The French Riviera and its Fabulous Naked Beaches.

At this time of the year , when the weather is pretty lousy and we know there’s probably a lot worse to come,  it’s a really feel-good idea to just sit indoors somewhere nice and warm and daydream about ; 

The French Riviera and its fabulous naked beaches.

 

From Ventamiglia in Italy the blue waters of the Mediterranean coast with it’s wide sweeping sheltered bays continues on past Monaco , Nice and Antibes and from Cannes along to St Tropez in the West.   It’s a place of great sophistication and beauty, with magnificent houses and villas , beautiful gardens , opulent casinos and restaurants and  lots of splendid civic architecture and museums housing important works of art.   Everywhere there is an air of excitement, a throbbing pace of life that attracts visitors from all over the world. 

Known internationally as The French Riviera, for the last 100 years or more it has been ( and still is ) the home of the internationally rich and famous.   Kings and Queens, Emperors and Maharajahs, Presidents and politicians, business tycoons and billionaires have homes here and keep their enormous luxury yachts in purpose built moorings nearby.  And not only the wealthy have made their mark in this unique part of the world for over the years they have been joined by the most talented artists , writers and actors including many Hollywood stars who also lived here.

                                                            Le Creuset at Cannes. 

An area that was originally populated by simple peasants and fishermen it was to become famous, as is often the way , by pure accident.   In 1835 the English Chancellor,  Lord Brougham was on his way to Nice when he was stopped en route by a serious cholera epidemic and was forced to rest for several months at Cannes, which was then not much more than a small fishing village on the coast.   He liked the climate so much that he had a house built there to escape from the damp and foggy English weather and spent  the next thirty winters at his French country home. 

 

Brougham invited his aristocratic and artistic friends to join him and many of them liked the life so much that in time they also had houses and villas of their own built in the surrounding countryside.   By the end of the 19^th century the Riviera had already become a popular place to spend the winter months and not just for foreigners, as by then many  French intellectuals – the writer Guy de Maupassant and the poet Frederick Mistral  for instance - had also acquired homes in this by now quite exceptional place.

 

In the 1920’s The Riviera was re-discovered , this time by an American couple ,  the incredibly wealthy and beautiful heiress Sarah Murphy and her husband Gerald,  who turned it then into the all year round international playground that it subsequently became.   All the famous names of the art deco period,  like Cole Porter and Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald were soon joined by equally renown artists of the time – Picasso and Chagal for instance and it soon became the ‘ in place ‘ for the whole world. 

My new Ferrarri - some hopes! 

Sadly over the last fifty years or so the march of progress has finally arrived at this previously unspoilt and unique place. It has recently been described by one very famous writer as “  a solid strip of concrete from St Tropez to Monte Carlo “ and to a degree that is true.      The Riviera is still a very beautiful place and the magic is still there, but is almost impossible nowadays to escape from the hustle and bustle, the constant noise and the traffic fumes. 

Lunchtime on le Creuset  

There are a few places here and there even in this haven of luxury living that are set aside for naturists, but as they are all so close to the rush of textile activities it is not quite the same atmosphere as we are used to.  But there is another part of this area that is ideal for those naturists that like the sophistication of the coastal resorts but also need an occasional break from the highlife and the last time we were staying in Cannes we made three trips into this peaceful hinterland.  Called the Centre Var , it’s regional capital is Brignoles but I’ll tell you about that another time.

 

The French coastal area of the Cote d’Azure takes its name from the brilliant blue of the Mediterranean sea that laps it’s rocky shores and sandy beaches.  It is a spectacular place sometimes described as a garden of earthly delights, where the sea is so blue and the sky so bright it is often difficult to see where one stops and the other begins.

 Although the area around Cannes and Nice is very sophisticated and commercialised,  as you travel a little further west a distinct change takes place.   The little coast road that meanders along from St Tropez down to Bormes les Mimosas , where the French President has his summer island retreat is not a great deal different than it was fifty years ago.   There are no motorways or high rise hotels and apartments on this route , just a nicely made modern road , on one side the sea with spectacular views over the coastal bays and on the other pretty houses and villas bedecked with brightly coloured bougainvillea and huge flowering cacti.

 

The easy winding road passes through dozens of tiny resorts and villages long popular with holidaymakers of all nationalities.   You will not see any English pubs ,  fish and chip shops or bingo halls here , but there are plenty of traditional eating places, small intimate hotels and lots of inexpensive camping and caravan sites - for this is real France.

 

Practically everywhere you go along this coastline you will find the opportunity to bathe au naturel,  indeed the authorities practically encourage it. In fact in some places it has full government approval - at Martigue ( near Marseilles ) for instance - where many years ago the town council gave a large section of the waterfront to the local naturist organisation.   

There are unofficial nudist places on almost every beach along this coast, but others are official, long established and well known throughout the naturist world.  The distance from St Maxime to Hyeres is only about 40 miles but it will take you through some beautiful and unusual seaside places , pretty little harbours and unspoilt beaches.  

Beginning at St Maxime on the N98,  Beauvallon, the official naturist beach is easy to find ( located right opposite the golf course ) but not really my cup of tea.  It’s a bit like Brighton with less stones and more sunshine , but nevertheless  is a very useful place for naturists that live in this quite large town and the many holiday visitors who for one reason or another are unable to go any further a-field.

 

A little further down the coast is St Tropez , which in spite of what the media say about it I don’t think has really changed all that much since my first visit there as a young teenager.   There are three naturist beaches on the long stretch of sands called Pampelone, and if you are feeling particularly well off, Neptune will be the one to choose. 

 

Unusually for a naturist beach, Neptune has every imaginable facility  – shaded parking , toilets,  showers and even a place to tidy yourself up and dress before leaving for home.  You can even order up your chilled wine and sun loungers by phone, so that they will be waiting for you when you arrive.  The restaurant is fabulous and the whole thing seems to go on sometimes well into the long summer evenings.  It’s the kind of place you could really get used to.

 

On leaving St Tropez ,  fork left on to the D559 and just a few kilometres further on is the little village of la Croix Valmer.  I have very  nostalgic memories of this little holiday village as it is where I first discovered naturism with my young family more years ago than I like to remember.   Its just a short drive down to the plage d’embarcation ( where the Americans landed at the end of WW2 ) and the beachside restaurant where my little girls ate their first moules mariniere – a huge bucket full between them.  Walk along the sands for about a kilometre and you will come to the naturist section – still nice but not as wild as it was in those days.  An alternative route is to continue driving along the D559 towards Cavalaire sur mer until you see the remains of the old open air theatre on your left.  Go down the track by the side of the building as far as you can until you reach a space to park then carry on walking the short distance to the beach.

                                                                                        Spectacular Views

 

From Cavalaire it’s only about 12 kilometres along a winding and  twisting road to the tiny resort village of Cavaliere ( confusing isn’t it ) and on the journey some of the most spectacular views of the Mediterranean imaginable.  Here and there are regular stopping places where it’s safe to rest a while and take plenty of photographs for the family album.   It only takes a minute or two to pass right through the resort and go straight ahead at the small roundabout.  After only a few hundred yards you will see an old iron railway bridge and steps on the right hand side  and immediately past this on the left there are parking spaces for fifty cars or more right on the paved kerbside.  There is a very special beach here , which I’ll come back to later on in this feature , but for the moment let us continue on this imaginary journey. 

 

Passing through la Fossette and St Clair with even more superb views across the sea you soon arrive at the small port of le Lavandou. It has its own little beach,  but its much more exciting to leave your car at the port and take the thirty minute high speed boat ride to spend the day at the naturist Island of  Levant.

 

The next port of call on the coast road is Bormes les Mimosas , so called after the profusion of these sweet smelling yellow flowered shrubs which grow everywhere along this stretch of the countryside.   The town of Bormes itself is in the forested hills above the nature reserve of Trapan a vast wilderness of land sticking out into the sea.   The beaches here , lined with palm trees are so like the South Seas that it was chosen to make the famous “ Bounty “ coconut bar advertisement.  

Hyeres. 

At Bormes the D559 rejoins the N98 and continues towards Hyeres,  the last place on my list.  Hyeres became very popular with the British after Queen Victoria spent a few winter holidays there and by the look of their publicity material the town council has never forgotten it.  It has a naturist beach ( les Salins ),  which is easy to find and in spite of it’s rather barren appearance is apparently quite popular with both residents and visitors. 

                                                                     le Layet

And now let us travel back to towards Cavaliere and the naturist beach of le Layet , one of our favourite places and for me is the best fish restaurant in the whole world . 

                                                         Chemin litteral 

The French Government have spent millions of Euro’s on renewing and maintaining the chemin litteral ( the pathways that stretch almost the whole length of this coastline ) and here at Layet is one of the best examples of their hard work.    If you fancy a little stroll before hitting the beach, park as far away from the iron bridge as you can before finding the rocky path that leads through the cooling shade of the pines and green oaks that line it.  

If you have time to spare take a short detour around  cap Negre before returning to the main path and gradually descending to sea level. 

   

Little wisps of blue smoke rising through the trees tell you that you are now approaching the beach,  joined as you get a bit closer by the most amazing aroma of freshly caught fish cooking on the burning coals of an open air  barbecue in the restaurant just below.   This truly heavenly kind of place must surely be naturism at its very best.

 

And if this little lot hasn’t got your imagination going – then nothing will.   

 

copyright m.m. 2013.

OUT AND ABOUT IN LONDON - 2

November 2013

The British Museum and Islington N1.

I had some business to attend to in Islington, but as it was a dingy rainy morning decided to stop off on the way at The British Museum and take in their current exhibition entitled SHUNGA -  Sex and Pleasure in Japanese art . 

                                                                                  Shunga

The easiest approach to the museum is via the aptly named Museum Street which runs roughly south to north almost from Covent Garden to Bloomsbury and takes you right to the main entrance.     Its quite a narrow street with lots of interesting little shops , cafes and galleries – all independents, you’ll find no Starbucks or Bodyshops here -  along the way.     At the Covent Garden end on the corner of Endell Street is The Oasis Sports Centre providing London’s only all year round outdoor heated swimming pool.   Owned and operated by Camden Council it’s been here for more than fifty years and has just undergone an expensive re-fit.  

 

As a 17 year old I worked in the old Billingsgate Market starting  at five in the morning and usually finishing at about 11 a.m., then after a good clean up in a local Turkish baths spending the rest of the day wandering about the West End and Soho with a few of my mates .   We spent  many a summer afternoon by the rooftop pool  at The Oasis ogling the glamorous bikini clad chorus girls – and the occasional star- from nearby theatre-land lying out on the terraces hoping to get a bit of  sun to their bodies.  

On the corner where Museum Street crosses High Holborn is James Smith & Sons , an absolutely unique place commonly known as The Umbrella Shop .  Still a family owned business with it’s original polished wood and glass Victorian shop front , it sells every kind of umbrella, walking stick, mace and cane imaginable.  They also have a highly skilled workforce able to repair broken or damaged items , including old or antique pieces , a service I found quite useful  when we opened our Antique Centre in the 1960’s.  

 

Like the majority of London Museums, entrance to the general exhibits at the British Museum is free  , but they usually make a charge for special events like the Shunga  which probably goes towards the general overheads of running the place.   It’s a bit difficult to find things sometimes in this museum and over the past few years there always seems to be some kind of building work going on, but I was very impressed with the show which as well as having a nice display – some of which was very sexually explicit – also documented the cultural and social history behind this kind of art.  

 

I have quite a collection of this genre,  not original of course but  lots of small prints and pictures that I’ve picked up in little galleries and street markets over the years in the oddest of places ,which surprisingly included much smaller versions of a couple of the exhibits.  

   

Most of the early examples of SHUNGA (meaning reclining postures ) were destroyed by the ravages or war, fire or earthquakes  so the majority of what is available nowadays dates only from the 17^th and 18^th centuries .   Visitors to this fascinating exhibition cannot help but notice that in all these finely detailed illustrations the Japanese penis is always depicted far in excess of its real size. 

 

 Contrary to popular belief this has nothing at all to do with sexual boasting , but simply the veneration of the phallus as the symbol of life and power as expressed in ancient Japanese customs and worship.   Modern writers often make note of this fact without seeming to notice ( or mention ) that this male feature is perfectly balanced by an equal emphasis on the female sex organs which are also represented in a similar kind of magnification.  

Thankfully the rain had stopped by the time I had finished my tour of the exhibition and I was soon on my way by underground to The Angel , Islington , an area named after a coaching inn originally built in the late 15^th century, a more recent version of which still stands at this busy junction.  

There used to be a large and very popular centre for antiques here called The Camden Passage Antique Centre , until this part of the area was redeveloped some years  ago .  Although the covered market has long gone, many of the original shops and outside stalls still remain in the old Camden Passage and little lanes that are adjacent to it.  

In some ways it’s now better than it used to be, with an interesting and varied selection of goods for sale , mostly at affordable prices but also including a fair amount of higher end and specialised objects of art and antiques , amongst them a shop called Japanese Gallery who have a large selection  of antique and modern Japanese prints for sale.    Ask to see their selection of erotic prints and you may well find an excellent  copy of something you have just seen at the British Museum – as I did.

Feeling a bit peckish after my mornings travels I decided to pop into The Breakfast Club just a few doors up from the gallery, for a quick bite to eat and drink before making my last call .  It’s part of a  small,  independently owned chain which began life in 2005 and now has five branches in London , although each one still retains the old fashioned style of personal service. 

 

Although there is one much nearer to me I prefer the Angel Cafe  where a  trio of the most delightful young women provide a perfect combination of good food and a friendly  atmosphere. The groups  amusing advertising slogan – “ everyone loves a big sausage in the morning”   plus a lifesize picture of a smiling Elvis Presley at the door puts  a smile on your face even before you get around to ordering your food. 

After my final call – to a large specialist showroom not far away selling just about every kind of artist’s materials – down came the rain again and I was glad to get back home in the warm.  

OUT AND ABOUT IN LONDON.

OUT AND ABOUT IN LONDON is basically a column that I used to write for a local paper that was entitled ‘My East End – The Old and The New’ and  I have kept on with it over the years just for my journals.  I usually stay  roughly within the E1/City Boundaries but venture a little further afield from time to time.  Every month I will try and add something that I hope will be interesting on to this HEADER. 

Sept 2013.

Brick Lane and Spitalfields. 

We still get the occasional visitors from abroad or even other parts of the UK who have never visited this part of London before and if they are here for long enough try to interest them in a local day out.  Short sweet and to the point – and more importantly only a five minute bus ride away - it takes in architecture , art , antiques , multi-cultural history , horror , fashion and food all in one easy walkabout. 

 

As we  get off the number 25 bus on the south side of Whitechapel High Street ,  across the road and just about still inside the E1 boundary standing out amongst some of the old remaining rag trade showrooms and fast food stores  is The Whitechapel Art Gallery. This fine looking red brick building,  a masterpiece of Art Nouveau design has been a recognised piece of art history almost from the moment it opened in 1901 bringing the high and mighty from the worlds of art and finance to this impoverished part of the East End of London – and now after a 2 year and 13.5 million pound regeneration and extension it still does. 

                                                                   Piccasso's Guernica

Funded by wealthy philanthropists  it began life in 1891 as The Whitechapel Library. Ten years later the main Gallery was added on to the existing building and with a fanfare of publicity and works by Constable , Rubens and Hogarth  the official opening of the new art gallery took place in 1901.   Over the passing years The Whitechapel Gallery  has  hosted work by some of the worlds most celebrated artists.  Artworks by many radical artists from all over the world were given space here alongside the more conventional and perhaps better known artisans and just a few of the famous names have that have  exhibited here including Modigliani , Frida Kahlo and Jackson Pollock.  Picasso also had an exhibition of his own work as well as a very special one in 1939, when his famous picture Guernica hung in the main gallery as part of an international anti-war statement. 

 

In spite of its renown , unlike the majority of other museum or galleries I have been to over the years  it has  retained a certain atmosphere of ordinariness , making it a comfortable place for people from all walks of life.   Although it now boasts a very posh restaurant as part of the new building works - with matching prices of course - the French style bistro upstairs where I still take the occasional lunch is still very much as it was , with laid back service , serving lovely food and excellent wine all at very affordable prices.  

                                                         Brick Lane by night.

Only about 50 yards along the road from the museum is Osborne Street , just a short road which very quickly turns into that well known East End highway Brick Lane,  also known nowadays as Banglatown.   A bit of an unfair description as far as I am concerned, as although there are now lots of Indian and Bangladeshi  restaurants along this long avenue, plenty of the old shops selling trendy and vintage gear still remain.

This part of London was a regular hang out for me in my teenage years, where no matter what time of the day ( or night ) you could always find something interesting to do ,to eat or to drink - and you probably still can.  Almost at the top of the lane is the Jewish bakery that opened its doors in 1901 , exactly the same year that the Whitechapel  Gallery did theirs .  Veer to the left and keep on going and you will eventually come to Club Row, notorious in days gone by for its dodgy antiques bought in the early hours of the morning while it was still pitch dark,  as well as almost every kind of animal and bird - from huge parrots to cuddly little puppies and pussies.  The animals are long gone, but you can still find the oddest of things for sale here on a Sunday morning.

                                                                    Fournier Street.

About half way down The Lane a few narrow streets on the left hand side will take you into an area known as Spitalfields.  All very similar in appearance but with a veritable wealth of fine quality architecture my favourite is Fournier Street.   The houses here date mainly from the 1720s and  with their fine wooden panelling and elaborate joinery such as carved staircases, fireplaces and highly detailed door-cases form one of the most important and best preserved collections of early Georgian town-houses in Britain. They were originally occupied by French Huguenot  immigrants, wealthy craftsmen who brought with them their masterful skills of spinning fine silks.    The silk for Queen Victoria's Coronation gown was woven  right here - at Howard House - number 14 Fournier Street.  

At the Western end of Fournier Street and opposite the new Spitalfields Market is the magnificent Christ Church designed by Nicholas Hawksmoor and built in the mid-1870’s. At the other end is The Ten Bells public house, notorious for its connection with Jack the Ripper during the 1880s. Two of his unfortunate victims were seen here just before their mutilated bodies were discovered and all five of his victims lived close by.   So there you are – the holy , the historic and the horrific - all in less than 100 yards.  

Town House - number 5 Fournier Street has been carefully restored to it’s original splendour and during the daytime visitors can actually get inside and take a good look around. That’s because  some absolutely delightful and fascinating people have made a home and a business in this wonderful historic and  elegant house.  There are three galleries on the ground floor with an eclectic and tasteful collection of antiques and curios for sale and old china, glasses and colourful modern pottery  in the downstairs kitchen, where they also serve a selection of nice teas, coffees and cakes.   I always call in for a quick cuppa and relaxing sit down when passing by.  There is also a separate apartment which is available to let for short stays in this almost perfect location.  

 

Only a few hundred yards away on the other side of Commercial Street is the old and the new Spitalfields Market , a vast collection of shops and stalls selling about everything under the sun, plus  restaurants of just about every size and style from the gastronomic to the really ghastly. ENJOY.

 

New Spitalfields Market.                

 

 

 

 

EXOTICA to EROTICA – Tobacco Dock 1814 – 2013.

EXOTICA to EROTICA – Tobacco Dock 1814 – 2013. 

As the classy red Ferraris, the noisy Porches and the sleek black limos speed down The Highway in East London, taking their owners and passengers from their posh Canary Wharf apartments or the new Docklands  Airport into the heart of the City, they pass by a most remarkable and quite unique building.   But most of them won’t even notice it or even know that it’s there, for just like the proverbial iceberg only 5% of it is visible, the remainder hidden behind a old redbrick  wall or buried deep below the ground. 

Constructed two hundred years ago, this vast complex of secure covered warehouses with it’s amazing ironwork and distinctive underground vaults, in the years that followed went on to make the already wealthy merchants and traders of The City of London even richer than they were before.  Originally the world centre for the sale and distribution of tobacco - hence its name - it eventually became a bonded warehouse for millions of pounds worth of the most exotic and extensive range of goods from all over the world , including rare spices , fine wines and cognacs , quicksilver , and lavish animal skins -  to name just a few .

The rapid decline of The London Docks began in the late 1960’s and was soon followed by all those industries that relied upon them. The areas immediately surrounding the docks -including the entire Tobacco Dock site - fell into decay and disrepair and were effectively ignored and neglected for many years afterwards.

                                                                first stage of renovation

 When trade began to pick up in the 1980’s, two local entrepreneurs with a keen eye for regeneration bought Tobacco Dock and spent millions of pounds on a sympathetic and authentic restoration of this magnificent heritage site to its original splendour. The plan was to create a high class shopping and leisure centre blending a few major specialist retailers with an eclectic mix of niche businesses and artisan crafts.   It was an immediate success – I know as our family business were one of the very first occupants – but after only a year disaster struck.  In the midst of a general financial downturn the Natwest Bank foreclosed on the new owners who had no other option than to go into liquidation.  

                                                                   A thriving retail site

Despite the fact that the real value was in excess of £100 million the site was quickly sold off for a paltry £11 million to a Kuwaiti investment company.  Left in some kind of limbo, all the tenants packed up and left, licking their financial wounds – and once again this incredibly important historical building went into shutdown mode  – and remained that way  for the next twenty years.  To give them their due the Kuwaiti owners did take very good care of the building, employing full time specialist management and security staff to keep it in tip top condition over the years. 

I only live a short distance away and each time I walked past I hoped to see some kind of activity taking place, but over two long decades virtually nothing changed - that is until the middle of 2012 when right out of the blue one morning I saw a huge convoy of army trucks pulling into the front of the canal side entrance.  Around two thousand soldiers were staying inside the protected confines of Tobacco Dock while providing specialist security for The London Olympics, which they did with typical British style and panache. 

 

I was hoping against hope that this would be the start of something new for this wonderful place and I didn’t have too long to wait.     It had set off a wind of change which hopefully will continue and for the first time in more than twenty years we found ourselves back inside Tobacco Dock this time for the 18^th annual London EROTICA SHOW.

                                                                            Dream On.

I wondered how this unusual exhibition would successfully transfer from one completely different kind of venue to another, but in the event was not at all disappointed.  Savvas  Christodoulou and the amazing team responsible for the considerable organisation needed to put this unique show on the road had done it again and would no doubt congratulate themselves on yet another success. 

                                                                    Its not ALL about sex.

 I have spoken to many people over the years who have initially thought that this exhibition is only about sex - and yes, well in a way it is – as indeed are so many facets of life nowadays – but the word erotic can take many and varied forms.   The show is exceptionally well organised, the venues always clean, bright and interesting and bad behaviour of any kind is  not tolerated at all. In fact many newly formed small businesses have used the exhibition either to launch or promote their product/service and some ( remember the film ‘Kinky Boots’ ?) have gone on to find fame and fortune.  Proud  Cabaret, who were in the 2010 exhibition to showcase their newly opened ‘London City’ luxury nightclub are another good example. Since then they have opened two more equally luxurious venues, one in nearby Camden and the other in Brighton

                                                                            Or nudity !

There is usually some kind of link to the naturist lifestyle.   I didn’t see so much of it this year but there were one or two smaller business that I have seen here before and one I haven’t -but do know about.    Holidays4couples www.holiday4couples.com is owned and run by an  Englishman , who together with his charming wife have been the owners of a very smart and sophisticated hotel and leisure complex in South West France for almost twenty years.   Described in their brochures as a place of sexual freedom designed to bring together liberated people of all nationalities to meet and have fun in a stunning location, they describe prospective guests as intelligent laid back people who are open minded and non –judgemental about other peoples sexuality.  Peter told me that over the passing years the hotel has attracted a small number of naturist visitors whom he assures me have all enjoyed their holiday, as the hotel publicity and website make it very clear to all guests that that there is no obligation for anyone to become sexually involved and that the primary motivation is on atmosphere and enjoyment.  

                                                                 Holidays 4 Couples

I never ceased to be amazed at what people get up to in the attempt to satisfy or stimulate  their sexual desires.    Each year what I would call the Bizarre section includes items for sale which  almost defy explanation or reason and this show was no exception.  I have seen just about everything going – from adult babies to training girls to dress up as horses and pull carriages around – but The Dogs Bolloxx was just about the strangest one of all time.   It seems that the popular fetish trend this year is to have a human pet, complete in full realistic costume – primarily a dog but it appears that almost anything will do - and this new business is there to supply every conceivable kind of accessory imaginable. Off the shelf or made to measure, from bones to biscuits and other things quite peculiar even to me.   Oh well – that’s life - and I am assured that the RSPCA  are not at all bothered !!!.  

 

While thousands of eager visitors, many of them trying to outdo each other in their style of exotic dress still queue to get in , those already inside the area making their way amongst the fascinating    displays and exhibition stands,  begin to move to the throbbing music that heralds the start of the first of the truly amazing LIVE STAGE SHOWTIME events.

                                                             Bernadette & Victy.

This is one of the highlights of Erotica , a series of cabaret , dance and fetish performance taking in 28 shows on three stages over the three day event.   London is fast becoming a centre for burlesque and Erotica has always put on a good show, but this year was the absolute best.  In fact I would go so far as to say that the Burlesque section hosted by an amazing couple Bernadette & Vickty , calling themselves East End Cabaret  - funny sexy and rude , but never crude - was the best show I have seen anywhere, for many years if not ever.   As well as their own act, East End Cabaret  ( www.eastendcabaret.com ) hosted the main burlesque show and also organise regular gigs  of their own held in a venue actually in the East End – a very affordable and a must see event.  I understand people come from all over the South of England to see them and I am not at all surprised.  

                                                                        Its a dogs life !!

But that’s not the end for Erotica of course, only the beginning – because the end of one show means the start of the next.  As soon as the Xmas holidays are over The Team are once again hard at work, out and about seeking out and discovering new and exciting products, new faces,  innovative ideas and interesting and talented people -  the very best they can find from all over the UK and even further afield who will become an essential part of the next  show– EROTICA 2014 – and held at Tobacco Dock I hope.  

 

From Erotica 2010.