When: 27/06/2013 – 01/07/2013 Where: Nice, France Stayed: Mercure Nice Centre Grimaldi
Question: where will you find one of the largest contingents of sunburnt Brits, Americans and Aussies outside their respective countries?
Answer: Nice. Especially around mid to late June when fair skin is ripe for a beating…
Unfortunately we added another two to that particular tally. Apparently it’s possible to still buy suncream that ISN’T water resistant. Trap for new punters.
Nice sits on the south east coast of France. Proudly overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. It’s the 5th largest city in France but the 2nd most popular. Having spent a few days there its very easy to see why it ranks so highly in the popularity stakes.
All reminders of dreary London were left behind as soon as Nice greeted us with the welcoming arms of a balmy evening. Ahhhhh…it was so lovely to breath out the grey air of the UK. No angry Londoners ready to elbow you in the ribs for a spot on the tube here. We stayed at the Mercure Grimaldi which turned out to be in a fantastic location. An easy five minute walk to the Premenade des Anglais, and a 10 minute stroll to the old town, we had the best of both worlds practically on our doorstep. Set back off the main restaurant drag in the new part of town (Rue Massina) the Mercure provided basic, clean accommodation with extremely welcoming staff.
I
It’s difficult to say what the most appealing aspects of Nice are. The old town (Vieux Nice) provides a flash back to the early days where you could imagine locals bartering and haggling for a good deal in the backstreets. It has the feel of a kind of grand bazaar with a maze of narrow streets offering cured meats, cheeses and pastries until you start to feel your digestive system getting backed up at the thought. The surrounding buildings are all beautifully Mediterranean looking with wooden shutters, a rainbow of pastel colours and and plantar pots displaying brightly coloured flowers on the window sills. It’s impossible not to stop for a crepe as the need to ‘get your french on’ becomes incredibly inviting.
Probably the most well known aspect of the old town is the cours Saleya which offers a smorgasbord of restaurants at night. Unlike anything we’d seen before with what I would describe as ‘too much choice’ – we quickly became overwhelmed and totally incapable of making a decision. Fortunately the old faithful adage of ‘go where the people are’ paid off and we ended up with a fantastic meal at La Safari.
In quite a contrast to this, the Promenade des Anglais (literally the walkway of the English) wreaks of money. This is where all the major hotels sit and you’re likely to see more leather humans kitted out in white wardrobes, and inline skaters weaving through the crowds than you can poke a stick at. Regardless of the time of day, there are hundreds of people exercising on the Promenade, basking in the sunshine and smiling ear to ear. Happiness – this is an emotion we’ve not seen a huge amount of on the streets of the UK. We quickly joined the throngs of smiling people as the glorious sunshine and mere sight of water kicked the endorphins into gear.
Although the Promenade offers an over-priced and slightly ridiculous 5 star private beach experience we couldn’t resist getting involved. Afterall, when in Rome! Paying more money than is sensible for a sun bed, towel and umbrella on Lido Plage we set up camp for the day. With a waiter on hand to take food and drink orders and hotel style bathrooms for exclusive use it was pretty easy to see how people could justify that kind of money on a daily basis. We looked across the fence at the great unwashed plebs who were roughing it on the pebbles in the searing heat and concluded that it was worth every penny. We also decided that yes, that would most likely be us next time…
Despite the dividing fence, the one thing we had in common was the challenge of actually going for a swim. Walking on pebbles with bare feet is one thing, but throw in a forceful onshore swell and all of a sudden, a simple swim becomes a real mission. In what must’ve looked like a bad comedy routine, Justin and I spent a good 10 minutes trying to overcome the elements in order to get ourselves back onto shore. The act involved planting your feet in the pebbles around thigh height in the water, biding your time until the tide receded slightly and then putting your thongs back on, gripping the bank of pebbles with your hands and lunging forward all while the sea recedes for a few mere seconds. It was critical to get some traction and a few steps in before the sea returned – consider yourself toast otherwise. It was quite amusing to watch the carnage on the shoreline as people attempted their own versions of exiting the water. There was something validating in watching highly refined individuals dripping in money lose all control and be thrown into a pile of arms and legs.
Going hand in hand with people who are ‘happy’, it’s probably no great surprise that the locals were actually really friendly too. It was such a pleasure to be thrown the odd ‘bonjour’ completely unprompted on the streets, and to be forgiven time and time again for our poor grasp on the language. A standout example of just how friendly the locals were was at Cafe Le Sejour. Coming highly recommended on trip advisor, the family run restaurant gave us one of the best eating experiences we’ve had in a long time. Bending over backwards to ensure we understood all the translations and were comfortable and enjoying ourselves, it almost felt appropriate to give them a hug when leaving. Outstanding food and service with table seating outside on a balmy evening, a mere few minutes from our hotel – what a find! Being spoilt rotten with nearly 2,000 restaurants to choose from in Nice, fortunately we also chose well the following night with In Vino… surprising considering the benchmark from the previous night!
Nice can be summed up as a bit of a show stopper. A simply beautiful city with jaw dropping views from Castle hill, an eating culture that could surely put you into an early grave, a friendly disposition with a splash of pretentiousness for amusement thrown in and a healthy beachside lifestyle that screams out retirement options. Thanks Nice, see you again in about 30 years if not sooner.
Cathy & Justin Abroad 