Nice is located in southern France along the Mediterranean sea close to the border of Italy. It's the second largest city along the French Riviera after Marseille and the seventh most populated city in France.
It has its own airport, which makes it an easy place to get to by air and its situated in a good location to act as a base camp for traveling to other spots along the coast, via train or car.
Interestingly, the city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its history and beauty as well as its varied architecture and parks and natural spaces. I didn't realize that entire cities could become World Heritage Sites until recently.
The city was too large for me to see in its entirety. Aside from walking from our hotel down through a few neighborhoods and along the promanade by the water, I really didn't see much of the broader part of it. I got the impression that the modern parts were much like any other metropolis in the country though, so missing parts of it didn't really matter to me. I did spend quite a bit of time in the old town though so that what I'm going to show you here today.
Le Vieux Ville
I just find the old towns of any city to be more interesting. They are the authentic and historic districts that tend to have a lot more character and charm than the newer portions.
The old town is quite large so there's actually a lot to see and explore. Its easy to spend at least a couple of hours there.
Needless to say I really enjoyed the old town and dare I say that I had a "nice time in Nice?"
Its a bit on the nose but I think I'll make that the title of my post. It's like the time we went to the Champagne region of France and I used the title "Drinking Champagne in Champagne," obvious but effective.
The old town has been pedestrianized and is made up of tall pastel colored buildings that line narrow cobblestone streets.
The upper levels are residences but the ground floors are occupied by restaurants and cafes and boutique shops selling clothing, soaps, artwork, local treats and touristy knickknacks.
The small square in front of the church is a particularly nice spot for its color and ambiance.
At least two restaurant terraces and two ice cream shops are situated around the perimeter of the square so there are plenty of reasons to stop for a moment. You can sit and take in the beauty of the colorful architecture or listen to the music of a sure to be there street performer.
The small church was cool inside as well though I didn't take any pictures there.
Like usual I mostly took photos of the buildings. I like the run down look of some of them and of course the smaller details.
Much like the town of Menton I saw a lot of homes with laundry hanging out the windows.
It's a simple thing but I think it gives the place a lot of character.
Something that's funny but not surprising about the laundry is that you never see anyone's underwear hanging outside.
Somethings are too private for the public eye which I think is universal trait of humanity. Perhaps we are all more similar than we are different?
This is probably a strange thing to get a kick out of, but one thing that I love seeing in France are the old aerial antennas on people's rooftops.
I love it how people left them up there. They remind me of relics from the past. To me they look so old timey and certainly very fitting of the area.
We used to have them in Canada but...(pause a moment to contemplate age)... probably 10-15 years ago tv went digital and satellites became popular and people began removing them from their rooftops in a sort of blitz fashion.
Now they would be considered unfashionable and out of date in Canada so they super rare to see just about anywhere in towns or cities.
Soon it will be the same with satellite dishes. Those you still see quite a bit on homes. In fact, I'm pretty sure we still have one bolted to the side of our garage despite never having subscribed to satellite service. It was the previous owners and I should probably take it down.
Cours Saleya Market
Something else to see in the area is the Cours Saleya Market. Its located on the outskirts of the old town and takes place every Tuesday through Sunday.
In it you'll find a wide variety of flowers, fresh produce, spices, and unique artisinal gifts among other things. The food is only sold in the morning with most vendors packing up around noon, but the flower stalls stay open throughout the day for your viewing pleasure. The entire area is surrounded by restaurant terraces and basically turns into a large outdoor restaurant around noon. It looked like a good spot for lunch and drinks.
On Mondays the market is open but with a slight twist. It actually converts into a Brocanté (or antique market). Instead of food and flowers you will find antiques and collectables so all in all I'd say that the market is worth checking out any day that you are in the city.
Food and Drinks
I think everybody loves looking at food and drinks and I really need to get better at taking photos of those sorts of things.
My friend and I had a cheap and quick lunch from a small vendor in the old town. Socca are savory crepes made made from chickpea flour. Bugnets are essentially fried dough sprinkled with powdered sugar. To be honest, neither were anything special, but they were a cheap way to refuel in the afternoon.
We got drinks at a pub called Les Distilleries Idèales which has a really cool atmosphere. I would recommend it as a cool bar in the old town. If you happened to read my post on Carnival, this is where we spoke to a local about the festival.
The drink we got was a delicious Whiskey, apple juice, cinnamon and honey mixture. I never would have thought to mix Whiskey and apple juice but it's definitely a winning combination.
Lastly, no trip would be complete without ice cream. I got a pistachio, tiramisu, and cherry combo. I guess I sometimes can't decide on what I want.