FRANCE

Location - Western Europe; Capital - Paris; Population - 65 million; Currency - Euro MORE FRANCE

I took the train to Menton on the French Riviera - a stone's throw from the Italian border - to take in the superb orange-and-lemon sculptures on show every February/March at the Citrus Festival - February 2016.

A 10 Euro note

The Mediterranean coastline of Menton leads to Ventimiglia in Italy

Looking westward from Vieux Chateau Cemetery, amongst others the resting place of rugby founder William Webb Ellis - Menton

The spires of Saint Michel Archange Basilica lead down to the port and the Baie du Soleil - Menton

A sunnny day spent sailing near the Plage des Sablettes. The peninsular beyond the palm tree is in Italy - Menton

The 17th century Bastion Museum houses works by Jean Cocteau - Menton

The attractive waterfront as seen from the port - Menton

Saint Michel Archange Basilica rises above the Old Town - Menton

Boats resting in the old port - Menton

The port's a good place to take in the basilica and Old Town - Menton

Waterfront buildings of the colourful Old Town - Menton

The Jean Cocteau Collection Severin Wunderman Museum exhibits many works of writer and artist Jean Cocteau - Menton

An Old Town side street reveals an art gallery in a shady enclosed square - Menton

My reason for coming to Menton was the magnificent sculptures of the Citrus Festival

The 2016 theme was Cinecitta, in other words Italian cinema, and first through the entrance is a scene from La Dolce Vita - Menton

The Death In Venice set looks mightily impressive - Menton

A cute gondolier from Death In Venice - Menton

All the exhibits are made from a mix of oranges and lemons - Menton

I wondered if all the fruit was real but this picture puts that to bed - there's plenty of mouldy oranges! Menton

This one's my favourite, a reproduction from the film Amarcord - Menton

A close up of Federico Fellini's Amarcord set - Menton

A scene from the 1957 film White Nights (Notti Bianche) - Menton

I've never heard of Poveri Ma Belli - apparently it was called A Girl In Bikini in the UK and Poor But Handsome in the US - Menton

A buxom female character from Amarcord sits in front of the Palais de l'Europe on Avenue Boyer - Menton

This display shows how it's all done. Wrap coloured elastic bands around the fruit via a wire mesh. Then repeat and repeat and repeat.. Menton

Cleopatra sits between two sphinxes - Menton

Loving the donkey here - it's another Federico Fellini movie The Clowns - Menton

Oranges for the nose, lemons for the cheeks - Menton

There's also a lumiere version of the festival at night - Menton

Dancers perform in front of the Death In Venice set - Menton

Stilt performers on show at the 'Jardins de Lumieres' - Menton

One more Fellini film, this time the award winning 8½ - Menton

Climb up the pedestrian bridge and view the sculptures along the Jardin de Bioves - Menton

Even Cleopatra herself made an appearance - Menton

Radiating away from St Michel Archange Basilica are the pretty, narrow streets of the Old Town - Menton

They're relatively quiet when compared to the touristy, cafe-and-shop-lined Rue Saint Michel - Menton

The quiet areas are up the slopes of the historic quarter, with the busier section at sea level - Menton

A great door-knocker in the Old Town - Menton

The narrow streets open out to reveal the Saint Michel Archange Basilica - Menton

On the left is the Saint Michel Archange Basilica, with the Penitents Blancs Chapel straight ahead - Menton

A window ledge in the Old Town - Menton

Not content with the Jardin de Bioves exhibition alone, there's also carnival-style parades during the festival - Menton

The parades host plenty of dancers, musicians and performers to complement the citrus floats - Menton

With an Italian theme there has to be a fiat on show. But the driver looks a cross between Jack Nicholson and Kim Jong-Un - Menton

A close up of a Venetian mask. Citrus style of course - Pyrenees

A sphinx prepares to take to the streets - Menton

A few minutes later Cleopatra joins the sphinx - Menton

Another Egyptian goddess poses for photos - Menton

Some of the masked performers looked quite spooky - Menton

A stilts-woman dressed in bright colours - Menton

Next up were the sexier Brazilian-style samba dancers - Menton

Respect for them as it's gotta be cold! It's less than 10°C on a grey February day - Menton

These women were also showing off a samba vibe - Menton

The droplets on this photo aren't raindrops but confetti blasted out from the carnival floats - Menton

As Italian as pasta, it's good to see the Vespa on show - Menton

A close up of a Vespa wheel, lined with oranges and lemons - Menton

I was greedy and went to the night parade too - Menton

Jack Nicholson/Kim Jong-Un makes a re-appearance in the evening - Menton

Dog, cat, tiger, leopard, other? You decide but s/he's cute - Menton

This woman stood in (and operated) a remote-controlled buggy, which was entirely covered with her dress. Now that's what I call multi-tasking - Menton

The sphinx falls under the Italian theme due to the ties between ancient Rome and Egypt - Menton

Roquebrune-Cap-Martin is little more than 10 minutes by train from Menton,heading westwards

The town has an attractive setting, built on the slopes of a small peninsula but it was a cold, wet day. Maybe another time! Roquebrune-Cap-Martin

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LINKS

www.eurostar.com - Eurostar train from London to Paris, Brussels and more

www.francemonthly.com

www.tourism-Menton.co.uk - guide to Menton

http://uk.franceguide.com - French tourist office

www.voyages-sncf.com - French trains

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