GRAND(ISH) TOUR OF EUROPE - 1968

Days 6 to 12 - Tende and the Cote d'Azur

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Tende

The Kleins took us for the day to the torrent - part of a local stream where they had built a shelter and where they went to swim and sunbathe. In the mid-afternoon we left for the coast.

Looking down on Tende on a sunny morning. We stayed overnight in the house at the bottom left of the shot. Arianne is on the balcony. Tende. Looking down on Tende on a sunny morning. The Klein's flat - top 2 floors.
YSF in the Square, Tende. Jean-George and YSF. Parked on the way to the torrent. Me - at the torrent.

Cannes

You might wonder where the pictures of the boozy night-life are. Well we couldn't fathom Cannes night-life. The town was dead in the evening. It might have been something to do with the national strike but it seemed to be more to do with the French culture at the time: revolving round home-life; pubs being for (older) males only etc. Whatever, after fruitless searches, we gave up and spent evenings at the campsite.

A memorable phrase came out of our stay on this site. We drove into the site one evening. After about 15 minutes a German camper came over to our tent and said "You put dust in our soup". He said nothing else and left. Presumably he had spent the intervening time looking up the phrase and had exhausted his English vocabulary.

Slightly formal beach life. Cannes marina. The arty shot - showing that Cannes was still an active fishing harbour towards the end of the '60s.

St Tropez

Harbour. Harbour. Harbour. Harbour. It must be art - by the harbour.
Alastair, with a dangerously long camera lens. Topless sunbathing on a boat at St Tropez. Whatever next? Playing boule, St Tropez. But could be almost anywhere in France.

Cannes-Mandelieu Aeroport

Quite by chance, our camp-site was on the other side of a hedge from Cannes-Mandelieu airport. A lovely wee airfield crammed with (mainly French) light aircraft. Even more by chance, our visit coincided with the 5th Salon International de l'Aviation General. This turned out to be quite an event - a big presence from all the major international light-aircraft manufacturers. I managed to get a couple of my photographs published in Flight magazine (and got, I think, £2.50 for them - quit a lot in those days).

That's YSF parked behind this (unknown type of) aircraft at the entrance to the airfield. A wierd and wonderful type - with a massive wingspan (for its size). A Fauvel AV-221- 1965 prototype that proved unsuccessful. Planes. A Piper Cub parked outside the flying club. Assorted tails outside the flying club.
A general view of the Salon. Bellanca Viking demonstrator. Rallye demonstrator. Cessna (411?) demonstrator. This Rallye was being demonstrated (extremely) at the Salon. In this shot, it is being flown straight ahead - not taking off. Note the position of the various control surfaces.

[Planning] [Days 1 and 2] [Days 3 to 5] [Days 13 to 15] [Facts and Figures]

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