office? Can I find a milonga when visiting family and friends or on a business trip?

We have been stranded in airports. A delayed flight may lead to a missed milonga at destination. But now, there is a Facebook site, Stranded at an Airport, Tango Meetup, for tango aficionados. Yet another reason to pack dance shoes and music in your carry-on.

All (or almost all) my news comes from FB!

I was thinking about Facebook and mass communications. In grad school, media theory classes reviewed the Two-step flow of communication (Katz and Lazarsfeld, 1955) , which holds that information from the media is filtered and interpreted by “opinion leaders,” who then serve as sources of expertise for the rest of us.

This model describes how I use FB. Many of my friends filter information—in politics, human / animal rights, education or leisure (books, movies, sports or dance). I consult my opinion leaders in their areas of specialization. . . . .

News Updates
In periods of strife, FB friends continue to provide updates on Turkey, the Gezi Park protests. Most of these stories have been silenced by the government or been “overlooked” by US media.

Intellectual Stimulation
One thing I have missed in leaving academia is the intellectual stimulation—those brown bag lunches with a guest speaker or a book or research talk. Former professors , FB friends, provide links to good books or articles. I continue to be interested in my past research, which dealt with media disinformation as well as the exchange of scientific information in periods of censorship. But I also love good fiction.

New Light on Friendships
FB has enabled me to reconnect with friends (including those from elementary school, many of whom have gone on to successful careers) and former students, their careers and interests (Tani maintains a very good beer blog).

Perspectives
Some of the good reads and ideas come from my LIKE of the Huffington Post or Dwell, a design magazine that features a sustainable lifestyle. A recent article published in the Washington Post (and carried by Huffington) featured the response to a 1961 letter from Harvard admissions, which basically rejected the candidate because the school didn’t see how she could balance motherhood and studies.

The Personal
The day-to-day Facebook is invaluable. I see photos (people, pets and places). I get updates on events. Sure, there is a downside. Some friends post (and post) trite things or send invites for games. Others espouse views at the opposite end of the political spectrum. But overall, I like FB! But then, most of my friends are discerning posters.