I left Barcelona early (NOTE: Never take a taxi from the center of Barcelona to the airport! I was stupid enough to try this and it cost me 38 euros!!! It was 29 until he added all of these random other charges for my "baggage" and the fact that we went to an airport and it was early in the morning... at least, that's what I could gather from my limited knowledge of Spanish. Grrr...) and arrived in Nice, France by 10:30AM.
It was beautiful.
I was staying in an adorable little hotel (Le Petite Trianon) maybe three blocks from the beach. It was owned by a friendly French couple with a kid running around - I felt like I was being welcomed into their family! After a late breakfast in a cafe in the plaza right by the hotel, I headed to the beach. Perfection.
View from my hotel window.
Of course, I'd only been settled about 30 minutes when clouds rolled in and it started to rain. That's when I learned that this is a sort of cycle for Nice. During the day, the weather changes drastically from gorgeous sunshine to warm downpour and back again repeatedly. When the sun is out, everyone piles onto the beaches and soaks it in until the rain comes back and the crowds retreat to the cafes lining the Promenade to sip wine and cocktails and continue their lounging until the sun comes back.
I fully enjoyed my submergence in the world of beautiful people, lounging, sipping, reading, browsing, people watching, indulging myself in macaroons, chocolate mousse and wine, entertaining compliments from motorcycle riding movie stars, fleeing from prowling restaurant owners interrupting my martini, and listening to music in the street playing as I drifted off to sleep past midnight that night.
I rose early to a golden morning. I walked the empty streets with my camera, basking in the quiet beauty of the sleeping city. Then it was back to the hotel, a brief trek to the train station and off to Italy!
Nice in the morning...
Perfection.
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