A Nice day

This morning we got up very early (5:30) to head for the Bordeaux airport.  Our flight didn't depart until nine, but at the encouragement of our chateau owner, Catherine, we left quite early as traffic in Bordeaux is bad on Monday mornings and the airport was a 45 minute drive through the city.  We ended up with a fair amount of time at the airport, where we sipped a coffee as we waited.

This reminds me, the coffees here are TINY.  They don't really have a concept of a coffee like we have at home, but rather everything is an "espresso" and resemble the ones we have in the U.S.  You can order a "cafe american" but I've yet to see one more than four or five ounces at most.  So you have to take microscopic sips if you want any coffee to last more than ten minutes.

At any rate, the flight to Nice via EasyJet, and only took an hour.  There weren't any jetways so we boarded using a staircase, which was new to me.  The concept of this airline that is growing very popular in Europe is to make an airline more like train travel -- frequent routes, always on time, cheaper than trains, and no hassle like we're used to with airline travel.  It was a positive experience for us.

One of two staircases we used to get on.

At any rate, once we got to Nice we caught the bus to the city center and found our apartment with no problems.  It is in a fantastic location, only a couple minutes' walk from "old town" and the Promenade de Anglais.  It's got a kitchen, a separate bedroom, balcony overlooking an outdoor plaza and cafe, and perhaps most importantly a washing machine!  We weren't in dire need of clothes yet, but things were going to get dicey by the end of the week.

We took a brief nap and then walked around, looking at goods and just exploring the town.  When we got to the famous Promenade de Anglais, I discovered (Beth already knew) that the beach is not a typical one -- it is very rocky, but the rocks are all incredibly smooth.  The view is incredible, so we sat and enjoyed the sunset and the waves crashing on the shoreline.

Most are on foot, bike, or vespa in "old town" Nice.

She's still having a good time.

 

 After the sun went down, we grabbed some seafood.  We've been looking for fondue, but found out today that is "winter food" and would not be able to find it.  So, I ordered mussels, but I think the waiter misunderstood and thought I said "all" the mussels.  Look at what he brought.  I've never seen anything like it.  I managed to eat all of them, but could barely walk home. 

My camera next to the bowl is about 4 inches tall, to give you an idea of scale.  It must have been at least a hundred mussels.  But, they don't have a face, so it's okay, right sis?!  :)

We were going to go dancing, but it sounds like the clubs in Nice, though extremely popular, aren't open on weeknights this time of year  :(  So, we brought a bottle of wine back to our room and called it a night.