Antibes Day 4. Fort Carré

Cannes and Monte Carlp will have to wait. Today we set aside for more time around Antibes itself, and as a more restful day. That wasn't quite how i turned out, but at least we did stay closer to home.

We began with a quick visit to Tourist Information, where we were surprised to discover that guided tours were available at Fort Carré, one of the main sights of Antibes. We'd previously read somewhere that it wasn't possible to see inside the fort, only to walk around it. Seeing inside it seemed like a good idea, so off we set. Using the new street map which we'd got in the Tourist Office we made our way to the harbour. Getting to the fort meant we'd have to do a full circuit of the moored money on display, which we did for the sake of flying the tourist flag.

Fort Carré dates from the Sixteenth Century, and is a wonderful example of defensive fortification. Its massive stonework is hugely impressive from the outside, especially up close. We had twenty minutes to wait for the next guided tour, so we sat in the sun while we waited. The tour itself was a bit disappointing. For starters it was in French only, as well as which it was all a bit rushed, and seemed to consist pretty much merely of what was in the handout we'd been given with our tickets. Still, it was good to tour the inside and enjoy the fine views and share the national pride. Another regularly featured tourist image of Antibes is the war memorial beneath the fort. It's a fine piece of commemorative sculpture.

Our original intention of having a quiet, restful day hadn't come about, since getting to the fort involved quite a long walk there and back on what was the warmest day since we got here, so a bit of a siesta was called for when we got back to the apartment after a stop for lunch and a quick visit to the local supermarket. We did some restaurant research afterwards and read some reviews on the web before setting out for our evening meal. The food in Antibes is excellent, and we've eaten well so far. A place called La Forge has been the best of the bunch. but the standard has been high all round. Tonight it was the turn of Le Comptoir de la Tourraque, which we found by accident during a wander round the back streets of the old town, but which turned out to be one of the ones we'd read a good review of. It was a bit on the pricey side, but the cuisine was remarkably imaginative for such a small and unassuming-looking establishment. Our starters, for example consisted of two boiled eggs served with pate on elegant, long, slender sticks of bread.