Day 6 – A Nice day in Nice

Since our arrival we have been on the go exploring the Côte d'Azur! The one place we have not really spent any time up to this point is in the city where we are staying – Nice. Being a Sunday, thinking many things would be closed, we all agreed that it would be a good day to stay local. Today would be a Nice day!

One thing that makes this Sunday different than most Sundays for us is the location of the church. At home, we have a 25-mile drive to Mass on Sunday, but this morning we opened the curtains, walked out on the balcony, and holy moly there was a church in our front yard.

No excuses for being late this Sunday!  The large church across the street is Saint-Pierre-d'Arène Church of Nice to be exact. The history of this parish goes way back in time, but in the modern era, the building you see was an enlargement of an existing building that began in 1914. The Dedication Ceremony was held in 1938, but the building was not complete. This still holds true and the church remains unfinished. There is no bell tower, some side altars are still vacant, and there are parts that still look like a construction site. The late 1930s and early 1940s were probably not a good time period to be building churches in France. However, we are not sure why it remains a work in progress. We do appreciate the convenience to the apartment, finished or not.

Mass was very pleasant, and of course in French. Following the sequence of the Mass was easy, however, following the Homily was not happening! The priest was a good orator and kept our attention even if we were clueless. Tom almost always goes into a deep level of concentration (aka falls asleep) at our home church when the homily is in English, but that was not the case this morning.

The plan of the day was to see Nice and climb Castle Hill. Instead of walking up the Promenade des Anglais we stayed on rue de France as we headed into the heart of old town.

Along the way, we stopped to enjoy the Promenade du Paillon - A very large green space with multiple fountains squirting water in sequence.

People lounged in the surrounding area or pushed strollers around the walk, watching the water come and go. And of course, there are those who venture out into the mystic…

For a Sunday morning, it was a happening place. We were not expecting to see too many things open, but that was not the case in old town.

There were plenty of stores and stands to explore, interesting items to taste, and of course window shop.

As we neared the end of old town, one could clearly see the waterfall high above.

Standing at the base of Castle Hill, a brief discussion between Tom and Janet on the merits of riding the elevator to the top vs the 426 step climb ended abruptly. Janet headed to the steps and began to climb. (Big Shout Out to Dr. Mike for a job well done!)

There are plenty of places to stop along the way and take in the beauty of the sea and the city.

We even stopped to visit with this invisible man. After exchanging hellos, we left him a few invisible Euros, and continued to climb.

The higher one climbs up the steps, the view just gets better and the water bluer.

Arriving at the top, there were a group of young children having the time of their lives. They were running around squealing, trying to pop giant bubbles as fast as the bubble man could make them. 

There was even a large science event ongoing for children to participate and learn. The plateau of Castle Hill was a happening destination.

Walking around the top afforded us better views of the harbor that we enjoyed yesterday.

It also allowed us to actually see  how big the private yacht Odyssey really is when compared the other respectable boats near the luxury yacht.

Overnight, a Club Med cruise liner had pulled into the port. This boat spends it winters in the Caribbean and Summers in the Mediterranean. An eastbound voyage should be in its near future.

After walking the entire 360 degrees around the top of the hill, we headed to find the waterfall. The cascade was nowhere near as impressive as the ones we had seen a few days earlier in the mountains, but provided a photo opportunity.

As the sun got higher, so did the temperature, and the crowds larger. We headed down the 426 steps we had walked up.

This called for a celebration! The bars and bistros were a buzz and finding a shady table was a little difficult. An Irish gentleman moved aside and shared his table as all of us were glad to get off our feet.

All four us wine drinkers had a common thought – It is time for a large beer! When our refreshments arrived, we were totally blown away by the strength of the waitress. Three large beers in the palm of one hand, and one small beer she had already put down in the other. Our cold libations went down so smoothly and without a doubt they were well deserved.

We headed back to the apartment to regroup. We realized there was one more item that needed to be checked off. We headed to the sea! Yep, it was time to get wet.


Tom braved the water first and announced it was not tooooooooooo cold for a warm October day.

Janet followed him into the sea a short time later. Immediately, she began to do the thing that makes her the happiest – Blue Water Swimming!

We exited the water and checked off swimming the beaches of the French Riviera on our must do list.

As the sun went down on this day, we cleaned up and headed out for dinner. Tonight, we would dine at one of the restaurants that Mathilde had recommended to us, La Maison de Marie. The table shared stuffed squash blossoms with warm goat cheese that was wonderful.

For main dishes here was a rustic rabbit dish, truffles and pasta, as well as beef stew with stuffed ravioli. All were wonderful and filling.

We sat reflecting on the day, retelling stories, but in the distance, we could hear our beds calling.  Lots of walking today, a swim in the sea, and just another wonderful day with friends.