From Paris to Nice, the third leg of the tour begins...
19 Oct
It is so nice to be in Nice! The trip took 10 hours from Paris. I made it down the hotel's spiral staircase this morning with all my belongings in one slide. My butt will never be the same.
The trip out of Paris to the Autoroute was a breeze. I studied the map first and made one wrong turn which I was able to quickly remedy.
One thing I didn't consider when renting the car in England with the steering wheel on the right side of the car is pulling into a toll booth that requires you to use the left window of the vehicle. From Paris to Nice, there are seven toll booths of which three are to grab a ticket, three are for paying and one is for the final toll to be paid, coming into Nice. That's not to mention the 68 Euros in tolls. I've certainly been getting my exercise on this trip.
Pulling into Nice was a joy compaired to entering the last two cities that I visited. The road where the hotel is situated is right off of the Autoroute. Parking is free on the street around the hotel. There is an elevator up to my floor. My room is spacious with a terrace and a view of the Baie des Anges that opens up to the Mediterranean Sea.
The ride south was impressive crossing the Massif Central Mountains to get here. I stopped from time to time to take some photograps and took shots from the car while driving. I came out the mountains after sunset and missed alot of the scenery. Coming into Nice was cool seeing all the lights of the city from the mountain slope.
Here are a few shots of a few peaks in the Massif Central mountain range...
I thought I was going to cross the French Alps but was one Mountain range below them. I'll be passing through the Alps while coming out of France into Italy and into Germany from Italy, later in the trip.
20 Oct 2009
I've walked more during this trip than I probably had all year. This is great exercise so badly needed. Today, I walked along Le Promenade des Anglais in Nice which encapsulates the bay. It was about a three mile walk, one way. I haven't weighed myself since I've been traveling, but I bet I've lost at least 10 pounds.
The temperature is going up to 68 F or 20 C. The forcast is mostly cloudy today and heavy rain is expected for Wednesday and Thursday. That figures! But from what I've been told, this is the rainy season for France. Friday and Saturday are supposed to be sunny. I'm going to get out and check some of the sights today while the weather is holding out.
This afternoon, I was a typical tourist with the camera around my neck and a facial expression of awe and admiration . The above shots were taken this afternoon while strolling along La Baie des Anges, Nice, France.
The next couple of days is forecasted to have heavy rain and wind. Friday & Saturday are supposed to be sunny and warm so I'll have a chance to get some shots from the beach. I'll be leaving on Sunday, heading to Rome and will be passing through Monaco. Maybe I'll stop and have a cocktail with Princess Stephanie.
I've been practicing my French alot here in Nice. It is getting easier to communicate. But somehow "voulez vous coucher avec moi" hasn't been working so well.
Bon Soir
22 October 2009
Another Day in Paradise...
The above pic is the Mediterranean Sea as seen from my hotel room. I just wish it would clear up. It rained all day yesterday and today it is supposed to rain as well.
It's 12:10 in the afternoon and I just got up after a wild night of dancing the Cha Cha and the Rock and Roll Hoochie Coo in the hotel club which was convenient. We didn't have to crawl too far to get to my room.
I didn't have my camera in the club in case you are asking. It's bad enough that I look like a tourist during the day. I am trying to practice my French at night. They know right away; as soon as I piece together a sentence in French, people here immediately respond in English. But they appreciate my efforts.
I'm going to take the car out for a drive to Cannes and check out the country side if the weather clears up.
12:45 PM
Change of plans... after I took care of the three S's, I found that I am dangerously low on socks. How did I forget socks? I have to do laundry now, anyway. I could always go out and buy some more socks, eh?
No, I'll venture out into the city to find a laundromat. This can be a good way to hob nob with the locals.
11:21 PM
It was raining all day today again here in Nice. Tomorrow calls for rain in the morning, partly cloudy for Saturday and mostly sunny for Sunday, the day that I'm leaving Nice
I didn't bring my camera with me today due to all the rain. However, I did find a laundromat and got my wash done. I've been keeping the dirty laundry in the trunk of the car. I believe that the methane accumulating in the trunk must have somehow mixed in with the fuel which is why car has been getting such good gas mileage.
The above pic is my rented horseless chariot that is making this adventure possible
The food is wonderful here. On the first night in town, I check into the hotel and went right down for dinner. I had two gin Martinis with Soupe de poisson, croûton et fromage râpé (fish soup, croutons and grated cheese) and for the main course...Filet d'agneau or Filet of lamb, cooked medium with whole potatoes and a salad. The meal came to 85 Euros. I nearly choked when I got the bill.
I'm making a concerted effort to lose weight and I've been eating a lot of salads. The french bread is wonderful. The beer ain't bad either.
The hotel has overnight room service and I ordered as shown below...Tranch de terrine de foie gras pressé et ses toasts (Foie gras of duck pressed with toast), coffee with creme and a basket of freshly baked bread. I drank some red wine before eating.
I did take some shots from my room's terrace showing the nite time sky line of La Baie des Anges...
Tomorrow, if the weather holds out, it's off to Cannes
23 October 2009
The sun finally appeared and today was a beautiful day in Côte d'Azur. The sun makes all the difference in the experience and the viewing of all its splendor. We drove to Cannes and back after stopping to grab a bite to eat and take some shots of the country side...
The following two pictures are of Haute de Cagnes; a village in Alpes Maritimes. This location is the medieval origin of the Cagnes settlement and nestles around a medieval castle once owned by the Grimaldi dynasty (the Royal family of Monaco).
The remaining shots are of Cannes and the view looking back towards Nice
