Nice cote d’Azur is amazing in so many ways not the least
being the Mediterranean. The water here is so perfectly green and then deep
blue and so clean (with the exception of some careless litter bugs) and warm
and so inviting.
I started my morning off with a mini quiche at the local patisserie
the front desk attendant recommended. She actually recommended their pain au
chocolate but I’m trying to stay away from chocolate filled breads no matter
how good they look and thought quiche Lorraine was a better breakfast food
anyway.
Then I headed for the waterfront and a long, long walk to
the airport which is right at the end of the beach. It’s incredible; as you
relax on the beach you watch the planes just as they take off. Anyway, I wanted
to see how far it was and also see where arrivals was, etc. so I could meet mom
tomorrow afternoon. It took just under
an hour to walk the whole way mostly along the beach and it’s a nice sized
airport but pretty easy to get around and it should be too hard to find her
when she gets through customs. And then
I found the bus we’ll need to take to get to Nice Ville train station to head
to Italy. It was all very easy and hopefully so tomorrow.
I took advantage of the sun coming out since it was
completely overcast when I started the walk to take my sweet time and stroll
back partly by the beach and party by the main shopping street one block
up. I stopped for lunch at another patisserie,
this time in the residential neighborhood and found so many people getting
their bread for the weekend meals and that of course prompted me to get a mini
fresh baguette. I saw several people
just eating theirs right out of the paper bag so I figured when in France…So I
did the same and just enjoyed the bread all by itself, oh it was so fabulous with
a crunchy crust. And since I was there and their lemon meringue tart was just
calling my name I had to indulge a little more and besides I’d already walked
over an hour and was looking at another hour on the way back so I total earned
this, at least that’s what I told myself and it was so worth it!
The sun graced us later in the afternoon and I just couldn’t
resist going swimming. There were plenty of people on the beach and in the
water and figured even if I could just take a quick dip I’d be happy so I went
back to the hotel, changed into my bathing suit, locked up my purse in the safe
and with a few towels in hand, a hat, sunglasses, flip flops on and a camera I headed
back to the beach which is a very short block and half walk from my hotel.
On the way, as I waited for the pedestrian light to turn
green so I could cross, a very friendly French women asked if I was going to go
for a swim. That started and very pleasant 10-15 minute talk as we walked
across the main avenue and along the promenade.
She is now retired from having been a biologist in a research lab and
moved to Nice because she said it is always sunny and much warmer than where
she’s from. She has a son who lives in Geneva but who is working in Singapore
at the moment and a daughter who lives in Paris with her grandchildren. She said what she loves about Nice is that
people are so friendly and jolly and love to talk to visitors whenever they
can. She clearly loved using her English and I was happy to listen and talk.
She was very kind as we were saying goodbye, she heading to meet friends, and
me to the water for a deep, she said in French I was tres formidable and sympathique
(tremendous and amiable in English) and then did the double kiss on each check and
wished me a wonderful trip and then we parted ways. It’s so funny how you can
meet someone just waiting to cross the street who can just brighten up your day.
If only everyone in the world realized how easy it is to make someone smile I’m
sure they’d do it much more often and we’d have far few problems in the world.
So I found a place on the beach which in Nice is completely
covered in rocks, pebbles and stones. I thought it would be so uncomfortable to
lie down on but it’s really not bad at all and oddly relaxing. You lay down
your towel and just stretch out and enjoy the sun and sea air and there were
certainly plenty of people doing that today.
There were two couples next to where I put my towel and stuff figuring
it was safe to be near them because they’d see if someone where near my things
while I took a dip in the water. The water was not exactly warm but certainly far
from cold and I actually stayed in for about 40 minutes it was so nice to be
swimming and there were several people out with me which was great. It was
surprisingly comfortable even for that long a period of time and considering it’s
almost the middle of October that’s pretty amazing. I very nice couple took a picture of me in the
water; you can see my head near the shore line. Interestingly the water is
deceptive as to depth because you think since it’s so clear that it’s rather
shallow but once you make it past the larger stones it goes to about 5 feet and
then quickly you can’t touch the ground. So you do need to be comfortable in
the water above your head which I am so it wasn’t a problem for me.
I got a few shots of some kayakers out for the afternoon. I would imagine it must be hard work to navigate around the waves, their arms must be exhausted by the end of the day.
I relaxed on the beach afterwards and was perfectly warm
with the sun beating down and I watched the older couples next to me that had
multiplied in numbers to around 6 couples now and I loved watching them greet
each other with the double check kiss and all kinds of cheerful banter back and
forth. It’s a very happy town and no wonder if you get sun every day and the
water is so warm and you can spend an October Saturday just hanging out on the
beach with friends. It’s all very
civilized here and although it sounds like this isn’t real life that’s not true
before I got to the beach and while I was on my walk back from the airport I
saw everyone doing the same stuff we all do on the weekend; grocery shopping,
laundry and general errands. Life is exactly the same everywhere you are when
it comes to the basics it’s what you do with your time after the essentials are
complete and these people get out and enjoy their natural surroundings.
After a nice shower I went out for a walk and went to 6pm
mass at St. Pierre d'arène church down the street from my hotel. And only just
a week ago they apparently had the benediction of the animals on October 7 in the
church and from what I could find online people bring all kinds of animals even
donkey’s. I wish I had seen the profession to the alter it must be incredible
to watch all these animals parade down to be blessed. It’s a fairly large church
with a lovely alter and lots of beautiful stained glass windows some in the
traditional fashion but others in more modern designs. I didn’t understand much of the service at
all but it was very crowded and the priest seemed genuinely interested in
having his homely message heard and was extremely animated in voice and
movement. After mass I stood as others
left and just enjoyed the organ music and as I did that I saw this tall, older
man with wild short hair and a long lightweight coat come up the isle and I
just couldn’t help but smile at him he was the quintessential French poet. Of
course I have no idea if he’s a poet but that’s exactly what you’d expect a
French poet to look like. He clearly saw me smiling at him and he smiled back
with this fabulous happy grin and at the same moment didn’t realize the elderly
lady in front of him had made a sudden stop so he ran into her. All were fine
and he may have even know her because they exchanged some pleasantries and a
hug and I think even a check kiss and then he was off merrily on his way with
what I detected was a little skip in his step.
In a city of generally merry people I think he would still take the
prize as the merriest so maybe not a poet since they’re more known for being
tortured souls. Maybe an artist of some type though, a painter perhaps if only
he were wearing a beret.
Now it was time to go in search of dinner. I started walking
and came to Messina Square which has a set of sculptures of kneeling people at
least 20 feet up on metal poles. I found
this little blurb online and I guess I’d be one of the people who like them
because they’re interesting and now that I understand they’re communicating
with each other in the different colors it does make sense. “Some called them
Buddhas, others prayers, some love them, others find them ugly. Nobody is
indifferent to them! The seven resin statues on Massena square – Nice’s
geographic centre – were created by Jaume Plensa, Spanish artist specialized in
monumental art.
These seven characters represent seven continents and the
communication between the different communities of today’s society. The name of
this creation is “conversation à Nice”. Plus, the statues are illuminated every
night, colors are changing smoothly to emulated a dialog between them, it’s
very beautiful and poetic.” And at the
end of this row of sculptures is large fountain but I can’t find any reference
to who the sculpture is of at its center. It really doesn’t matter, it’s
beautiful and especially at night.
I found a small Italian take out restaurant on a side street
and was so hungry by then I just got a piece of meat lasagna the young Italian
man running the place had made as one of their specials for the day. It turned
out to be delicious and still left room for a gelato which I ate as I walked
along the promenade back to my hotel.
I passed a little theatre with a fairly long line of
audience members waiting to get in. It looked just like an off-off Broadway
theater in the Village and if I wasn’t so tired I would have considered seeing
the show which looked, from the posters, to be a French contemporary farce.
I got back to the hotel and besides doing this blog and some
basic computer work I’m ready for bed. All the sun, sea and fresh air has
exhausted me but truly in the best possible way. I have my balcony door open
and I look forward to a restful sleep in this happy, beautiful town.