A Leap Into The Dark: A Nice Time in Nice

I do seem to get around a bit. From the foothills of the Himalayas last month, i have just spent the last few days based in Nice and exploring parts of the Cote d´ Azur.

This is an area of France that i haven´t visited since early childhood, and after the somewhat basic conditions to be found travelling across India, the opulence to be found on the Southern coast of France makes a stark contrast.

This is a region that Boy knows well from his three month stay in 2007 and he is happy to lead me around both Nice and takes me off on hikes around the coastline. Generally the weather has been quite good, especially compared to the British winter i have been suffering with over the previous couple of weeks.

Nice, as a city, oozes that je ne c´est quoi often found in France. The elegance of the buildings is matched by the elegance of its people. My favourite part is the Old City with its narrow alley-ways laced with cool boutiques and shops.

café in the Old Town

Walk eastward and remnants of a 3rd Century BC castle and a small waterfall offer interesting views over the city.

Head a few kilometres East to Villefranche and look out for the spot where Princess Grace made death by car-crash far more fashionable well before Princess Diana. Villefranche has all the beauty of its neighbouring town without the hordes of tourists.

Culturally, Nice and its surround seem to have plenty to offer. We attend a free concert on Saturday afternoon with a mix of Mozart, Verdi and Brookner played by a competent woodwind and brass orchestra. Boy and i also check out one of the jazz clubs – but again a little too funky for my tastes, but Boy persists and admires.

Since 1066, the relationship between the Brits and the French has been chequered, after all, the French are often, well kinda French really. However on this trip i find them much warmer, friendlier and more polite than before, especially when compared to my last few weeks in the UK. In every restaurant, patisserie and even at the SNCF railway station we are warmly greeted and served even with my crappy French that i bastardize with Espanyol.

Nice and its surround became highly fashionable in the 1920s and 30s and coastal walks lead you past mansions owned by the rich and famous. The pink mansion of David Niven near Cap Ferrat and “The Rock” palace of Greta Garbo close to Cap d´ Ail bear witness to this Millionaires´ playground. Each coastal town boasts their own marinas with enormous yachts and boats moored of the coast: the largest one currently harboured in Nice is owned by the Russian oligarch and owner of Chelsea Football Club, Roman Abramovich.

yachts at Monaco

harbour at Beaulieu

One can´t help but to eat and drink well in France. Whether a simple bistro or a swanky restaurant on the promenade (a celebratory birthday lunch sorted by Pa), the food is always tasty, well presented and accompanied by sauces to die for. Alcohol which hasn´t been a drug of choice for some 20 years is plentiful, and i drink more in 3 days than i have over the last 18 months.

One particular favourite restaurant “La Pignatelle” (10 Rue Quincenet, 06310 Beaulieu Sur Mer - telephone 04 93 01 03 37) was simply exquisite.

A couple of side-trips take Boy and I into the principality of Monaco. With Monte Carlo as its capital, it is luxuriant as one can imagine.

subway in Monaco

The Aquarium wasn´t cheap at Euros 13 but as a fish-lover, it was a particularly favourite place to spend our final morning in the rain. There are a wide variety of aquariums of varied sizes and a maritime and Natural History museum upstairs.

easy to find Nemo in this tank

Lion fish

Getting around is relatively easy. Many of the coastal walks offer walking tracks, and buses are pretty cheap and regular. Also regular are the trains, which are more comfortable but much more expensive.

With the Euro currently so high, it is certainly difficult to find bargains. Nonetheless the break has done me good with more sun, healthy sea-air, quality food and offering an interesting contrast to places i normally visit. I note it all seems a bit too “civilised” and i yearn for places more wild and exotic.

Fortunately my parents continue to mellow with age, i find there company more pleasurable. They in turn appreciate our time together and continue to spoil Boy and I. It is a most pleasant of breaks from the dissertation that at the moment just gives me migraines.