The sunshine of Nice

Paul and I have both loved this trip to France. But we agree on our favorite place so far: Nice. This is the last place on our tour, and it surpasses our highest expectations.




Yes, it's the Riviera. But it's not the beach that we fell in love with. The beach, in fact, is rocky! We didn't know that before. I love walking along the edge of the sea, but I couldn't do that here. It's just too painful on the feet!






However, there is a looong walkway just above the beach, and it's wonderful to walk along it and enjoy the view of the curving seaside of the Bay of Angels. Part of this walkway is called "The Promenade of the English" and the rest is called "USA Street." Our hotel was right on USA Street (Okay, in French it's called Quai des Etats-Unis), just across from the beach. In fact, when we walked down the hall toward the lobby, we could see the ocean out the glass front door.






What we loved the most about Nice was the quality of the sunshine. In late September, the sun was warm but not hot. A slight breeze made the temperature just perfect. And the bright sun lit up the pastel colors of the Old Town, where most buildings are yellow, pink or orange, with contrasting colors for shutters, usually pale green. Our hotel, Mercure Marche aux Fleurs, is right next to the Old Town of Nice, near the flower market and the fish restaurants.






Not far away is the newer part of town, also lovely. Where once a river divided the Old Town from the New Town, there is now a long park with fountains.









A few blocks down from our hotel, the beach ends and you can take an elevator up to the top of a rocky hill where Nice's fortress once stood. Now it is a lovely park with a few architectural ruins, a playground, a cafe, and the most stunning views I've ever seen. The color of the sea was so blue even a man from Nice said it was "incroyable" - unbelievable. This is why the French call this area not the Riviera but "The Azure Coast."


















We found a charming cafe right on the water, where we sipped "kir" and beer and enjoyed the sunsets.


We ate our best meal in Nice, drank the best wine, enjoyed the best views and basked in the best sunlight. What a glorious way to end our trip to France!