Coming in strong with the message, “Brisez les normes. Pas nos vies.” (Break the norms. Not our lives.)
It’s
obvious this year, most certainly due to what has been seen throughout
the global media networks, that the LGBTQIA+ community is reflective and
concerned while taking a stand in how those of us are currently being
treated around the world due to inequality and violence.
Although
in the Cote d’Azur, forms of violence are fortunately sporadic it is
important we stand together in solidarity with those not so lucky while
continuing to push for equality.
This year, the Pink Parade (Pride) takes place on Sunday, July 9th.
The parade will start at 16h at the Port in Nice (Île de Beauté), and
follow along the port and on to the Promenade des Anglais towards Le
Negresco Hotel and end with a festive evening at the Théâtre de Verdure
with a Pink Party from 18h to 23h.
Since the city of Nice is considered central to everything pertaining
to the gay community, this tends to be where everyone in the region
gathers as one for Pride, and here, instead of watching the parade from
the sidelines, one can instead walk in the parade which is typically a
fun and most memorable experience.
This year, from July 18-21, the Nice Jazz Festival will once again feature a diverse array of spectacular artists both new and highly recognized from around the world at the Théâtre de Verdure and Place Masséna.
Not only will the schedule offer great jazz, but also contemporary and world music, so that there will be something to appeal to almost anyone’s musical tastes.
Headlining the festival and who most people are looking forward to seeing is the ultra-cool and legendary Sir Tom Jones, including other such talents as Herbie Hancock, Grammy winner Diana Reeve, Juliette Armanet, and bassist Dave Holland, among many others.
The Nice Jazz Festival dates back to 1948 and is regarded as the world’s first-ever dedicated jazz festival. That first year, the event was broadcast live on French radio and featured the incomparable Louis Armstrong as the top-billed act.
Tickets start at €40, with two-day passes going for €75 but get your tickets fast as the concerts tend to book out quickly.
Summer lovin’ and this month it’s all about stone properties in the Cote d’Azur.
Stone has been a longstanding material used for decades in the region not only for its look but also for being a natural insulator in the winter and also for being able to keep a more temperament home during the sunny summer months.
With that, we have a selection of three properties that have caught our eye, each with its own distinctive look and location.
Roquefort-les-Pins 1,750,000 EUR
Area: 257m²
12 room(s)
6 bedroom(s)
Land: 2771m²
Charming Stone Mas located in a quiet area, yet only a short walking distance to the village of Roquefort Les Pins.
The villa, which has kept its original qualities, offers around 257 sqm of living space and is composed as follows: On the ground floor: hallway, giving access to the master bedroom with en-suite bathroom, dressing, and laundry room.
On the top level: 5 bedrooms, 2 shower rooms, library room/office. On the garden level: dining room and living room with direct access to the garden, kitchen with back kitchen, and office.
Provencal gardens of 2,771 sqm situated east- south facing, outdoor dining terraces, swimming pool, pool house.
Possible to renovate a stone annex into an apartment, and a room in the house can be converted into a studio. Well worth the visit to appreciate the tradition and volumes of this mas.
Villeneuve Loubet
2,550,000 EUR
A unique and charming villa on the market with access to the beach and sea.
Area: 141m²
5 room(s)
4 bedroom(s)
This stone-built home is a fully air-conditioned and recently renovated villa complete with luxurious home comforts and is located in a safe and tranquil neighborhood close to Marina Baie des Anges.
The villa is only 15 minutes from Nice Côte d'Azur airport.
There are 4 bedrooms with their own bathrooms, large terraces, and a breathtaking sea view.
The ground floor includes an entrance hall with exposed stone, a large living room with an open-plan kitchen and living room, and three bedrooms with their own shower room and toilet.
A beautiful designer staircase provides access to the upper and lower levels.
Upstairs, there is a magnificent terrace that offers a 180° sea view, as well as a master bedroom. In the air-conditioned basement, there is a cinema/playroom, a large cellar, and a laundry room.
Sainte-Maxime
13,500,000 EUR
Exceptional historic property on the market with panoramic sea views.
Area: 800m²
12 room(s)
9 bedroom(s)
Land: 5.5ha
Nestled on the heights of Sainte Maxime in a green setting of more than 5 hectares overlooking the bay towards the village of Saint Tropez, this prestigious estate was the residence of the niece of the Empress of Russia in the 1920s.
Only a few minutes from the city center and the beaches, the main stone Bastide from 1921 covers nearly 550 m² and offers today's comfort and modernity with the nobility from the construction time.
The high ceilings and the wide openings onto the gardens combine interiors and exteriors with the greatest of refinement.
A private heated swimming pool adorns the outdoor area to the west.
The guest house of the same standard from 1892 offers approximately 150 m² with 4 comfortable en-suite bedrooms, a large garage, and a central swimming pool linking the 2 buildings.
A little over 3 hectares of land are landscaped and fenced and the property has a private helipad facilitating unrestricted transfers.
This is something I never thought I would write a blog post about but because of my passion for everything that makes up the beautiful French Riviera, and for the love of the work with our clients and business partnerships, I thought it was best to let everyone know of something that has been happening to myself over the past numerous years.
As those who know me personally, I am very protective of our clients and those I work with here in France. And in our social media, a day doesn’t go by without us focusing as a team to showcase the best of the lifestyle here in the Cote d’Azur and Monaco in the hopes of making the dreams of those that want to come here come true, no matter how big or small.
Of late, a local business associate and friend let me know that he saw a very slanderous and libelous post on a forum that was aimed at myself and my business that was generally all over the map.
Reading it, although it shook me up, I knew who was behind this right away.
For a number of years now I have had to deal with being criminally harassed online by an individual I once knew back when I was still living in Canada.
We had been good friends, but that seemed to change once I made the final move here to France as his life was not going well at the time. So instead of focusing on the issues he had going on, he decided to spend hours of his days attacking me online through a community of fake Facebook characters he developed and on any other platform he felt he had a voice to tear me down.
When he was running out of ideas on how he could attack me personally, he started to go after my close family and friends, and eventually my business and business partners. This would all be interspersed with death threats to me which lead to more police involvement in not only Canada but also in France.
Dealing with this on a day-to-day basis has not been easy, except for the fact that I love my life and where l live, and I have the support of everyone around me, and that anything he was posting was all just lies.
Lawyers both here in France and Canada have always been involved, he has been notified legally to stop. Still, he continues to stalk me, claiming it is freedom of speech along with any other excuse for his actions, and that he is untouchable thinking he is a lawyer and media star.
After years of living in this abusive private situation. Since I have had to keep a timeline of his actions to go with the summaries for police and lawyers, along with the thousands of screenshots of his posts online, threatening emails, comments, etc. One way I was advised that might make him stop was to write a book about it, which I have done also in the hopes of helping others in a similar situation.
Although it has been published, it is available for free to read here with the complete details:
Writing the book seemed to make him stop about a month after it was published over a year ago. But now he is back at it his online harassment including the latest community of fake profiles to “support” each other with libelous comments.
In his latest, he seems to be grasping at straws with what he thought he knew of me in the past and is now focused on my business (since it is the busy season) which has been in operation for the past 12+ years to try and dissuade clients. He is seeking personal details to further his actions in a myriad of ways thinking it will take me down.
I have spent more than half my life dedicated to the region and wouldn’t have been able to make business transactions in month one if I didn’t have everything in order but he seems to have his own ideas on how things work here yet he has never been to Europe.
I am letting people know that for any questions you may have for me or my business, I am available to ask at any time. I am also open to hearing any further advice on dealing with such a situation.
Feel free to contact me directly at: Info@experiencethefrenchriviera.com
I also have the backing of anyone around me personally and pertaining to my business that can speak on my behalf.
At one point years ago this whole situation did take a toll on my personal health, which is exactly as he wanted stating in the hopes I would die.
I also then became a very private person due to his actions and wanted to protect those around me because if he found any indication of who I knew, he would then go after them.
I was deeply depressed from these daily ongoing attacks and acknowledge that I did consider suicide a number of times. I’d literally go to sleep at night feeling burdened and concerned about what he would do to me next, not only mentally but possibly physically, and my first thoughts in the morning would be, what did he post online overnight? He was going after my Mother in Canada in the last years of her life and is still going after my elderly Father who barely knows how the internet works.
Fortunately, I have wonderful, supportive friends and family around me, along with amazing clients and a robust business network who understand what is happening and continue to support me.
I have never felt stronger and more happy and passionate about everything I do here than now.
I have an amazing life here and absolutely love everything about the Cote d’Azur. Clients visiting regularly ask me what it is like to live here full time and I always say, even a bad day is a good day in the Riviera, and I feel my enthusiasm for the region shines in my work and through those I am associated with.
The best decision I ever made was to make my life here surrounded by truly wonderful and gifted individuals and nothing makes me happier than to see a client arrive and have their dreams of France realized.
In speaking with my lawyers and media professionals this past week pertaining to this criminal harassment situation, we have a plan in place to hopefully put an end to it all legally. If by chance you come across something online that doesn’t sound right or is attacking in nature, please let me know. As hard as it is to read such things, copies need to be made for legal reasons so that further action can be taken.
I want to personally thank everyone for their ongoing support.
