Hello kids!! Do I look tanner to you? Hahaha, just kidding but I am a little burnt. Leave it to me to not bring any sunscreen on my trip to the sunny south of France. Mat just left to head back to the airport. I can't believe I brought my camera to work, but forgot the cord to upload the pictures. Will do it tomorrow for sure.
We had such a wonderful time. It's a really beautiful place and I would suggest you guys go!! We flew Easyjet which was really nice. We headed to Aéroport Nice Côte d'Azur and when we landed it was sunny and it never stopped! We got there Friday morning. We took a bus to the hotel but missed our stop (everything was in French!). But we ended up walking back to our hotel through Old Town Nice or Vieux Nice. It was really cute, little streets, lots of outdoor cafes, etc etc. We walked along the water and got to our hotel which was really nice and centrally located. We dropped our bags off, grabbed a map and started exploring.
Our hotel was right along the Le Cours Saleya. Every morning (except Mondays which is an antiques market) it's a fruit and vegetable market and, throughout the day, the famous flower market. Lots of restaurants align on either side. Big crowds in the mornings, everyone getting their food for the day or for the week. Lots and lots of veggies, fruits, fresh fish, olive oil, spices, flower flowers and more flowers. It was really lovely.
Next we wandered up le Parc du Château. There used to be a castle here that overlooked the port and harbour. It was a fabulous 200-step climb straight up with great views of Nice's shoreline and Old Town. It was a beautiful park at the top with grassy areas, playgrounds, waterfalls and ancient Roman ruins. It was really amazing.
Next we walked along the water and decided to take a little dip. There is not much of a "beach". It's very rocky and no sand in sight. But the people of Nice didn't really care. Oh yeah, it's topless as well so that was interesting!! We grabbed our towels and lay on the beach, took a nap, tried not to stare at the topless old ladies! The water was FREEZING cold so we just stuck our feet in for like 2.2 seconds but it was still nice to be in the Mediterranean Sea!
After a quick shower we grabbed a freshly baked beget and a hunk of cheese from La Paulette (a local cheese guy) and went to a great spot to watch the sunset. We walked along to the port side and saw all the big boats and yachts. The rest of the night we didn't do much but eat really good food and drink really good wine.
Saturday we got an assortment of French pastries and headed for the train station. We took a short 15-20 min train ride to Monaco. The train went right along the water the entire time. It was some amazing views. We walked all around Monaco till our legs were going to fall off. It was a cute little city with expensive taste!! Lots of hot cars, driving really fast, lots of fancy people all dressed up, casinos, Prada, yachts bigger yachts and even bigger yachts, etc etc. They were getting ready for the Monaco Grand Prix in May. We hiked up to the Prince's Palace and wonder around there. Lots of pretty views. After spending most of the day in Monaco, we headed back to Nice. I dragged a tired Mat to some Russian cathedral that we couldn't even go in. It was pretty but we were so tired. Went back for a nap.
Earlier that day we had found that the Nice football/soccer team was in one of the final games in the World Cup playoffs. They were showing the game, on a huge TV in the middle of Place Massena, in the middle of town. All the cars and scooters were driving around honking and waving flags. So Mat HAD to buy a Nice soccer jersey and flag. We went and ate dinner then went and joined in the soccer party. It was CRAZY!! The crowd went crazy when the team scored a goal. Setting off fireworks and flares. The team scored two more goals but they were called back and Nice eventually lost. We got some wine and went to the beach. Too bad someone (me) bought wine that needed a CORKSCREW! So it took some major work to get it open but we eventually did. It was a really fun day.
Sunday was the Nice Marathon. We had seen them preparing all weekend long in the park across from our hotel. They ran right below out hotel so that was fun. After another French pastry filled breakfast we just walked around getting souvenirs for family and friends. We finally got to eat Socca (a delicious chickpea crepe served warm) and Pan Bagnet (a sandwich with tuna), two foods usually found in the south of France.
The flight home was nice as well but we flew into Standsted which is alot father than Luton airport but still nice. All and all it was a great trip. We survived without knowing a lick of French, just a book with some key words. We learned what we could and I think we got along quite well!
To see pictures go to http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=172lev31.86xpt8pl&x=1&y=-k2x4p3
