A Nice Escape - July 2021

Let's just get this out of the way - Nice is nice. In fact, Nice is very, very nice. I actually had a very hard time figuring out which pictures to include because all of them are beautiful. So there's going to be a lot of pictures, and you'll just have to deal with it. Sorry not sorry.

We arrived in Nice well before our check in time, and decided to just walk from the airport to the place we'd be staying at, stopping for lunch along the way. This took us along the entirety of the Promenade des Anglais, skirting the beautiful blue Mediterranean. We were very warm walking that whole way with our suitcase in tow, but it was hard to care with the hypnotizing sea next to us.

We rented a small apartment with a breathtaking view, as a bonus the owners left recommendations on things to do and deliciousness to eat. After checking in and cooling off, we set out to explore and find some Niçois dinner. The Vielle Ville is charming, and you can really feel the Italian influence. We found a lovely spot to eat some dinner and people watch after exploring for a bit.

The next day was jam packed with activity. After starting out with a delicious pastry breakfast, we walked through the Cours Saleya Market - a super cute flower and produce market.

Next stop was the Parc de la Colline du Château, a beautiful park on top of a hill offering gorgeous views of the coastline. We even ran into an outdoor Zumba class!

After hiking around for awhile, lunch was calling. We headed over to a recommended spot for socca, a traditional street food that's almost pizza-like. With our stomachs full, we were ready for our next adventure - a train ride to Monte Carlo. We took a brief tour around the famous casino, saw a few of the other sites, then relaxed on the pretty train ride back to Nice.

The walk back from the train station also had no shortage of gorgeous scenery.

We capped off the day with a delightful dinner at a local wine bar. Because food documentation is an important part of our current culture, here's a taste of our day.

On our way home, we ran into a great fountain - what a great place for kids to play and folks (a.k.a. us) to cool off. Back at the apartment, we were treated to the nightly ritual of street entertainment. There was an acro guy who had it figured out - he would build an audience via intrigue, perform one song, cash out, then repeat every half hour. Genius!

What better way to start the next day than brunch? We found a nice little spot that gave you about 5 different jams to go with the initial bread, as well as a gooey salted caramel spread. Strange but delicious! We of course spent the next few hours walking around and enjoying more new sites, like the Russian Orthodox Cathedral with its impressive onion domes. Obviously, we had to spend part of the afternoon relaxing on the rocky beach. After another nice meal, a stunning sunset stole the show.

Alas, the next morning, we did not have much time before our flight. Sensing our fairytale was coming to an end, we decided to do the most touristy thing possible - rent some beach loungers and drink some bubbly. Let me tell you - it's popular for a reason!

And so ended our trip to the Côte d'Azur. If you couldn't tell, it was really nice.