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| Looking out our balcony |
The train ride was lovely and restful. Most of the journey took us along the coastline of the French Riviera. We went through places like Toulins, Aux Province, Cannes, Cote d’Azur and then into Nice. We arrived at 6.30 in the evening and being a Sunday thought it would be quiet and peaceful. No, we were wrong. There were people everywhere and vehicles going every which way and yes, lots of scooters again. We worked out where we needed to go to get to our hotel and it was about a 10 minute walk from the station. It is in a little side street off the main shopping street. Hotel Amaryllis, a 3 star hotel run by two middle aged men. Very friendly but hotel looking a little tired and shabby. Room is not too bad. Bed is a low slat bed with a fairly thin mattress. Air conditioning works so that is one up on our hotel in Marseilles. So, we dumped our gear and had a wee power nap, then about 8pm we hit the streets to have a look around. Lots of people everywhere and all seemed to be heading in one direction. We grabbed a toasted sandwich then went back to the hotel.
18th April. After a continental breakfast in the hotel we headed off to find the open top bus tour. We hopped on and took the just over an hour journey around Nice. Nice is separated into two parts, old Nice and new Nice. Old Nice is very, very old with narrow little streets and markets everywhere. Wherever there is a space somebody puts a table and chairs there. They are well patronized too. The old Nice is very hilly and windy and it is very easy to lose your bearings. New Nice is the flat area that takes in the promenade anglaise (English Promenade) and the high buildings etc. I must say though the buildings are still in the 200 year old mark whereas in Old Nice they are 500 years +.
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| Old Nice |
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| New Nice |
The promenade is amazing with masses of people sunbathing on the beach.
Rod enjoyed finding the topless bathers (most of them were over 55yrs).
It was amazing to see how tanned they were already.
I felt very pasty with my lily whites showing.
The beach was very unimpressive with rocks (no sand in sight) and about every 50 metres the beach was fenced off so a restaurant could put out tables and sun loungers.
There was a bulldozer at the river mouth shifting the rocks and shingle away so the water would continue to flow as it came out from under the city.
The bus made it’s way past the marina where the most amazing boats were berthed and on up the hill to where the mansions were.
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| French Riviera 6 miles of stoney beach |
A beautiful view of the 6 miles of coastline that makes up the French Riviera. There was a monastery with an olive grove and also gardens with the most amazing tropical plants growing.
We will go into the monastery tomorrow.
We came back down to the town and jumped off near the parks and fountains.
Beautiful gardens and water features everywhere and lots of people just wandering around or skating on the paths.
We sat to have some lunch under the wisteria and roses and at the next park bench was an old man who was feeding some pigeons.
A derelict woman and young man came up and sat opposite the man and she started talking to him and showing him a photo album.
He was getting all angry with her and then all of a sudden he grabbed a bag of bread and other food and gave it to her.
She raced off to another bench and ate a small bit of bread and then came back and had another go at him.
He then gave her a bottle of coke and some oranges.
All the time he was growling and seemed to be angry.
We sat and watched with interest.
She was watching us closely but didn’t come near us.
Another man then came and sat with the first man and the tables turned they started giving the woman a hard time and she didn’t look too happy.
By the gestures between the two parties I think the men felt they should be paid in other ways for their kindness towards her.
We then felt it was time to leave.
We wandered back into old Nice and after using trusty old Navman we found a 15th century palace. It was at one stage a very beautiful residence for someone. One of the front rooms as you entered the palace was an apocathery. This was fascinating with its many drawers and jars. The palace itself had some lovely furniture (particularly musical instruments) and a very fine chapel just off the bedroom. The palace at one stage belonged to Victor Hugo (hence the musical instruments).
From there we made our way back to the hotel. By this stage I had an extremely red nose and chest from the sun. “Must buy sunscreen tomorrow”. After dinner we took a walk back to the square to listen to a very good street musician and to admire the men on poles (statues) change colours.
One more day in Nice before we move on to Monte Carlo (Monaco) and Pisa.
April 19th Nice:
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| St Nicholas II Russian Church |
Up and away early this morning. We walked up past the train station to the Cathedrale St Nicholais II.This is a Russian Orthadox cathedral and built in the 1600’s to commemorate the death of the Empress’ son Nicholas who died there at age 22. The white Russians were not allowed into the Black Sea so the Czar negotiated with the French Govt to allow the French Navy to be based in Nice. The French agreed and so a community of Russians grew. The royalty and their wealthy counterparts used to spend their leisure time in Nice so many of the luxurious homes were built by the Russians. The cathedral is apparently very similar to the one in Red Square.
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| Inside St Nicholas II |
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| Monarco Palace |
It is a truly impressive building and is well patronized by locals who go in to pray. The alter was built in Russia and brought out in pieces to be reassembled here. It depicts heaven and the nave is earth. Following that visit we jumped back on the bus and went up the hills to the monastery. This too is a majestic building. No photos were allowed but somebody managed to sneak in one or two. The ceilings were particularly beautiful with scenes from the bible painted there. Nearby was an old cemetery. The tombs and vaults are straight out of a movie. So amazing with their grandeur and style. We then went back down to the railway station and took the train to Manaco/Monte Carlo. We had only a half day available so took another hop on hop off tour bus round. Monaco comprises of only a couple of square miles of land and the rest is reclaimed from the sea. Many of the buildings also go underground 2/3rds of their size. The Monaco family are strong supporters of animals, fish and sports. Hence there is the 2nd largest aquarium in Europe there and of course the Monaco car race. They have already begun to erect some of the 14 sq km of wire fencing and the 300,000 seats ready for the race in May. Every second car in Monaco is a luxury car and the big name shops are all there with no prices showing. The yachts were astounding and the buildings so luxurious. None of the citizens of Monaco have to pay tax but they are also not allowed in the casino’s. A small price to pay in my opinion.The casino built in 1858 is stunning but it costs you 10 euro just to step into the door. The toilets were cool as they had a revolving seat that cleans itself. The gardens, fountains and even the streets are beautifully kept and everywhere there are monuments to Princess Grace and the rest of the royal family. It is all packed onto a tiny piece of land and everywhere is jammed together. The palace was undergoing a tidy up so was covered in scrim but the parts we could see were as if you had stepped into a fairytale. The police and guards are all beautifully turned out and are very strict on anyone doing the wrong thing. We saw several people get growled for stopping their vehicles in the wrong place of driving in the wrong area.
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| Monte Carlo Casino |
There is also a museum of Prince Raniers 300 cars on display. Many luxurious and priceless vehicles. So we came away having rubbed shoulders with the rich and famous and having a glimpse of the glam life. Sigh!!
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| View of Monaco from the Palace |
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