Antibes on the Côte d'Azur

Antibes is my favorite amongst all the French Riviera cities and towns. It is 30 minutes drive from Nice and is one of Europe's biggest yacht harbors. The old city wall surrounds the old town where farmers market opens during the weekends offering fresh produce, meats, wine, lavender sachets and ceremics in patterns typical of the Provence.

Hundreds of yachts stay afloat at the marina by the ancient city wall surrounding the old town. Through the gate, we walk uphill to the Picasso museum, passing dozens of outside cafes and the busy Sunday market. The sky is as blue and clear as the Mediterranean sea. The blue water is dotted with sailboats and sparkles under the sun.

We stop by a shop infused with the smell of lavender. I pick one up and take a deep breath, my brain becomes intoxicated with the scent. I picture a vast green field full of purple flowers and how each of them was hand-picked, dried and became part of the pouch in front of me. The ceramics in Antibes has its own special motif - the cicada, and the colors - bright green and yellow. I pick a pair of salt and pepper shakers that represent these characteristics and four sachets.

In the shop next door, I fall in love with a blue and white table cloth with intricate design again with the cicada theme. How well does it match my green and yellow salt and pepper shakers! The shop owner is a soft spoken Asian woman in her 40s. While helping me to open each table cloth on display, she asks me if I am Chinese. She is so delighted to find out that I am from China, I feel that she is going to give me a hug any second. I know this all too familiar sentiment where you meet a fellow countryman far away from home. We naturally start to chat in mandarin. She is from Taiwan and is married to a French. She says it is rare to see a Chinese in Antibes because most Asian tourists only care to go to more famous cities like Paris. She says business is not easy since there are quite a few stores selling table linens. Competition is fierce.

It's hard to make a decision... I want them all! At last, I have decided on the table clothes with sunflowers in red background, the sunflowers in white background, the cicadas in blue and white, and four sets of napkins to match. Before I leave, the owner stops me. She picks out a cicada pin in the typical Antibes green and yellow design and gently pins it onto my shirt. "For good luck!" She says and bids me farewell.