Playground of the Rich and Famous

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Today was one of those days where you just roll with the punches. Our guide on the bus coming in warned us to take the 10:30am train out of Riomaggiore into La Spezia to make sure we make the 12:00 bus pickup. All 17 of us were extremely responsible and got there by 10:15am. You've gotta love Italian scheduling though. The 10:30 train was first delayed by 20 minutes, then 30 minutes, then cancelled. The 11:00am train was then delayed by 30 minutes, 45 mintues, and finally 50 minutes. We actually started calling Busabout to tell them that everyone who was supposed to get on at La Spezia was stuck at the train station. The irony is that the bus apparently had a few stragglers in Pisa (surprise, surprise), and ended up being 40 mintues late, and actually kept us waiting.

I slept a good portion of the 5 hour bus ride into Nice, but I did get some good views of Monaco and Nice as the bus driver was nice and took the scenic route. Even just looking from afar, it's pretty clear that Nice is a holiday place. From the long beach stretch (that's actually very rocky up close) to the cruise ships parked in the harbour, the town has the quintessential tropical holiday feel. The streets even have palm trees to top off the effect. Didn't actually do much today, just wander along the promenade and looked at all the outdoor restaurant seating that we couldn't afford. There actually isn't much (or anything) to really do in Nice. I'm glad that I decided to go with Busabout's recommended accomodation for Nice, because Hotel Antares is pretty much right next to the train station. The train station is actually exactly what Nice is good for: as a base to explore the region. I'm thinking of going to Monaco tomorrow, and then visiting Aix-en-Provence the day after, as my roommate for half the past school year was from there. I've heard some really good things about the supposedly tiny and cute university town.

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Photos

The Promenade
Wandering down Nice's Promenade, only the baroque architecture tips you off that you're in Europe and not some tropical locale. The weather was bad (it even rained, and I mean rained), but I loved it. After a few weeks of scorching Italian heat, a downpour was a welcomed treat. Yes, I realize the irony of a Vancouverite spewing that statement.

Holiday Central
Want something to eat in Nice? Not a problem.