Peggy R: Garden Group visits Menton for the weekend

MENTON

It has taken a while to do a write-up about the Garden Group's wonderful weekend in Menton – this writer had to make lemon marmalade first!
But now that it is sealed in its pots (following Denise's instructions in the AWG cookbook!) it is time to reminisce. 
'Twas Friday morn when we set out, and two carloads of us made our separate ways down the autoroute almost to the Italian border. (Indeed, when my car overshot one of the gardens we found ourselves obliged to go into Italy to make a U-turn. So glad the days of passport control are behind us!)

Sue Rich, Carol and Maggie

Surprisingly, both cars pulled up almost simultaneously in front of the Hotel de Londres, just one block back from the water's edge. This small hotel was comfortable and friendly and we made ourselves very much at home there. It was set far enough back from the street that we could sleep with our windows open and not be bothered by street noise --- and yet we were close enough to the sea to hear crashing waves during the night.
The hotel had a nice garden – just made for a cup of tea and a good book. However, our should-be-professional guide, Sue Rich (cannot say “Sue R” here – we had three Sue R's in the group!) kept us far too busy for that!
Friday afternoon we went to our first garden, Maria Serena, across from the sea front, and the last house before the Italian border, (that's why we had to go into Italy to turn around!) this garden was built around 1880 for a relative of Ferdinand de Lesseps.
The villa is surrounded by a hectare and a half of gardens, where tropical and sub-tropical plants thrive. We saw lots of different types of palm and “cica” trees....as well as birds-of-paradise so big we took them for banana trees!! The day was warm, the breezes balmy, and it was a great introduction to Menton.

Pam and Sue Rey

That evening, a quick change, a short “apero” in Robyn and Maggie's room – our official meeting spot -- and off to the Casino (not supermarket!) for dinner ... and more? This site was chosen, lest you misjudge, because it was within easy walking distance of our hotel. Nevertheless, several of us did try our luck on the machines....and everybody won – except your correspondant who lost her shirt. Fortunately it was only a five euro shirt....
Saturday morning, up bright and early for a tour of the Menton market. Wonderful! Carol bore away two pots of basil because “it just smells so much better than the basil in Montpellier!” All of us bought beautiful local fruits, and lemons!
I personally bought my lemons from an older woman, who would not have looked out of place in a crèche. Hers were a few centimes more per kilo, but she was so charming and when I arrived at her stall she was deep in conversation with a local – speaking provençal! (They were probably saying, “Here is a tourist; quick, let's speak provençal”....and if that is the case, it worked.) I bought several kilos of her lemons, and into the bargain she gave me her recipe for jam. So I made her version – easy and wonderful – though I sealed it according to “Season”.

Maggie, Sue Rich, Robyn, Pam, Sue Rou and Carol

The market also had stalls with wonderful local specialities....marinated artichokes, stuffed eggplant, local ham, chickpea bread, another bread made with charcoal(! good for the digestion!) and fennel....lemon cakes....the list could go on.We all shopped individually, then pooled our finds after the museum at a table in a beach café. The proprietor was happy to let us eat our “picnic” if we bought drinks.

Robyn, Sue Rou, Pam, Carol, Sue Rey, Maggie and Peggy

Before lunch, we visited the Cocteau museum, a beautiful building right on the beach, filled with light and clean lines which did justice to works by Cocteau, Picasso and Matisse.
After lunch – no siesta in the sun! We went off to visit other gardens. At this point we divided into groups....my group walked to the Val Rameh garden. Others had gone on ahead by car – but we never found them! The garden was so big that you had no idea where your friends might be. In fact we lost Maggie, who was in our group, because she, the inveterate photographer, kept falling behind us to focus on some new specimen....it was pure luck that we ran into her as we left!
The Botanical Gardens of the Val Rahmeh were created on several levels by Lord Percy Radcliffe,  in 1905, then redesigned by a Miss Campbell in the 1950s.
At the entrance to the garden, you are greeted by enormous daturas, at least four meters high and full of flowers. Inside, there are the usual tropical and sub-tropical species, with a definite bent for all kinds of citrus, including a  curious finger-shaped species of lemon, and lots of kumquats.....

Peggy and Pam

A very rare tree, the Sophora Toromiro grows in the garden. It is the mythic sacred tree of Easter Island, though it has totally disappeared in its original home.
There are over 700 different species of plants and trees in this magnificant garden, and fountains, pools, waterfalls – all man-made to keep the visitor cool while strolling.
After we made our way back from this garden it was time to freshen up and head for Maggie and Robyn's again to take stock. Then off to “L'Ullivo,” the wonderful Sardinian restaurant Sue had chosen for us.
We had a friendly waiter and lots of Sardinian and local specialities – lemon pasta, anyone??

Peggy

Sunday morning, we had intended to visit another well-known garden, la Serre de la Madone, high above the city of Menton, but fortunately, we learned before driving up there that it was closed that day. So we stayed at sea level and visited gardens we had missed the day before. My group went to the “Palais Carnolès” garden, which contains ...yet more citrus trees!

Sue Rey

Before leaving for home, we had one last lunch, in another inspired restaurant choice by Sue....this was a cliff-front restaurant in the “village perché” of Sainte Agnès high above the coast...which we could look down at, though through a film of mist. The food in this restaurant was wonderful, all home-made pasta and breads and desserts....as one of us commented, she could see why it was made on-site – getting a delivery truck up the winding approach roads would not be an easy thing!
We discovered that the village had been a point on the Maginot Line, and the fortifications were still standing, and open for visits! While others opted for dessert, some of our group braved the hurried visit before departure (we had to leave in good time to get home for the election results – Pam, one of our drivers, was elected to the town council in Saussines!!)....

Then, back to the cars, down the winding mountain road, onto the autoroute (finally!) -- and home.

Where shall we go next year?