A Couple of Nices in Nice – Kathy's Traveling

Encouraged by road signs with our name on it (Who says the French aren’t friendly and welcoming?), we headed toward the Cote d’Azur.

We stopped in Cannes for a picnic lunch on a bench by the beach. The coastline is pretty, but the beaches are made of stones, not sand.

After lunch, we checked into our hotel in Nice and then walked around the city, exploring the Place Massena and the surrounding streets and shops.

We walked by the water along the Promenade des Anglais and around to the Port De Nice.

A stop in a terrace bar for one mojito turned into an afternoon of cocktails and hilarious conversation with two women from the area, one who now lives mainly in NYC. We eventually went to dinner, but then kept the party going as we shared a table and drinks with two local men at Wayne’s Bar. The weather was beautiful and the streets were lively all night with locals, tourists and street performers.

Next morning (okay, maybe it was noon), we walked up and up and up to the Parc de la Colline du Chateau. The views were amazing from the top, with the beaches and city on one side

and the harbor on the other.

The park itself was interesting to explore, and heading down a different side of the hill, we found a small church and huge, multi-level graveyard.

Further down we entered the Old Town section of Nice. We stopped for lunch near Place Rosetti and explored churches and monuments there.

Our evenings were getting later and later, but we were enjoying the area. (Though at the end of each night that crazy uke lady kept showing up on our balcony!)

We needed to leave in the morning, but first we found some supplies along the Cours Saleya marketplace and at the end of the street we saw the Palais Cais Pierlas mansion where Henri Matisse once lived.