Patricia Sands

Author

La Fête de la Musique

Celebrate the Summer Solstice!

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If it’s Friday, it must be France …

I love being in France for June 21! It’s officially summer, for one thing, and the longest day. Although I must admit summer seems to have been well established on the Côte d’Azur for several weeks now. The weather has been magnifique!

Not only do we welcome the Summer Solstice at this time, but throughout France, since 1982, La Fête de la Musique is celebrated in every community big or small. From a single performer on a street corner to groups of all sizes … choral, instrumental or a combination thereof … there is music. The whole town turns out and age is not a factor ~ young or old, it’s usually a late night filled with laughter, song and general bonhomie. Great fun!

All this week, Place Massena has been closed off as the stage for the biggest concert of the fête was being constructed. Security measures were also being put in place to ensure the safety of everyone.

 

We decided to watch from the comfort of our living room as the entire event was televised. The weather was perfect and everyone appeared to have a fine time right up until it ended around 1 a.m.! It was a pleasure to watch such a joyful event. You can get an idea from this shot taken of our television screen. The lighting became more spectacular as the evening wore on. A fête indeed. Bravo, la ville de Nice! 

I‘m excited about the new exhibit “Matisse, Picasso and their models“, opening tomorrow at the Musée Matisse. Click this link for an excellent website, Best of Nice Blog, to see what options you have for getting to the museum. Whatever information you would like about Nice, can pretty much be found here.

It’s a beautiful building, n’est-ce pas? Well worth a visit at any time. Matisse had such a history with Nice and the surrounding area. This excellent article from The Good Life France gives you more details about the legacy he left here.

 

And not to be outdone in the excitement department , I’m happy to be participating in an author event, being held in Nice tomorrow.  Here’s the info and if you are available to drop by, please do!


There are just a few days left to take advantage of this Amazon promotion. Once you’ve read Book 1, The Promise of Provence, you won’t want to miss the rest of the adventure!

Bon weekend tout le monde! Enjoy your weekend everyone!

One day ~ deux fêtes

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If it’s Friday, it must be France …

Since I sent my manuscript for Book #3 in the Love in Provence series off to my editor at Amazon’s Lake Union Publishing, I’m taking a week off to be a somewhat normal person. For me, that means without being attached at the hip to my laptop. Well, maybe not completely … I’m making notes and researching my next book too.

In the next week or two, we’ll reveal the new title for Book #3, edits will get under way and my break will be over. C’est ma vie … and I love it!

I know I missed posting this on Friday, and it’s actually Saturday, so please excusez-moi! It’s incredibly easy to lose track of days here in Nice … the weather is beautiful and there’s just SO much to do.

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Take today, for example, this morning I popped a couple of streets over

book-cover-for-sidebar-on-blog-140-220-120from where we’re staying and had a cappuccino and croissant (they just go together, don’t they?) with Margo Lestz. She recently published a new book, “Curious Histories of Nice, France”, which I downloaded last week and can’t wait to read! Margo always discovers the quirkiest information about this part of the world! She’s fortunate to live here full time. *colour me green … just like that eye-catching book cover*

After that, I met up with my two friends who are visiting  Nice with me and we took a stroll through the grand hotel Le Negresco. You just can’t visit Nice without taking in the history and beauty of this mythic landmark.

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Next, we had a quick lunch at one of the many beach restaurants, just across the street. As you can see, it was another beautiful day with the Med gleaming.

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After lunch, we crossed the street, again, to spend a few hours taking in the excellent exhibit of vintage photographs and art explaining the history of Nice at the Musée Massena. 

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Tomorrow is June 21 and every hamlet, village, town and city in France will celebrate la Fête de la Musique with spontaneous jam sessions and planned performances on street corners and in parks and buildings or wherever the mood hits the musician. It’s great fun. There’s something for every musical taste and it’s a day not to miss. What better way to welcome the Summer Solstice?

228818_36782b98eb4e06a6697abcead2e51ad5fd616e0eA free concert set up on the Promenade des Anglais kicked things off this evening and when we wandered through the crowd of tens of thousands on the way home from dinner, the party was on! Massive speakers and screens ensured everyone had a view. The weather was perfect and the mood was relaxed and happy … what a pleasure to be part of it! As the French do so well, the evening ended with spectacular fireworks.

Everything we did today was within a walking distance of half an hour. Is it any wonder we love this town? How did you welcome the longest day of the year?

Bon weekend et bonne fête des pères/happy father’s day to all of the dedicated dads who love and support their children each day.

This was the poster in the window of the chocolatier around the corner … I could’t resist it. (And, yes, we did go in and buy some chocolate!) Hug your father a little longer today, thank him for all he does … and then share some chocolate! For those of us whose fathers are warm memories, pick some special moments to treasure today.

If this day doesn’t hold good memories for you, I hope you find other reasons to celebrate and that you can “count your life by smiles, not tears”. Thank you, John Lennon.

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