Friday in Nice

Yes, I did say Nice, not Monaco as I had mentioned in yesterday’s blog. Why didn’t we make it to Monaco? Well, it’s an interesting story. Our hotel room has blinds that you can lower to filter out the light from the balcony doors and windows. When we received our nightly turn-down service, the maid lowered them, and since Gary likes to sleep in a dark room, we left them down.

The blinds had small openings between them so we thought some light would filter into the room. We were wrong — very wrong. They were blackout blinds. Gary and I woke up a few times this morning, but since it still looked dark outside, we didn’t get up. The room was so dark that I couldn’t see my watch, and there isn’t an alarm clock in our room.

Finally, Gary got up, and I asked him what time it was — it was still pitch black in our room. Gary casually checked his watch…

“It’s 2 pm,” he said.

I jumped up, “Are you kidding me?”

“No.”

We freaked out. It was impossible. That couldn’t be right!

Alas, it was.

We opened the blinds, and yes, it was the middle of the afternoon. So much for making it to Monaco today.

Since we didn’t have enough time to venture outside of the city, we stayed in Nice and explored the city a bit more today. We strolled the beach, walked up the Avenue Jean Medecin towards the hills, ventured into the local mall, ate dinner near Place Messena, and wandered through Old Nice, a charming area with buildings dating back to the 16th century. The streets and buildings of Old Nice reminded me alot of the streets in Florence. This area is great — during the day, there’s a market, and at night, it’s bustling with activity as people visit the restaurants with live music, brasseries, clubs, and theatres.

A few pictures from today are posted below, but if you want to see more, check out the Photos section of the blog.

Walking along the Promenade de Anglais

The Mediterranean Sea and Nice — in front of our hotel

Old pier at the beach…I like the cloud patterns in the sky

Hotel Negresco, one of the most famous hotels on the beach

Avenue Jean Medecin — lots of restaurants and shops here

Old Nice, the Place Charles Felix with a view of Castle hill in the background

The streets of Old Nice