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| 1956 Ford Sunliner |
In the summer we went on vacation to the French Riviera; to be more exact, to Juan-Les-Pins. We drove but I don't remember much about the trip except that we were driving our 1956 Ford Starliner convertible, the turquoise and white one.
I think that was the year my grandmother Frieda was with us, which is probably one of the reasons we went to several of the chateaux of the Loire Valley.
The one I remember the best is Azy-Le-Rideau. That was my favorite. We also went to Chambord where we saw a 'son et lumiere' show at night, and a couple of others. But Azy-Le-Rideau was the one that captured my imagination. My second favorite was Chenonceau.
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| Azy-Le-Rideau |
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| Azy-Le-Rideau |
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| Chenonceau |
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| Chenonceau |
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| Chambord at night |
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| Chambord |
I remember going to Nice and having lunch at the famous Hotel Negresco (which I called the Hotel the Crisco, much to my mother's chagrin).
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| Le Negresco, Nice, France |
Juan-Les-Pins was a very upscale tourist resort, even then. The hotel where we stayed, Le Provencal, was very famous, and looked out over the boulevard and the beach. There was entertainment every night and we usually went and sat on the patio and watched after dinner.
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| L'Hotel Provencal, 1955, Juan les Pins |
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| Beach, Juan Les Pins |
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| Port du Crouton Marina, Juan Les Pins |
Juan-Les-Pins had a great marina where we would stroll around in the afternoon when we weren't at the beach.
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| Chris Craft Cabin Cruiser |
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| Chris Craft Wood |
I remember in particular my dad pointing out to me all the Chris Craft boats. He said they were top of the line and we would look at them really closely. He admired fine craftsmanship. Sometimes, if we could find an owner around, we would talk to them, with me translating if necessary.
A couple of days after we arrived, I suddenly developed a horrible itchy rash. It drove me nuts, I couldn't' sleep at night, and nothing helped. My mother decided I was allergic to cantaloupe and told me I couldn't eat it anymore. That was a terrible fate because I had it at least 3 times a day, I loved it. After another couple of days, the rash wasn't any better and she took me to a doctor. The verdict: I had the German measles! The next 3 days, I had to stay in the hotel room in the dark because my eyes were watering so badly. It was hell. I couldn't even read. Finally, for the last few days of our visit, I was allowed to go back outside again.
The last day, we went to Cannes, and this time we ate in a fancy restaurant. While we were there, I went to the bathroom, which wasn't just a bathroom. It was very fancy and had a lounge area with antique couches, etc. There were about three or four women in the lounge area, all agog. I kept hearing "Bebe, Bebe est la" and sure enough, there she was, Brigitte Bardot. She was gorgeous. And she was very nice. She shook hands with everyone, even me.
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| BB in what appears to be a Chris Craft |
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| BB playing the guitar |
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| Brigitte Bardot in 1958 |
I thought she was the most beautiful person I had seen in my life, and I haven't changed my mind all these years later.
We also went to Marseilles and Monte Carlo (see separate posts). It was a wonderful summer trip.
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| Juan les Pins by Pablo Picasso |
A couple of days after we arrived, I suddenly developed a horrible itchy rash. It drove me nuts, I couldn't' sleep at night, and nothing helped. My mother decided I was allergic to cantaloupe and told me I couldn't eat it anymore. That was a terrible fate because I had it at least 3 times a day, I loved it. After another couple of days, the rash wasn't any better and she took me to a doctor. The verdict: I had the German measles! The next 3 days, I had to stay in the hotel room in the dark because my eyes were watering so badly. It was hell. I couldn't even read. Finally, for the last few days of our visit, I was allowed to go back outside again. 
