I was woken up at 7am by a group of Italians singing at the
top of their lungs in the room next door to mine which was rather annoying as
you can imagine. The Palace Hotel is very nice but they have very thin walls
and ceilings so you hear every little noise but truly even if this was Fort
Knox I’d still have heard them as they were out to wake the whole city for some
inexplicable reason. It was good to get
up a little early I guess and I got this magnificent picture from the balcony
of my room. The sun rays beamed through the clouds over the water in the
distance which was so still.
After breakfast I took my suitcase and walked it to the
bottom of the hill and took the bus to the train station as I just wasn’t up to
a 20 minute trek across town. I dropped off my suitcase at the hotel mom and I will
be staying at on Sunday night and got my train ticket to go to Nice. I had
about an hour and half before my train left so I took advantage of the gorgeous
day and sat by the waterfront watching people and reading. There were a few people already on the beach
in bathing suits, incredible considering its October.
The train took me all along the Italian Rivera to Ventimiglia,
Italy where I changed trains to the French version of the Italian less
expensive regional but with all the awful graffiti and dirt you’d think you
were still on the same Italian train line. I guess the French aren’t as
particular either. I think it’s only the Eastern European countries and
certainly German, Austria and Switzerland that are obsessed with their public
transit being clean. Personally I like the cleanliness but this train got us to
Nice in under an hour and safely so it did its job so I really should
complain. Also, I met the loveliest
couple from Sweden, Bryce and Lotti. They are both retired now, Lotti as of 10
days ago and Bryce for over three years. They come each year to Nice at the end
of summer and before their winter months of cold and darkness set it. They were so sweet and we chatted all about
life in Sweden and how they have a summer house which I thought for a while
that they meant here in France but they have it in the South of Sweden. I had
to laugh because they had told me it never gets warm enough to swim in Sweden
so I was surprised you’d have your summer house a 6 hour drive from Stockholm
but they said when they worked they would go for a week here and there but now
that they are retired it will be a winter retreat as well so it is practical
but that it wasn’t a summer place in the sense you would relax by the beach and
swim all day. We also talked about the US as Bryce spent a year of high school
in Eaton, Pennsylvania and spent several weeks over the years working with the
US government in different parts of the States. He was just a few years ago in
West Virginia and Alabama for some Army thing he clearly couldn’t talk about.
The ride passed so quickly and the views were spectacular of the seaside when
we weren’t going through a mountain that is. It’s truly incredible they were
able to build these train tracks through some of these massive mountains.
When we got out at the Nice Ville train station Bryce and
Lotti said they would walk me to my hotel because it was a little confusing and
Bryce even carried my bag, such a gentlemen and just so sweet. So we had about
20 more minutes to enjoy our conversation before we reached the Hotel Locarno
just a block from the waterfront.
We said our goodbyes and I checked in and then went out for
an incredibly long walk. I walked to from the middle of the city to one end and
then back and went up and down lots of little streets and through plazas. It’s
a gorgeous city of small buildings no larger than six stories and all in cream
and peach and soft green colors. I was surprised at how large the city was and
also how busy as well. It’s off season now like in Varazze and Savona but
unlike those towns Nice is bustling with tourists and locals alike. The
restaurants were packed and stores were brimming with shoppers. I found this
one winding small street or rather a large ally with all these marvelous little
shops selling everything from food to sea salts. The aromas and sounds were mesmerizing,
it was like I’d left the city and went to a market in Tunisa or something.
I spent the early evening resting my legs on the promenade and
watching the hundreds of people go by or play on the beach and there were even
swimmers out around 6pm. It’s a really
beautiful city with something for everyone’s tastes whether it is shopping,
eating, swimming, walking or even gambling. There is a casino right on the waterfront.
And I won’t get into the pastry shops in the country. I passed so many and only
indulged once on a little raisin cake creation only after my lunch of course
which I bought at a little take out shop and then ate on the beach. It was the most decadent slice of zucchini
quiche. There quiche is flat and almost looks like a slice of pizza. Yum, yum,
yum!!!
So now it’s off to bed and hopefully I’ll get to take a swim
tomorrow, weather depending.
