Playground of the stars

Gary Coleman's face looms above the Cannes tourism office.		A man photographs his dog on the red carpet in Cannes.
Leaving Cannes, we spent most of the day on the quiet, nearby, Ile St Honorat.		A close-up of a cicada, which provides the ubiquitous noise
The 13th century monastery on the Ile St Honorat. We bought liqueur and honey produced by the resident monks.		A disused chapel on the island
. The monastery		It was after this very brief swim that we discovered the French word for jellyfish: meduse. There was, apparently, a plague of them, unusual for August, that prevented (sane) people all along the Riviera from swimming during the time we were there.
The river Loup runs through the gorge near Grasse. We enjoyed driving through it and visiting the sites below.
Gourdon		A terracotta figure in a Gourdon doorway
Teddy bears for sale on the way to Gourdon		We had violet flavoured ice cream in Tourettes.
A picturesque watering spot for les chiens		Saut du Loup, a waterfall you have to pay 2 Euros and walk through a turnstile to see.
		We visited the region's famous candied fruit factory in Le Bar, sampling the goodies and buying lots to take home. We later saw the same fruit for sale in Paris at twice the price.
Stirring the sugar for the candied fruit		In the garden of the candied fruit factory
We visited le Cannet because our guidebook told us that there was an organic market there. After reaching the town and searching in vain, we stopped a policeman, who gave us a map leading us to the three stalls selling organic fare. We expected something more grandiose, like other French markets we'd experienced, but this tiny market sold pretty much everything we needed, and we bought apricot jam, pasta, fruits and vegetables.		The view from le Cannet
Nick stocks up on organic produce		Lover's Wall, a fresco by Raymond Peynet and Guy Ceppa.
		georgenick.co.uk