Of course, the impressive fire in Notre Dame de Paris was the talk of the day. You probably don’t hear it on the news in the UK or US, but lately, more and more French churches are on fire. Fortunately, the government reassures us that it has to do with climate change or with renovation work. In any case, it stays very dry on the Côte d’Azur. Normally a lot of rain would have fallen, but the blades of grass even blow out of dry ground. That is why the local government has extended the ban on open fires until the end of April. There are more burning subjects, such as in Sophia Antipolis. This village, also known as the “Silicon Valley of the French Riviera”, is known for its abundance of greenery and the many nerds that work among all those trees and shrubs. Hidden in the green, the smart guys work with small businesses on products for the future. But yes, during the day it is therefore very boring in Sophia and hence the Open Sky project.
Open Sky will be a luxury shopping center just like Polygone Riviera and Cap 3000, but then 60,000 m2 in the woods for the inhabitants of Valbonne, Mougins and Cannes. However, the locals do not want a third shopping mall in the region at all and have collected 18,000 signatures; the expectation is that 23,000 cars will come to the forest every day. And nobody is waiting for extra car traffic; after all, you don’t live there to buy the latest Gucci bag or a tall latte white chocolate cappuccino. You wanted for your peace and serenity.
Oh, irony for those who seek rest and go to the highest court to enforce it. The neighbors of real estate man Patrick Diter in Grasse watched with envy how the neighbor kept on building on his old, derelict farm. He did this with full conviction and without permits, so there is now a castle in Neo Provencal style with a helicopter platform. Despite warnings that there was no permit, he continued to litigate and to continue building. The result is beautiful; The Riviera TV series was recorded here for a reason, but now the owner is on tv himself. The highest judge in Aix en Provence determined that, after 15 years of litigation, the Chateau Diter must be completely demolished. Whether the demolition of a luxury villa with a value of 57 million is good for the environment is not an issue; the neighbors are at least once again assured of noise nuisance in the coming years.
And even more noise music is coming. Your neighbor playing triangle and the neighbor who is constantly abusing his trumpet will do their best in the coming months because once a year they act as if they are real musicians. The “Fete de la Musique” gives everyone a stage on the street and that is going to be crazy again. Restaurants can be open as long as they want and if you have your wine poured long enough, then that music is not too bad. Read more information about this event and all the other great things happening on the French Riviera.
Talk about restaurants; our oldest daughter has opened her own restaurant in the heart of Cannes: Ibiza Tapas. And we are quite proud of that. Take a look and taste at the 24 rue Bivouac Napoleon in Cannes.. It is close to Rue D’Antibes and Le Palais des Festivals and is open from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. The website for reservations and directions can be found here www.ibiza-tapas-cannes.com
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