Nice - 2002

Random Recollections

• We flew to Nice through Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris. We were only able to see the Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower from the air as we took off. It was nighttime, however, and was quite beautiful.
• When we landed in Nice very late in the evening, none of the cab drivers would take us. We talked to a woman from Australia who lived in Nice six months of the year. She communicated that they did not want to take Americans. We never were sure exactly why, other than the fact that we did not speak French. I started to get into one of the cabs anyway, and the drivers warned me off. Fred came to the cab from the other side and opened the door, but the cab driver slammed it before he could get in. The lady from Australia kept working with the cabbies, and finally the cab driver angrily said that he would take us. It was a station wagon, and we piled all of our luggage in the back, Fred sat in the front seat, and Melissa, Laura, Bonnie, and I piled into the backseat with Laura sitting in all of our laps. On the way downtown Fred asked the driver, 'Habla Espanol?' The driver got very interested at that point, and started rattling off sentences in Spanish rapid-fire. Fred immediately said, "Un poco, un poco!," and the driver immediately returned to his sullen countenance. So we could tell that things were not going well. As we reached the town square in Nice the driver approached a building that looked like a hotel. The only problem was it looked more like a bordello with pink neon hearts in alternating windows. We didn't know what part of town we were in or what was about to happen. Suddenly, everyone in the backseat got the giggles discussing our situation. Fred, not wanting to further anger the driver, was trying to suppress laughter, but instead was heaving with mirth. Luckily, the driver pulled on around the apparent bordello and drove us to a hotel. Then the problem was that it was not our hotel. By this time it was past midnight, and we began to fear that the cab driver would take us all over the city to drive up the cost. Luckily, the next hotel that he took us to was ours. I had made a reservation over the Internet but had not received a confirmation. When we went up a flight of stairs to the second-floor lobby, the hotel operator informed us that we did not have a reservation, nor did he have room for us in the hotel. He did have a room for Bonnie and Fred, however. But gestured that we should go back outside. We finally followed his instructions and there was a hotel with a room across the street that we were able to get into fine. Luckily, the attendant in the hotel was trying to learn English, and he was very glad to have someone to practice with. It worked out best for all.
• Later we learned that the 'bordello' was actually an upscale department store having an annual sale. Our hotel was just across the street from the back of this department store. There was a covered entryway at the corner of the department store that was used each night as a free room by several people who had sleeping bags and slept on the street.
• Laura's brother, Lee, had not returned from the States, so we were on our own for this first visit to Nice. After our first experiences with the cab drivers, we found the other inhabitants of Nice to be quite nice. This was our first time to visit a typical city on the continent, and it met our expectations perfectly with its narrow streets, beautiful architecture, and high-rise apartments lining almost every avenue.
• We found a beautiful Russian Orthodox Church. We took pictures from the outside, but unfortunately, it was closed for tourists the day that we were there.
• We were stunned by the beauty of the Mediterranean as it came into view. The beach consists mainly of small rocks, and there is very little silt in the water. The water is clear and incredibly blue. The pictures that we took simply cannot do it justice.
• A promenade follows the entire beachfront in Nice. It is quite busy with walkers, runners, and roller-bladers. The beach allows topless sunbathing, so you know you're on the French Riviera. Across the street from the promenade are grand hotels, of which the Negresco is the most famous.
• Bonnie finally got her chance to step into the Mediterranean, and she didn't miss it! Melissa also had to play footsie with the waves coming ashore.
• One day we went to the Acropolis which we thought might be a shopping mall. It turned out to be their Civic Center. It was a beautiful area, however, with fountains and the Contemporary Museum of Modern Art and grounds facing it.
• Walking a little further, we came upon a square with a statue of Garibaldi. The statuary throughout Europe is quite impressive.
• When we visited the booths and bazaars of old town Nice, we found an Internet café. Fred was not able to use it since they did not have an available computer. I asked if they had an available Ethernet wire, and they set me on a stool in the middle of the room, and dragged a wire from the wall that I plugged into my iPAQ. It worked great. Fred told me after we left, that all of the smoke in that room wasn't from cigarettes. He was ready to get out of there, but I was oblivious while I was checking my e-mail and news.
• The public restrooms near the main square required payment. Fred found that when he went in, there was a booth that spanned both the women's and men's restroom and stuck out into both. He said that he gave them money, then walked over to the wall and used the urinal. He said that only curtains separated the toll booth from the patrons. I guess they do things different everywhere.