We bought the flat because the location and the internal layout were 'sympa'. The exterior will need quite a lot of TLC, in the form of a 'ravalement', but that will no doubt be the subject of quite a few posts in the future.
On the inside, one detail we really want to change is the banister for the stairwell leading down from the living room to the front door. The previous owner installed a length of balustrade with bulbous columns and a massive handrail, all made out of plaster. This is clearly ready made garden ornament from the equivalent of B&Q, and is completely out of scale and character.
We are tempted to replace it with wrought iron railings, so yesterday we headed for Vallauris, to talk with a blacksmith. His forge reminded me of the stuff in Morgny, except for the absence of rust. The blacksmith took us round examples of sections used in making railings, and drew diagrams in chalk on a piece of sheet steel. Fascinating linguistically as well as culturally.
Vallauris is an interesting town, still suffering from the after effects of Picasso's collaboration with the pottery industry. Some of the horrors on sale are truly exceptional, even after seeing the so-called 'artisan' works of the twee tourist villages around here. Vallauris really understands the impact of colour glazes, and does not use them sparingly.
The other feature of the town is the high proportion of north Africans living there. Berber and Arab were the only languages we heard on the street, and the shops were like something from the souk. Lots of unemployed men loitering, but no sign of the women folk. Generally good vibes about the town, though, unlike Grasse, which feels threatening.
Looks like something from a Greek restaurant on Pitta street in Brussels that has nudeful scenes-from-antiquity 'murals'.
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