IL Postcard

Where to Find the Real Côte d’Azur

Date: 12/03/2007

The European
Vol. 1. Issue no. 52
December 4, 2007
Paris, France

A writer's retreat, beyond the French Riviera

by Ferriel Brooks

What do authors Albert Camus and Antoine de St. Exupéry, existentialist Jean-Paul Sartre, and the American composer Leonard Bernstein have in common? At some point in their lives, they all worked in Cabris.

Perched at an altitude of 1,800 feet in the hills beyond Grasse and oozing a lazy charm, the village of Cabris couldn’t be more unlike the glitzy attractions of the French Riviera. Yet few tourists have heard of it and very few tourists visit. What’s more, the locals like it that way. Unlike other villages on the Côte d’Azur, shops selling kitschy Provencal souvenirs are thankfully absent.

Typical village life

Cabris still preserves its old way of life, where the houses have been passed down through the family for generations. It has a lived-in feel. You still see old ladies trundling their shopping trolleys along the cobbled streets, children returning home from school, a lady darning on her stoop–typical French village life. The pace is slow, the people smile and welcome strangers, and a coffee on a café terrace in the Place de Puits can lead to conversations with the locals on the history of the village. This is how I learned that the house of Marie de St. Exupéry, mother of Antoine of “The Little Prince” fame, is still standing.

The fortified village is built on a panoramic site on the edge of the plateau of Provence, looking out over the surrounding valley and the sea seven miles away. A stroll up to the 17th century church is rewarded with a copy of a Murillo painting behind the altar. Continue to the Place Mirabeau and enjoy the view from this, the balcony of the Côte d’Azur. The stillness is broken only by the chirping of the cicadas.

Looking out over the plain of Grasse and the sea to the Lérins Isles beyond Cannes, it’s hard to imagine invaders from the valley trying to batter their way through the ramparts of the old château just behind you. Today on the castle ruins stands a gem of a hotel-restaurant with ivy-covered stone walls—the only invaders today are gourmets from the surrounding area drawn by the restaurant’s superb cuisine.

Property in the area

Property tends to be inherited here. The village houses that come on the market are few and far between in Cabris and the surrounding villages of Spéracèdes and Le Tignet. And they don’t come cheap either, because of demand from the French and foreigners, all wanting a vacation home in the country. Apartments are non-existent in the area. Here are some examples of prices:

A 765-square-foot two-bedroom village house in the heart of Spéracèdes (roughly 3 miles from Cabris) sells for $490,000 through Agence de Panorama, Cabris, tel: +33 4-9309-0404.
A 750-square-foot two-bedroom village house in Cabris is available for $368,000 through Agence Mirabeau, Cabris, tel: +33 4-9360-5084.
Half-acre building plots in the Cabris/Spéracèdes/Le Tignet area go for around $425,000 and villas start at about $800,000.
Cheaper property is available in Grasse, the nearest large town about 10 minutes drive away, where good two-bedroom apartments start at approximately $200,000.

SIDEBAR: Cabris connections

Eating out
Auberge du Vieux Château, Place du Panaroma, tel: +33 4-9360-5012. Set menus from $32
Le Petit Prince, 15 rue Frédéric Mistral, tel: +33 4-9360-6314. Set menus from $25.

Where to stay
Hôtel Horizon, 100 Promenade Saint-Jean, tel : +33 4-9360-5161. Doubles from $123 Bernstein spent many hours composing his music here, some 30 years ago. Note: Hotels and restaurants may not be open all year around. Call before going.

Getting there
Bus 520 from Grasse bus station to St. Cézaire stops in Cabris.
20 minutes from Cannes by car.

What it costs to live in...Brasov, Transylvania

by Steenie Harvey

In this occasional column, we report on the costs incurred to you, should you make the move to Europe. This week, we visit Brasov, Romania for the lowdown on some general items you’ll be paying for.

In southeast Transylvania, the engaging small city of Brasov has a picture-book center adorned with stout towers, sunny squares, and colorful merchants’ houses. During summer, parks bloom with roses and locals play outdoor chess games until late into the evening. It has cinemas and theaters where you can catch performances of opera, ballet, and classical music as well as drama. There are small stores for forgotten essentials and a massive Carrefour supermarket for the weekly shop.

And skiing is practically on the doorstep: local buses take you to the slopes of Poiana Brasov ski resort in 30 minutes.

Home to 320,000 people, Brasov was founded by Teutonic knights. Now spread out from the original citadel, it’s a lively gateway to Transylvania’s unspoiled splendors. Under the forested peaks of the Carpathians, fields still get cut by scythes, farmers travel in horse-drawn carts, and many village families fatten up a pig for Christmas.

Romania’s most famous visitor attraction has made Brasov a popular tourist base. Although Bram Stoker’s bloodthirsty Count was fictional, Bran Castle is widely touted as “Dracula’s Castle” and is only a 40-minute drive away. Fairytale medieval towns such as Sibiu and Sighisoara are an easy day-trip. So too are numerous “Saxon” villages, often graced with fortified churches. Plus the city is less than three hours by road or fast train from the capital, Bucharest.

Brasov’s few hotels charge fairly high rates, so renting an apartment makes sense. This is what I did for $56 nightly (through www.best-accommodation.ro) But that’s short-term tourist rental price. Local agents have long-term rental studios in the Old Quarter starting at $350, and two-bedroom units from $840 monthly. The suburbs are less expensive, but apartments out here are often fairly dull-looking. Square meter costs for buying a refurbished apartment in a decent area start at around $1,400.

Monthly running costs for a one-bedroom apartment are as follows:
Electricity and gas, inclusive of winter central heating..........................................$65-85
Communal maintenance fees, depending on the building.....................................$15-25
Garbage collection............................................................................................$3
Water usage.....................................................................................................$8.40
Cable TV plus license.......................................................................................$8.40
Internet............................................................................................................$31

Going out
A western-style coffee......................................................................................$1.30- $2.15
Bottle of Ursus beer ........................................................................................$1.30
A pack of Pall Mall cigarettes (Romanian brands are cheaper)..........................$1.98
Automobile gas................................................................................................$1.43 per liter.
Main courses (heavily pork and beef based).....................................................$6.50
Dinner for two with starters..............................................................................$30-$34
Bottle of local Cabernet Sauvignon...................................................................$11
Taverna Sarbului,.............................................................................................55 Strada Republicii.

Grocery costs
Prices are from Brasov’s Carrefour supermarket on the outskirts and the inner city vegetable market. 1 kilogram/kg =2.2 pounds.
Nescafe (100 grams).........................................................................................$4.04
Mineral water 1.5 liters......................................................................................$0.67
Sugar 1 kg.........................................................................................................$1.09
Milk per liter......................................................................................................$1.24
6-pack beer (0.5 liter cans of Ursus)..................................................................$3.95
Bottle of Riesling wine........................................................................................$3.74
6-pack of Coca-Cola (33cl cans).......................................................................$2.98
Stewing steak/kg................................................................................................$6.40
Pork cutlets/kg...................................................................................................$6.23
Whole chicken/kg...............................................................................................$2.77
Salmon/kg..........................................................................................................$12.86
Potatoes/kg........................................................................................................$0.47
Cucumbers/kg....................................................................................................$0.43
Tomatoes/kg......................................................................................................$0.65
Honeydew Melons/kg........................................................................................$1.50
Watermelons/kg.................................................................................................$0.43
Oranges and apples/kg.......................................................................................$1.24

Top of the slopes:The six best European snow destinations

by Leigh Fergus

After last year’s mild weather, skiers should be pleased to hear that this winter looks set to give great snow. Here are the best places for snow right now.

Austria

Conditions are generally good on the Austrian slopes. The resorts of St Anton, on the Arlberg, Niederau and Wildschonau in the Tyrol, and Zell am Ziller should be open this week, along with Ischgl and the Schladming area. Ischgl, in the Silvrettas range, already has more than three feet of snow on its upper slopes, with more to come. Flachau, Kaprun, and Pitztal are also open—Kaprun already has almost four and a half feet of snow.
Alpbach and St.Anton are both about one hour’s drive from Innsbruck airport, while Ischguhl is 90 minutes. Niederau and Wildschonau are 45 minutes from Innsbruck or 90 minutes from Salzburg and Munich airports.

France

Only a few French resorts have enough snow to welcome skiers at the moment, the main ones being Tignes, Val Thorens, and Avoriaz in the French Alps. Tignes’ Grande Motte glacier is open every day now. Val Thorens has opened 14 pistes while Avoriaz has eight—and more snow is forecast this week. Other resorts such as Val d’Isère and Alpe d’Huez have weekend skiing for the moment.
The main airports for Tignes are Lyon, Geneva, and Chambéry, Chambéry being the closest.

Germany

Garmisch, in the Bavarian Alps, seems to have the best skiing right now, with more than six feet of snow on the upper slopes. Feldberg and Oberstdorf are open as well.
Garmisch is 75 miles from Munich airport, 37 miles from Innsbruck.

Italy

Heavy snowfall is expected at Val Senales in the southern Tyrol, where there’s already a good three feet of the white stuff, and the slopes at Madonna di Campiglio in Trentino have just opened. Passo Tonale, between Lombardy and Trentino Alto Adige, has been open for a week.
The nearest airports to Val Senales are Zürich and Verona.

Norway

Cold weather is reported in Hemsedal, and the resort has had a good quantity of fresh snow recently, and is expecting more in the coming weeks. Skiing in this popular area of the Scandinavian Alps started on November 16.
Direct bus transfers are available from the Oslo airport of Gardermoen.

Sweden

Sälen has opened 18 pistes in its resorts, and more snow is expected here.
Mora is the nearest airport.

Resorts in Andorra, Bulgaria, and Romania are yet to open for skiing.