Yes, I’m sure the joke has been made before – ad nauseam. It still describes my experience pretty well. I was up and ready to go almost an hour earlier than planned, so I left my luggage at the hotel and set off towards Place Garibaldi, one of the hip places in town. Nice was waking up, people heading to work on a Monday morning. I walked by some interesting buildings, amongst them the Modern and Contemporary Art Museum (MAMAC), Musée d’Art Moderne et d’Art Contemporain, which, along with the Natural Science Museum, is closed for renovation. The square Place Garibaldi hosts a statue to the man in the middle, it’s surrounded by Baroque buildings with arcades, and crterminaiss-crossed by tram lines.
I continued towards the marina Nice Port and went along the Promenade a bit further north. All the private beaches along the Mediterranean Sea coast were closed off due to high waves. Despite that, it was not even 10:00 yet, and it was already warm. The temperature would reach 21 ºC. In late November. I guess that explains all the holidaymakers that crowded the area – the whole French Riviera got its reputation from mild winters, and today was a great example of that, even after the deluge on Sunday. I walked along the marina and Castle Hill at the Promenade level, going around Pointe de Rauba-Caupe, where the memorial Monument aux morts de Rauba-Caupe-Nice stands to commemorate the fallen in World War I. It didn’t take long to reach familiar territory, Quai des États-Unis, which I walked along until it turned into the even-more-famous Promenade des Anglais. I had taken off my coat by then, and the beaches, protected from the open sea, were again open.
When I reached the luxury hotel Le Negresco, I walked into the city, looking for the Orthodox cathedral, Cathédrale Orthodoxe Russe de Saint-Nicolas de Nice, colloquially known as the Russian cathedral. It is an early-20th-century building, erected in a modern take of the Old Russian style by architect Mikhail Preobrazhensky. It was later declared Historic Monument due to its uniqueness.
Afterwards, I headed towards the area of Cimiez, and after a couple of wrong turns, I finally reached the hill it comprises. Strolling by gated communities, up I went. I wanted to see the Belle Époque Ancien Hôtel Régina. Though today it’s an apartment complex, it was originally built as a hotel to host Queen Victoria of England when she spent time in town. A bit past it, I reached the top of the mountain. There is a green area there, Jardin des Arènes de Cimiez, home to several buildings, museums and ruins.
My first stop was the Roman amphitheatre Arènes de Cimiez. It was erected in the first century CE, with a capacity for around 4,000 spectators, in the Roman town of Cemenelum. Though it was abandoned in the 4th century, it was never completely forgotten, but it was not until the late 1800s that the ruins were first addressed scientifically.
A bit further away stands the Monastery of Cimiez, along with its church, Monastère de Cimiez. This religious place dates back from the 9th century, it was originally a Benedictine abbey, which was later turned into a Franciscan monastery. The current building dates from the 14th century, and in the 19th century Neo Gothic façade was added. The interior is decorated with frescoes from the 13thcentury, and the wooden altar gilded with gold.
I then backtracked towards the archaeological museum Musée d’Archéologie de Nice / Cimiez. The museum itself is small, but entrance gives you access to the whole archaeological site Thermes romains de Cimiez, the Roman baths that served Cemenelum between the 1st and 4th centuries. The museum holds both original artefacts and reconstructions, and I was particularly smitten by a small sculpture of a faun.
By the time I left the museum it was about 14:15. I headed back into town to pick up my luggage at the hotel and buy some lunch (I did remember this time to do it before I got to the transport hubs!). I took the train towards the area where the Aéroport Nice Côte d’Azur airport is. My flight boarded at 18:25, and I am just not used to airports having things to do around them. But this one did – there was a museum and a botanical / animal park nearby. I found the entrance to the latter, called Parc Phœnix, and walked into the glasshouse that hosts the tropical plants and animals. There were terrariums with reptiles, including crocodiles, pythons, and lots of tortoises. There was a cactus area, and after the orchid ward I suddenly saw a pink reflection – there was a flock of flamingos basking in the warmth of the glasshouse, in a small pond made for them.
There is an insectarium sprinkled with small Ghibli figures to adorn the different habitats. There also lived the axolotls and the koi fish. I then went to the outside area, where I was able to have my sandwich. In the garden, I could see the aviaries, and the free peafowls. I caught a glimpse of a wallaby, but probably the most exotic animal over there was the huge rat I spotted. And some very fun greater rhea (Rhea americana) who were very interested in the shiny camera.
I spent a bit over an hour there, and even if I did not see all the animals, it was nice to have something to do which did not involve waiting at an airport lounge. It took me 15 minutes to reach the terminal from the door of the park. And for some reason, they have a sculpture of a wooden shark hanging from the airport ceiling.
Security went smoothly and boarding was fast and efficient. Since it was a regional flight, all trolleys became checked at the gate. I was carrying a backpack so I was allowed right through. It was the smallest aircraft I’ve flown in lately, and it surprised me that the trip was much faster than the one to Paris. Of course, I should have realised I was quite closer, after having crossed a good chunk of France by train on Saturday.
Once I left the terminal, I had to wait for the shuttle to take me to the parking lot. At first, I waited for a couple of minutes at the wrong stop – I guess I was a bit more tired than I thought. Then, when I was a the correct stop, the mini van stopped further than the road and left before I could reach it, until around 21:30 I finally got on board. I reached the car, and saw with relief that nobody had bust the window to steal my 2010 Sat-Nav which I had forgotten on the copilot’s seat.
Traffic was not too bad, so I was home within the hour. I got some food in me, had a shower and went to bed, still giddy from everything I had lived in such a short period of time. My only regret was wasting money on a new Lonely Planet guide, which was pretty much useless – it did point out all the hip spaces and places to eat and drink, but the information on historical sites was lacking… I miss the old guidebooks.
JBinnacle – A Travel Logbook 