Nice is Nice

We checked out of the posh accommodations at the Monaco Marriott and headed back towards Nice to return the rental car to Europcar, and then proceeded to take a bus into the city center and wander around the French Riviera city of Nice.

We started out with breakfast at a corner café, where Ulises and I had the Pain Perdu with strawberries and honey and Diego had a Belgium Waffle – Delicious! We then wandered through the open-air market, selling everything from flowers, to produce, spices and soaps. I wish I could understand more of what was being said, but for the most part the vendors seemed to call out to the passers by like carnival barkers peddling their wares.

We continued to walk around Nice, to the upper most peak near the shore, which used to house a reinforcement battlement wall, fired upon over the years by numerous rulers, the most name worthy being Napoleon. We walked along the battlement wall to take in breathtaking views of the port, the beaches, and the city nestled between the foothills spilling out into the Mediterranean.

After wandering for hours we stopped for some lunch of Socca (local specialty of chickpea flour and olive oil), fried sardines, and fried scallions, chased down with a bottle of the local rose wine. It was great – good people watching, and Diego got to say, " these French chicks need a pork chop" at least 20 times.

We continued to kill time by stopping into a plaza side café and having a drink while watching the trams shuttle people back and forth across the city. In Nice the trains run on grass…no kidding.

I broke down and went to H&M to buy myself a sundress, and came out to find Diego and Ulises sitting sullenly on a bench, ready for dinner – so back to a plaza where we grabbed some pizzas, and mussels with fries, and ate as fast as possible so we could catch our train to Venice – our sleeper train that is.

Of course the train was late, and the accommodations quite cozy – three bunks, one non-potable water sink, and a non-functioning window – but I thought it was really fun. I was serenaded by the competing strains of Ulises and Diego snoring as I watched us pass by city after city in the window. Around 2AM we reached Genoa, where our train was split in two – the bottom half continuing to Rome, the top continuing to Venice – it was an odd sensation to have been traveling in one direction all night, and suddenly be going the opposite way.

Around 6AM our super grumpy porter came by and dropped off a tray of café and cornettos for our breakfast, as we all tried to figure out how exactly we are supposed to eat and drink in a space as large as a pantry. But Italia here we are!



Ciao!