BRIGITTE BARDOT

more participants at Jenny Matlock's Alphabet Thursday

Letter B

When I was about 18, I started to admire Brigitte Bardot, because she was just the opposite of all the classical Hollywood beauties and was called a mixture between woman and child.



She created a completely new look for young women, with her long wildly in the wind blowing hairs and had not the sophisticated hairdoes of actresses like Marilyn Monroe or Liz Taylor. To me she represented the female freedom. Of course she was the scum of the earth to most of the women because their husbands cross eyed on Brigitte's pictures and also of her "immoral" life style.

I think nobody in the early 60 realized that this girl was also extremely intelligent, she was taken for a "new look " stupid blond. She dared to do with her life what she wanted and had also to pay dearly for her celebrity. She was hunted by Paparazzis and surrounded by men who all wanted only one thing .... sleep with her.

Finally Brigitte Bardot withdrew to the seclusion of Southern France where she had bought an old farm house which she had called La Madrague in Saint-Tropez in May 1958, where she tried to live a normal life. Not for long however, Paparazzis were quickly there.

And from this day on everybody of the jet set or the new richs wanted to spend their holidays in St. Tropez. I remember that it was a real "Must" to go there at least once. Of course in the 60th people couldn't travel like they wanted there was not enough money for that.



"La Madrague" by BB

When I visted Claudie last week and she proposed that we go to St. Tropez together with her sister and family, I was enthralled, 50 years later I finally would see St. Tropez which had been Brigitte Bardot's refuge for so many years.

What a disappointment ! There are so many people that I almost felt like in a supermarket on a saturday morning and it was in the middle of the week not even high season ! Crowds and crowds of people from all social classes were there walking on each others feet. It must be a nightmare to go there in high season !

From Brigitte Bardot of course I only saw a few posters and "La Madrague" had been transformed by her to a refugee for animals. Anyway all villas of famous stars were probably also protected by high walls and it would have been like driving through Beverly Hills where the walls are also painted in white. We didn't take the sightseeing boat for that !



Along the habour, restaurants, cafés, boutiques and the crowd



To sit here on the terrace of this patisserie and salon-de-the "Sénéquier" which is located at the heart of St.Tropez is also a "must". Years ago famous actors or jet set people sat here too. Now it's rather seldom to see one. But it is a perfect place to people watch while enjoying an afternoon coffee or ice cream. Despite having been around for 120 years it is still of the moment.

Karl Lagerfeld just recently premiered his Chanel Resort 2011 show here.
I am not sad that I missed this event, I would rather have prefered to see BB, although she has become a rather quaint person and is rarely seen in public.



Instead, after a walk through St. Tropez' little streets we had a wonderful picnic with rice salad, french bread, fruits and cheese on a bench under shady trees and could watch Petanque playing people.But even there we had to hurry to get a bench for all of us. After our picnic we went back to the habor and had an ice cream with coffee at Häagen-Dazs.

I didn't meet Brigitte Bardot, but my dream was also 50 years old !

More about Brigitte Bardot if you wish.