Nice is nice

How does one see the sights on the French Riviera without getting in a traffic jam and also find a carpark when they arrive at their destination? Answer – take the train! Well it works if you are going to Nice. Through the train window we had a taste of life on the Cote d’Azur during summer. Beaches were crowded, jet skis were doing wheelies, every type of craft was on the water and some of the huge yachts and cabin cruisers were out and about. One that went by was like a small cruise ship, maybe it belonged to Bill Gates! There were plenty of marinas with large and small yachts and some magnificent villas on the cliffs looking out to see. That’s where the other half lives! The Mediterranean was not bright blue at all. In fact Lake Titicaca was much brighter with its brilliant cobalt blue colour. The roads were chock-a-block with cars and motor homes jamming the intersections and we felt glad to be looking down on it and not part of it.

Vieux Nice (Old Nice) was the main attraction for us. Nearly everything in it is over 200 years old and some of the churches are Our first square was Palais Plaza, filled with cafes and protected by the huge Palais de Justice building. We collapsed into some chairs and ordered salads and drinks and soon started to feel better. It was incredibly hot. We started our walk at the flower market and walked all around the narrow, shadowy streets, into cosy squares, past baroque churches and a jumble of pastel houses, trying to follow a map but not worrying if we got lost. The sense of discovery with each corner turned was exciting and our cameras were working overtime. It looked and felt much as it must have long ago. There were plenty of small shops and galleries, along with ice cream bars with 50 amazing flavours (rose, lavender, violet, basil, cactus to name a few) and outside clothing shops were racks of Nice trend wear. And places to eat!!! There must be more outdoor café seats per square kilometre in Nice than in any other city in the world. A rough estimate would be between 5000-8000. Even a laneway only 6 feet wide would have a line of tables and chairs up against the wall and a waiter serving.
People watching in Nice is interesting. The first thing you notice is that most people wandering around are eating ice creams. Everyone is very casually dressed and no matter what your age, shape or size you must wear the current trend in clothes. This year it is very short strapless dresses with shirring across the bust. Not for me! No one looks chic. Women show off their cleavage and men generally wear knee length shorts and canvas shoes and have collar length hair and sunglasses. Even balding men! Locals walk dogs of all breeds.
Another interesting observation is that Nice is a city of apartments. For approximately 20 km from the city centre there are no houses at all, only quite high apartment buildings ranging from plain to quite attractive with wrought iron balconies and shutters. Then came some modest houses and by the time we approached Cannes it was back to apartments again.
Nice is a really fun city and one I would love to explore in October or any cooler month when the crowds are not there. Yes Nice is very nice.