La Turbie: bijou d'ete

The Trophee d'Auguste

Today two special French friends , Jacqueline and Philippe, drove us up the Grand Corniche to the medieval town of La Turbie.     I had never been to this small village perched above Monaco .   I probably would have remembered their claim to fame,  the celebrated Trophee d'Auguste .  When summer hits we all long for a hilltop with fewer people than are crowded into Nice, so a car ride with a breeze on our faces was just the thing.

I hate to reveal the secret but La Turbie is a town that is not inundated with tour buses in summer but has more authentic charm then most of the "eagle's nests" of the 120 on the cote d'Azur.  And a big plus with this one is the amazing view of the sea overlooking Monaco seen by climbing to the top of the cemetery and going out through the gate.

 Nearby is also the Parc Naturel de la Grande Corniche (which is more visited in the wintertime. ....A bit too hot now.)   http://www.cg06.fr/fr/decouvrir-les-am/decouverte-des-milieux-naturels/les-parcs-naturels-departementaux/parc-grande-corniche/parc-de-la-grande-corniche/

 For lunch, Jacquie and Philippe took us to a sweet little place called La Cave Turbiasque.  3, place theodore de Banville smack in the center of the village.  http://www.caveturbiasque.com/en/   The couple who run it are friendly and the husband, who took our order, was hilarious and speaks excellent English.

I ordered a starter called a tomato feuillette which was composed of thin layers of tomatoes topped with a package of chèvre chaud,  (warm cheese)  surrounded by crispy bacon strips.  It was a new find and my idea of divine.  The lamb kabobs, "plat de jour" were fine but I think that the desserts are the best thing on the menu.

By way of desserts there was an order of "pain perdu" ( FRench toast) with fresh apricots and a scoop of ice cream.  Jacquie and Phillipe shared it and pronounced it to be superb.  Monsieur had the best looking chunky "tarte tatin" that I have ever seen.  The apples were heaped high on the plate with the pastry more like a cobbler and served with a tiny bowl of "creme Anglais".      I was a good girl and resisted the chocolate Molleux toblerone for the poached peaches in Vervain.    The peaches and the tarte tatin were both excellent.

If you are going up to eat, make sure you reserve a table .  La Cave Turbiasque is small and quite popular.

So that was yesterday the first day that I have ever tried to use my cell phone to take photos.  But since I was unprepared I pulled it out.  I think it's not bad for a Nokia C3-00 which is no "iPhone" or Samsung super duper mobile.   Let's put it this way: My C3-00 doesn't make coffee.

 Inside the restaurant

 Stepping through the old town

 View from the top of the cemetery

 Villager

 Find of the day.

 Old lady immortalized against her golden house

 Trumpet vine triumphs on the Roman wall

Roman arch

I wish the kids had been here for a few more days.   They would have had a more tranquil look at village life seeing La Turbie.   Maybe next time.