Nice and Monaco

The train arrived at Nice early in the morning. There had been no customs formalities (this was in the days before the EU). I was a bit surprised and asked a station official if I had to present my passport to someone. They were not fussed.

The hostel was in Parc Forestier du Mont Boron (see photo) above the city, was very breezy, and had great views of the Baie des Anges. There was only one bus service there. The last bus was early in the evening so you couldn't have an evening out.

I found Nice pleasant to wander around. I liked the shops and the markets. I might have had my first taste of really good Mediterranean strawberries here. I liked the people too; I remember thanking the American Express exchange office cashier with merci beaucoup and getting de rien with a smile. I think Parisians unduly affect the stereotypes of the French.

It was still pretty much like this the next time I passed through in 1997.

This would be Place Masséna (page in French) at the Fontaine de Soleil with a statue of Apollo. It looks like they have a tramway there now.

It might have been my second or third day in Nice that I took a side trip to Monaco. A French-Canadian hosteller was also on the bus. She wanted to go to the gare routiere (regional bus station). I said I was going there too so she could come with me but we got lost at first. She was upset and was voluble about this. But seeing that I was contrite, she smiled and winked at me. Ah, temperamental Gallic women.

Despite the fact that I had a railpass, I paid for a bus journey to Monaco because the scenery on the Moyenne Corniche is spectacular. A few months after I visited Monaco, Grace of Monaco would suffer a fatal stroke and drive her car off a road near the Moyenne Corniche.

The Grimaldi Palace at Monaco. Monaco was the second tiny country I had visited, the first being Vatican City.

Like the other tourists, I had come to view the changing of the guard.

Monte Carlo's harbour with the watercraft of the rich.

Back in Nice, the Musée Marc Chagall has some beautiful pieces of art. You may recognise the biblical themes.

Huge mural over a pool of prophet Elijah surrounded by the signs of the zodiac.

Beautiful stained glass window.

Another visual gem in Nice is this Russian Orthodox Cathedral.

This is a view of the the beachfront (pebbly though) and the Promenade des Anglais taken from the Colline du Château (page in French).

On my last evening in Nice, I stayed on the bus past the youth hostel stop, puzzling some of my fellow hostellers, including Päivi, a Finnish girl I would visit in Helsinki later on. I was headed to the top of the hill to take a panorama at sunset, then walk back to the hostel.