And so here I am. In 12 hours we board a flight back to Calgary via Frankfurt. After 64 days on the road, I've been dreading this moment of doing my last city review on Nice. Ah yes... Nice: where everyone is fit - even the pigeons. The good news is that I couldn't imagine a more perfect way to end our travels. Here are some rambling thoughts:
Orientation
Our rental was right on Rue des Ponchette with a view of Promenade D'Anglais and the Mediterranean Sea. A great location right at the edge of the Old Town on the steps of Castle Hill. Everything is within walking distance or a short tram/bus ride away. If you visit this city, I'd recommend NOT renting a car as parking is sparse (and expensive), the traffic is bad, and there is no possible way of getting through your rental period dent free since the parallel parking here is insane. It seems to be customary to use your bumper and fender to push your way in and out of spots. All public transit is only 1 Euro each way - one of the cheapest systems in all of Europe.
Food
Everyday we would walk 2 minutes to the market on Cours Selaya and grab our food for the day that echoes the Provoncale life that we often envisioned. It's funny that from the buildings, to the cuisine, to the weather, Nice felt more like what we expected from Provence than Avignon - even though Nice is technically in the Cote d'Azur region. There were some highs, lows, and surprises. We expected the seafood would be fantastic (which it wasn't), the tomatoes to be outstanding (which they weren't), and some great fruit (but all we ended up eating most were peaches and nectarines). That aside, the courgettes (zuchinni's) and flowers were the phenomenal and the Italian food here is magnificent (no Chef Boyardee here).
Weather
Siew put it best when she said that there seems to be 2 temperatures that exist here: Hot and Very Hot. Although everyday varied between 27-32 (except that one day it hit 40), as they say it's not the heat that gets you, it's the humidity. The type of humidity that you walk out and your shirt just sticks to you. You feel like you are in a sauna and it can get difficult to even breath. If you melt like my family does, I'd recommend you splitting your day into 2 halves: Before Noon and after 6. In the between time, take a rest in your air-conditioned rental... another must especially with kids.
Overall
Nice was the least researched place for us so we didn't have too many expectation. We just wanted a place to relax. The vibe, type of people, and atmosphere of whole city reminds me a lot of Miami (South Beach), Florida. A city that is brimming culture, entertainment, history, and heavy influences from countries a stones throw away. With exception to a day trip to Monaco, we bummed around a lot, people watched, partied hard on Bastille Day, and enjoyed our time together - which was the perfect end to a perfect vacation.
