FRIDAY, JUNE 22, 2012

NICE, FRANCE

We slept in a little bit today and got up at 9:25. Yes, we are definitely on vacation!

We decided to have a leisurely day in Nice because there is a lot to do here. We were told about the Pedestrian Street which is lined with shops and cafes. We went there and walked for awhile and found an outdoor cafe for breakfast. We had coffee and hot chocolate and small pastries. David's was almond and mine was chocolate. After breakfast we walked all the way down the street shopping and looking. We did not buy a thing! We then walked over to the Old Town which is very lovely. We walked for miles and ended up at the Vieux de Nice. There were many, many steps to get to the top but, luckily, a free elevator ride. There are walkways there through a park with many outcroppings for views of both Nice and the Ferry and Yacht Port. We took a ton of pictures. There are so many boats here you cannot even imagine. While there we noticed some excavation going on. David inquired in fluent French (ha!) and the young French woman said they were performing an archeological dig from a ruin which was from about the 4th or 5th century AD. She said it was very hard work, especially in the heat, and they had a very long way to go.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, Nice is a lot bigger than we imagined it. It is the 5th most populous city in France. The population is 350,000 but when you include the urban areas, it is about 1 million. It is the second most visited city in France after Paris receiving 4 million visitors per year. The summer/holiday season lasts from May to September.

David and I opted for ice cream cones instead of lunch -- easy decision for me! It was a day for walking and picture taking and getting familiar with our neighborhood.

We came back to the hotel around 4:30 and enjoyed some time in the garden. It is so nice to have a garden to come back to after a day of walking miles and miles. We had a Coke Zero and a Coke Light and just relaxed for a bit.

We asked our friendly front desk clerk, Francois, where to have dinner and he recommended a wine bar called Cave 35 for a glass of wine before dinner and a restaurant called Cave de l'Origine. We went to Cave 35 around 6:30 which is clearly too early for the French! We were the only ones there. We asked the owner for wine suggestions and he selected a white wine for David, a dry wine called Poully Fumee, and a Chateau La Lagune Bordeaux for me. Both were delicious. So delicious that we had a second glass. A few people straggled in and it got a little livelier. It was a younger crowd, but you know David and I think we're hip so we enjoyed it. The owner brought us an appetizer of cheese, bread and salami. It was delicious. So we had a 3rd glass of wine! Those of you who know me know that I'm OK at two drinks but three . . . .!!!! I was a happy girl.

About this time a group walked in with the coolest dog -- one I had never seen before, even on TV. He was sturdy-looking with thick fur which was tightly curled. He was grey and white and very well groomed and well behaved. I asked what kind of dog he was and what his name was but I did not understand the answers. I can't understand French sober let alone after drinking 3 glasses of wine. He knew I was talking about him and he put his head in my lap and then rubbed his big head against my arm. Such a cute guy! David took 2 pictures of him so maybe one of you will know what kind of dog he is. He would be a good boyfriend for my Halo!!!

After that we thought dinner would be a good idea so we walked over to Cave de l'Origine. The host said they did not have any vegetarian entrees but the chef would make David a pasta dish. We had an appetizer of some kind but we cannot remember what it was (must have been the 3 glasses of wine!) I had flank steak with red wine butter and mashed potatoes and it was so good! The chef made David penne pasta with peas, onions and tomatoes with dill and other spices. He thought it was very good too. We looked at the dessert menu but it seemed like everything had apricot in it and didn't sound great so we didn't have any. It was a pretty little cafe and it seemed like there were a lot of regulars eating there.

We walked back to our hotel in a dreamy state and soon fell fast asleep.