Everyone here is laid-back! That was my first thought. But then, I was here on the weekend; long weekend. Everyone is comfortably dressed which translates to lesser clothes. I even saw a man waiting for a bus with a towel around his shoulders!
Nice has an excellent promenade. I wouldn't say beach because you are in the water in 10 steps! Then, where is the beach? But there is something unique about this strip of land that comes between the promenade and the water. It is filled with pebbles and not sand. It is like this from Nice to Cannes. Pebbles are from Mother Earth according to a local and not filled by man. I'm not sure if the local was taking me for a ride!
Back to the promenade, this is manmade and known as Promenade Des Anglais. Yes, promenade of the English. The English flocked to Nice to escape their lousy weather. When they noticed the rise of beggars in the area, they decided to create jobs for these jobless and downtrodden! That is how the promenade was born! It is more than 5 km in length hugging the coastline!
The promenade also features 4 storied rectangular buildings facing the sea. These buildings are brightly colored. Balconies with iron railings can be seen in all these buildings. If you have been to Pondicherry, you will get an eerily similar feeling.
Towards the Port of Nice end of the promenade, there is a monument dedicated to the wars fought by the French - WWI, WWII, Indochine etc! The monument is constructed on the side of rocky cliff, covering the length of the cliff.
Half a kilometer from the Monument Aux Morts and parallel to the promenade, there is a street which is full of restaurants with seating both inside, outside and even in the middle of the street. They feature cuisines from all around the world. Mussels and shrimps, inline with the closeness to the sea, were on the menu. Some of these restaurants had various fishes displayed on ice.
There are day cruises! If you plan to take one of them, please make sure you are at the port before 8:30 am. All the cruises leave at 9 am. There are all day long water-sports along the promenade.
By the way, Nice is pronounced "niece". The sea is blue. The weather and the sunlight plays a prominent part in the color. It can turn green and dark during other seasons.
Tags: Travel,Nice,Blue,Pebbles,Promenade
The pebbles must be put in there to break the force of waves assuming there're waves about.
ReplyDeleteThe water is fiercely blue. Lovely deep blue, more than the sky even.
Superb pictures and great place.
ReplyDeleteLooks and sounds like Pondicherry, maybe the French wanted to create their own Nice here.
ReplyDeleteThe pictures are beautiful. So you had nice weekend.
@Anil P - I understand your explanation! But was it because of Mother Earth or the humans? Yes, the color of water is unique.
ReplyDelete@Harish - :) Glad you enjoyed it.
@Rama - Yes, I think so too. The French wanted to recreate the south of France in Pondicherry. I have just returned from the trip.