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Chapter 04 / 09 · Mea’s notebook

The Riviera and Monaco

An afternoon without a task

The Riviera and Monaco — Mea Zen’s illustrated journey

I had become very efficient at discovering things. This was, I decided, a warning sign. I made a new plan: an afternoon with nothing to prove.

There were lanes, boats and a fountain. A bench offered a view without asking for a ticket. I sat down long enough to stop composing the account of sitting down.

That evening I wrote only one line. I had enjoyed myself. The notebook accepted this as a complete report.

An imagined travel diary inspired by original Travel2City photographs. Mea’s scenes and words are a creative interpretation, not a documentary account.

01

The art of a pause

Nice — illustrated scene with Mea Zen
01
Nice

The sea did not need a caption. I wrote one anyway.

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Saint-Paul-de-Vence — illustrated scene with Mea Zen
02
Saint-Paul-de-Vence

The fountain was busy doing one thing beautifully.

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Antibes — illustrated scene with Mea Zen
03
Antibes

A window can be a destination if you stay long enough.

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Cap Ferrat — illustrated scene with Mea Zen
04
Cap Ferrat

I borrowed the color of the house for a very extravagant margin.

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02

Nothing urgent

Monaco — illustrated scene with Mea Zen
05
Monaco

Even the cannon seemed to be taking the afternoon off.

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Vence — illustrated scene with Mea Zen
06
Vence

Beyond the garden, the city carried on perfectly well without me.

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Hyeres — illustrated scene with Mea Zen
07
Hyeres

There were enough chairs for the evening to take its time.

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Saint-Tropez — illustrated scene with Mea Zen
08
Saint-Tropez

I let the boat leave the frame. Some things travel better that way.

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