We finally made it to Nice, arriving at about 8 pm and getting to the hotel at about 8:45. The flight went well and the service on Air France was lovely for the short flight. They offered us wine and soft drinks and water and were very gracious despite a completely filled Airbus 320 configured in all economy, which meant about 175 passengers. We were very hungry by the time we arrived at the hotel but managed to unpack and get organized before racing out to investigate the closest restaurants. We had passed Garibaldi Place during the taxi ride and noticed that there were lots of restaurants surrounding the square. We chose an oyster joint and sat down in the middle of a lovely old space with a zinc bar. We immediately ordered a half liter of sauvignon blanc and a bottle of water and finished those off almost before ordering. We shared a dozen of the biggest freshest oysters you can imagine, a plate of great fries and a seafood salad that was made with calamari, octopus, mussels and some dressing that was out of this world. Another half liter of wine and some dark bread and butter made it a spectacular meal and we were sure we were indeed in France.
This morning we woke up late and headed out to explore the town before breakfast. Cindy had to be at the convention center by 10 am so we had a few short hours to get to know Nice. It is a spectacular day today, the only one they expect for the next five days, so we took advantage of it by walking along the water and soaking in all the beautiful smell of the south of France. The boat harbor has pleasure boats the size of small Coast Guard cutters, all of which are registered in tax havens like George Town, Cayman Islands, Monaco, Malta and Delaware! Here are some photos of the third largest boat in the harbor, imagine the others! http://www.google.fr/images?client=safari&rls=en&q=lady+christina+yacht&oe=UTF-8&redir_esc=&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=APvjTJ6CHMiC4Qb28JCGBQ&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=2&ved=0CDMQsAQwAQ
The hotel I found is a basic one, but has all the things you need for a nice stay and they are all very pleasant. This is the type of hotel where buses disgorge passengers for one-night stays on one-week tours that take them to seven cities. There is no place to store cloths since no one ever stays more than a day, but it is ever so conveniently located between the old city and the convention center. I was not expecting much when it came to breakfast but I was pleasantly surprised by what they offered. Great French bread, fresh croissants, jams and good butter, ham and cheese, yogurts and cereals and fresh juice that you made yourself from oranges and lemons. The coffee came from those machines that allow you to push buttons for espresso or café de lait, but this was the weak link and we stuck with water, having had a love café noissette at a nearby café before coming back from our walk.
While Cindy worked, I walked and got the lay of the land. It is a great place and the old town is a warren of narrow streets, each of which seems to house a treasure, a grand church here, a fish market there, herbs and flowers at the end of what appears to be a tunnel but is just a narrow passage between two buildings. It is filled with the smells of spices and grilled meats, flowers and soaps, candles and soups, an olfactory overload.
For the next four days Cindy is busy from dawn to dusk, with a few dinners or receptions in between so I’ll be on my own and plan to really do this city up right. I’ll bring a camera with me and try to record the experiences. Until later, Cindy and Wm
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