Jul 03, 2018
Our first full day in Nice – June 1st
Nice and the French Riviera in all its glory. Thanks for doing the panoramic stitch Colin as well as taking the photos.
The Massena Square Fountain is where we started our free walking tour. Despite having prebooked many others had not and our numbers were very high and it was too late to call in another guide. However our guide was beyond excellent and managed the large group perfectly.
There were many extras to observe as we walked.
She was a local begging for money in the cap at her feet. Very laid back about it all. Love her leather shoes.
We did a lot of walking including the flower market, the Opera House ( sadly there was nothing playing while we where there ), the Cours Saleya market, Galerie des Ponchettes, the Belanda tower, Rossetti square and much more.
We stopped in this square for an ice cream cone that had any flavor you could imagine including Baileys, chewing gum, milk flower, chili chocolate, jasmine, lavender, rhubarb, tomato basil and avocado.
The house where Paganini lived.
Apparently he would play his violin all night long and drive his neighbors crazy with the sounds he produced including screeching cats.
The tour then climbed up Castle Hill even though most of the original Chateau de Nice structure has crumbled away, tourists still climb the hundreds of steps to reach the stellar view from its peak which has magnificent views of Nice in all directions. This is the port. I was not able to climb but found the free elevator that went to the top.
Colin zoomed in on this unusual yacht.
The tour ended up on the hill and we walked down at our own pace. The beach looks inviting does it not?
Look again. How comfortable would it be to lie on those large pebbles? Yet they all do.
It was time for lunch. Still cool enough that I needed my sweater sitting in the sun. Everyone during our entire time in Europe told us how unseasonably cool and wet it was. We had gallettes/crepes, Colin with an egg on top and mine was made with 3 or 4 local cheeses.
In addition to French there are other languages prominent across the area and on the south coast of France that includes Latin, which was the official language in Nice and other coastal areas until the middle of the 16th century when Italian became the language of the government. Whilst French is its official language today, the Niçard dialect which has its origins in the city’s Italian roots, is still spoken by a minority and remains on street signs in Niçard in the old centre.
Speaking of signs, this one shows how many empty parking spots there are in these areas. The Corvesy parkade is full.
A lovely area to walk through.
Interesting door knocker.
So much to take in.
So many narrow and twisting streets.
The odd RV. We walked for hours and hours.
We went back to our apartment for a wee break and then back out again. Many restaurants to chose from.
We finally settled here. I had a delicious eggplant pizza while Colin really enjoyed his salmon pasta. Yes still pizza and pasta but on an entire different level than Italy.
I was coughing so much that I had to order a brandy at 12 Euro 😯 which helped just a tiny bit. I had also purchased cough syrup and special lozenges earlier in the day. Including wine the dinner came to 47.50 Euro, about 74.00 CAD. Not too bad as we had a 50 Euro daily budget. The food was excellent.
Once back home we started to plan the next day and realized that we had to make a change in our plans. Stay tuned for that on the next post. It was a very rough night for me. I had to sleep on the sofa with several pillows to prop me up. As I lay there coughing I recalled a bottle of vodka that someone had left behind. Up I got and took a few solid slugs. I was finally able to sleep a bit. Fortunately I have come a long way in the last month.
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Your photos really capture your trip. Beautiful.
Thank you.
Lovely photos of many beautiful places – so much color – thank you Colin. I loved the look of the pebble beach – they would be so warm in summer but perhaps really treacherous to walk over. Your Pizza looked delicious, Contessa.
The rocks were not stable and we could see people struggling. I just can’t see myself laying on a towel over those rocks.
Wonderful photos–thanks for including food pics. I’ve seen variations of the door knocker in Mexico, likely in San Miguel.
I have been holding back on the food pics as so many don’t like them.
What lovely small/narrow streets n beautiful buildings!!
Isn’t that a huge pizza???
That is the standard one meal serving. Pizza there is much different than the pizza you eat.
Wow!..Looking at that Pizza-pie….Of course mine would have meat on it, and no veggies!
Upriverdavid
Pizza is very different in Europe. I will expand on another post.