The title „Beauty is not a luxury“ might already sound a little provocative. Especially when we are talking about the Côte d’Azur. The South of France is often seen as the epitome of luxury, but that‘s not what this blog post is about. It’s about our need for beauty. I would even say: it’s a basic human need that we carry within us. It was here, at Villa Rothschild in Cannes, that I truly became aware of it. Most people travel to the Côte d’Azur for the beaches, the Cannes Film Festival, or the feeling of a luxurious lifestyle. I love the Côte d’Azur not because of all that, but because of the incredible beauty of its coastline, because of the many charming places like Ramatuelle, the picturesque hidden bays of Le Lavandou and because of the unique 1960s atmosphere that has been beautifully preserved here. Places like Villa Rothschild in Cannes fascinate me not only because of their beauty and grandeur but because they tell the story of a time when beauty itself was considered a value: the Belle Époque. And that is exactly why, for me, the Côte d’Azur is one of the most beautiful destinations in Europe and a place everyone should experience at least once.

CÔTE D’AZUR – THE EMBODIMENT OF THE BELLE ÉPOQUE

My personal need for beauty and aesthetics is huge. It almost physically affects me when I have to live in an environment that doesn’t feel beautiful for a longer period of time. I can‘t truly relax until everything around me is arranged in a way that feels beautiful to me. When I first came to the Côte d’Azur many years ago, I immediately thought: This is my paradise! I have found it! At the end of the 19th century, a world emerged on the Côte d’Azur where architecture, gardens and landscapes created an incredibly beautiful, harmonious vision that still exists as a legend of that era today. Back then, people did not simply want to build houses. They wanted to create beauty. From this attitude, a philosophy of lightness, carefree living and pure vitality developed. That‘s at least how I personally perceive it. The Côte d’Azur has remained a symbol of authenticity and immediacy, of the effortless feeling of life and of sensuality. Because above all, the sun and the sea bring one thing with them: a sense of sensuality.

This is also my number one recipe for finding myself again when everyday stress and the constant rush of life make me lose touch with who I am. Living in a big city inevitably brings this with it. The only thing that helps is reconnecting with your body, grounding yourself and shifting from a purely rational mindset back to a more holistic way of experiencing the world. Often, it’s the smallest things that make the difference: smelling your coffee, feeling the sun on your skin, having that light muscle soreness after a workout, laughing, loving, living. And the absolutely most effective remedy is: going to the Côte d’Azur.

TRAVELING IS AN INVESTMENT – IN YOURSELF, IN YOUR QUALITY OF LIFE, IN THE FUTURE

But the actual topic is why the Côte d’Azur is a place everyone should experience. Because it gives you exactly that: sunshine, the sea, the breeze, the feeling of endless summer and the lightness of life. It is no coincidence that my favorite author Françoise Sagan brought the Parisian bohemian scene to Saint-Tropez in the early 1950s, and since then this former fishing village has become one of the most famous places in the world. This place is truly magical, and every time I am here, I recharge my batteries in a way that lasts me at least another six months back home in Munich.

Today, we are constantly optimizing our time. Everyone knows the pressure of trying to achieve everything at once. We have become incredibly good at optimizing our lives; we are true masters of efficiency and self-efficacy but unfortunately, very often stressed precisely because of that. Back then, people invested time in beauty. They took the time not only to live, but also to create beautiful things. Without constantly questioning themselves and without falling victim to the invisible censorship of the present day. This is exactly what the Côte d’Azur gives back when you are there: precisely what we often no longer find in our stressful cities, with our delivery services and perfectly organized transport systems. This is the real secret: to truly arrive in life, you have to make time for it. Time to go to the market, buy fresh seafood and vegetables, and pick up a raspberry tart at the pâtisserie. Time to look at the sky for a whole fifteen minutes, listen to the waves hitting the pier, feel the sand beneath your feet. And this is exactly how time creates space for beauty. Those who have time and do not constantly have to rush will see beauty everywhere.

After many journeys, I am convinced that beauty is not optional. It is not a luxury, not a nice-to-have, not an unnecessary addition to life, but a deep human need. Churchill once said „We shape our buildings, thereafter they shape us“ and this quote is not only about architecture. Our surroundings have a direct impact on us and on our well-being. Otherwise, this timeless pursuit of beauty would never have existed, and the world would have become purely functional instead of being filled with art, architecture and beautiful places. The desire for beauty and the need to create and experience something beautiful is perhaps one of the things that connects people across all times and cultures more than anything else. And this is exactly the central theme of my blog. I do not write about travel itineraries and locations, nor about brands and consumption, but about beauty and the topic that is so closely connected to it: quality of life. Here on my blog, you will not find travel routes, information about parking spaces or ticket prices. Instead, you will find the feeling you get when you travel to a certain place. I truly hope that I can convey what makes these places special and inspire you for your next journey.

“Let me be surrounded by luxury,
I can do without the necessities”

Oscar Wilde

Of course, beauty is a luxury. But not because of its price. The sunshine, the sound of the sea and the breathtaking sunsets on the Côte d’Azur are available to everyone for free. And Villa Rothschild in Cannes is also open to everyone as a public library. The true luxury lies in the value of all these experiences. A luxury one should never give up. People treat themselves to journeys. They invest in art, they buy flowers, they make their homes beautiful but why? All of these things are temporary and not necessarily essential. I have found my own answer to this question: all these impressions change us. They make us better. More open. More free. They become a lasting source of energy that inspires us, motivates us and moves us forward.

And this is something I, just like Oscar Wilde, would never want to give up.

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