After my immersion course, I decided to spend a few days in Mougins. Why there? I wanted to meet a person with whom I had been corresponding (on Facebook) who lives there. Since she is also a single, retired, American, I wanted to see where she had decided to make her home. After five years of living in France, she is totally happy with her choice of town and country. As I continue my search for the ideal place to live in France, I was thus compelled to visit.
Since public transport is not very good in Mougins, I decided to rent a car in Antibes, and make the 25-minute drive there. I specified in my reservation that I wanted the smallest car. Of course, when I got to the office, I was “upgraded,” which meant a much larger car, basically an SUV. I protested but was told that was my only option. So, out I drove (with manual transmission, my choice) into the traffic of Antibes, navigating via Google Maps. I managed to manoeuvre the “boat,” as I came to think of it, through traffic, avoiding hitting and getting hit (barely), and made it to Mougins. My friend thoughtfully invited me to her condo for an apéro, rightly assuming I would be interested in how she lived. Mougins, with a population of about 20,000 (same as Vence), exists on two hills, with the Old Town on one, and the High Village on the other. The Old Town is one of the hilltop towns in Provence, utterly charming (as they all are). My friend is in the High Village, and, consequently has a wonderful view from her patio all the way to the Mediterranean (about 5 miles away). She was a gracious host, serving wine and appetizers, and the visit was most enjoyable.
The next couple of days I spent exploring Mougins, with one of its claims to fame, its gastronomic pleasures. At one time, both Roger Vergé and Alain Ducasse managed restaurants in the village. I decided, given this history, to treat myself to an elegant lunch in the Old Town at L’Amandier, one of the restaurants Roger Vergé created. What views! What food!
According to Wikipedia, since 2012, Mougins has been the only town in France to be awarded the “Ville et Métier d’Art” label for gastronomy.
Mougins also has a well-deserved reputation as an artist’s haven, with Picasso, in fact, having here lived out his final years (1961-1973). Inhabiting Mougins have been various other artists and celebrities, as well, namely, Jean Cocteau, Fernand Léger, Francis Picabia, Man Ray, Arman, Yves Klein, Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior, Winston Churchill, Catherine Deneuve, Edith Piaf and Jacques Brel.
In the end, I concluded that this is probably not the place for me, as it would require a car to do everything, whether grocery shopping, going to a movie, or even visiting a friend elsewhere in Mougins. I think that I will need a car at some point, but I would prefer to live in a place where I can walk to most places, reserving travel by auto more for out-of-town events and adventures. My experience with the rental car made me think that I can put off purchasing a vehicle for a while! What a nightmare, driving into Antibes to return the car, amidst the incredible traffic that is constant in high season. Frankly, I felt lucky to have survived without an accident
But, I was happy to have seen the lovely town of Mougins and plan to visit my friend there from time to time.
My friend’s patio, ready for our apéro, with its view of the Mediterranean a few miles away.
