Pa Lu Bin Cheng: Nice, France ( The French Riviera )

Who's up for blue sea, green hillsor mountains, lavender fields, lay-back town, seafood, sun-kiss skin girls in bikinis or without ;), etc??..... head on down south of France to the french riviera on the Mediterranean coast for the summer vacation. We just came back with a nice tan from our 10 days vacation which was nothing but awesomeness!!! 1st stop Nice :D

Bought our flight ticket from Berlin to Nice for190Euro round trip for 2 person.

As for accommodation, 19Euro/night for 1 person

our small room for 4 person with only a small window(there is where our only source of breeze @ night) :S

so it's quite unbearable at when there is no wind

train station

though the hostel sucks a little ( no air-con, no kitchen, only ONE toilet for the whole hostel (which u need to put in tokens to shower :S ) well maybe suck alot, nonetheless the location was good. It's near to the train station and you can take the bus #99 from airport straight to this train station for 4Euro and the hostel is just opposite the train station

like any of our other trips, basic research about the place of visit are done before arrival, but if you have done completely no research and have no clue where to start other than the obvious choice which is the beach, head to the tourism office, they are really informative, FREE maps and brochures are available on almost everything you need to know about Nice. kudos!

Avenue Jean Medecin

our adventure begins!! as usual we scout around by foot but they have also 1 day ticket for all transport(tram and bus) for 4Euro / solo trip for 1Euro / 10 trips for 10Euro / 7 days ticket for 15Euro but this ticket can only used within Nice to Eze village, to Vence or st jeannet and as far as Cap dail etc.

But if you are planning to go Monaco, Menton, Antibes or Cannes you'll need a seperate ticket which isn't expensive, cost only 2Euro for round trip(you can buy the ticket on the bus)

the local supermarket, but i think the turkish vendor is the cheapest (which is located near my hostel)

eg: 1 peach cost 0.80Euro @ Monoprix i can get 0.03cent @ Turkish vendor :D i love them

Nice's food is french with an Italian twist. I think it's a great combo :)

but to be honest as must as i love to eat croissant but if i eat them every morning straight for 4 days....i'll throw it back at you on the 5th day :P

Notre dame, it's the largest church in Nice and was build in 1864-1868.

it's actually quite nice at night. It's located along Avenue Jean Medecin so you won't miss it.. we actually walk passed it everyday

Boon @ Place Massena. Here is where you can see street performance, dancing and just chilling

Built in the 1840s but was renovated in 2007 and installations of artworks

like what you can see here 7 statues titled ' Conversations in Nice' by the Spanish artist Jaume Plensa representing the seven continents. When i 1st saw it i though it's statue of people meditating ...hahaha

the city hall of Nice, there is also a gigantic thumb infront of the city hall...but why a thumb...?

it was once used as a seminary for the Diocese, a hospital and a barracks only since 1890, it has been the Town Hall

don't you just love the building and their rich colorful colors

we are now @ the old town...there is so much to see

on the right bottom pic it's the opera house, built on the site of the previous theater, destroyed by fire

came across this interesting shop which sell alot of olive products, oils, preserved olives, soup, candy, condiments, etc... love the interior and decorations

this particular facade is one of the few remaining examples of the decorated facade of Old Nice, this mural shows Adam and Eve naked in the Garden of Eden, threatening each other with clubs

postcard ^^ the cheapest i've seen is 0.25€

gelato time Rhubarb & Passion fruit

reeeeefreshing :)

Here is the market place, Cours Saleya only from morning till afternoon. In the evening the restaurant will extend their space to the market

you can find alot of things here from fresh lovely flowers,

paintings,

Spongebob,

fresh vegetables....oh the watermelon is soooooo sweet n juicy...suitable for hot summer day,

preserved tomato.....free samples.... vendor: please try some, Boon: don't mind if i do...hehehe,

sweets stuff,

yummy fruits,

ham in bread? and alot other yummy stuff,

assorted fragrant soap, variety of salts and many many more

do try one of the local snack La Socca, a very thin crepe made with chickpea flour and of course olive oil

not sure what building is this but it's just beside the market, Cours Saleya

you can see olive tree almost everywhere in the town....and they put olive oil on almost everything too

Boon @ Nice

to the beach!!!! we try not to go too excited about the beach, but it's absolutely gorgeous

blue Mediterranean sea

the facilities are pretty good, there is medic, public toilet, beach sports and also boobies.

It was so hot in the afternoon we decided to come back again in the evening

continue our old town tour

there are alot of small cozy cafe for you to enjoy a nice of coffee after a long walk

not sure which cathedral is this because there are sooooo many of them

the interior of the cathedral

the building in Nice is more colorful and delicate in my opinion

one of many road road leading to Colline du Chateau (Castle Hill).

It's quite easy to travel around Nice, the signboard are everywhere. You won't get lost

Castle Hill, the site of the 1st town founded by the ancient Greeks, then the first medieval town.

view from half way to the peak of Castle Hill.

lovely orange flower

there are also a man made waterfall

from the Castle Hill's peak you can enjoy 360 degree stunning view of Nice

though there aren't much of the castle and the 11th century Cathedral left still it's worth the hike up. but for those who is too lazy to walk up there is a lift by Cours Saleya(0.90cent)

side story: In 1861, to respect the military tradition of the 'midday cannon shot', a Schottish winter visitor, Sir Thomas, paid to have a cannon set up on the Castle Hill. Legend has it that he used this to ask his wife to return to prepare lunch. On 19 Nov 1875, a municipal decree was voted to officialize this reminder of the importance of having the right time.

don't missed this viewing area, it's just next to the children's play ground

here you can see the east part of Nice, the port, mountains and villas

Panorama view of the port

light house

thanks to a french couple, we go a picture of us together :)

La Tour Bellanda, built during the French occupation under King Louis XIV, it was also home to the great 19th century French composer Hector Berlioz. Since 1964, it houses the Naval Museum

from the terrace we enjoyed the panorama view of the city and the Mediterranean. Best time to be here is during sunset

La Tour Bellanda

to the beach again!!

instate of the normal sandy beach, in Nice you get pebbles. Free foot reflexology...hehehe

to have a less painful walk to the water, i suggest you buy a special rubber shoe to go with.

just enjoy the a nice walk along the famous seaside road(Promenade des Anglais)

you can actually walk along this 7 mile long road and reach the airport

the beautifully lit up, La Tour Bellanda

many swim in the sea even after the sunset....

some monument, which i have no idea what it's about

to know more about the history of Nice this is the place to visit, Massena museum.

Hotel Negresco, a luxury hotel opened in 1912, named after the Romanian builder Henri Negresco, Niemans Edouard the architect and the pink dome constructed by Gustave Eiffel (Mr Eiffel tower). It is reputedly one of the world's finest hotels and a listed historic building since 2003.

most of the hotel along the Promenade des Anglais have it's room rate state infront of the hotel. Check out Hotel Negresco's room rates

i can only afford the breakfast buffet ...hehe

bicycle for rent

i really like the font used for the bus and tram stop

cute right?

Henri Matisse museum, It's quite a distance from the town but it's easy reach with bus. we took bus #17 to Musee Matisse stop from the bus stop(Thiers\ Medecin) near the main train station. Not really a big fan of Matisse but the museum it free though and it's in a 17th century Genoese Villa in the heart of the olive grove

Nearby the Matisse museum is the Monastery of Cimiez

inside of the chuch there is a Franciscan cross on the square is a copy of the original dated 1477., but we didn't get to go in because they were conducting Sunday mass

small lovely garden beside the church

love the grapes

panorama view of the garden

also a nearby attraction, the archaeology site of the Roman ruins

just around the corner, this former hotel was built in 1896 for English aristocrats and essentially Queen Victoria. It's majestic silhouette is really amazing. In the 1930s, it was converted into private flats

Marc Chagall Museum, it's not really too far from Matisse museum but with the hot weather i suggest that to take a bus. The tickets cost 7.50Euro /adult and 5,50Euro /student. It's worth a visit, the paintings are amazing. If you are a Marc Chagall fan stay tune for a post on his painting!

due to no kitchen in our hostel, we can't do our own cooking, though the standard of living in Nice or overall in France is high (much higher than in Germany) non the less we try not to over spend on our meals. We had lot of KFC, surprisingly only twice in McD, few chinese, 1 luxury seafood meal and the rest is a blur of croissant, pizza, sandwiches....etc

next, we wanted to visit the Museum of Modern & Contemporary Art but it was unfortunately close on Monday...darn! but from outside the are kind of look abandon and old :S

Place Garibaldi. Me and the statue of Giuseppe Garibaldi in the middle of the square.

from Place Garibaldi, it's connected to the old town as it's the 1st extension of Old Nice northward

more shopping! they even have designer magnet :D

postcards

Nice's seaside pebbles

love this pic ^^

they installed many signage with painting of specific sites, which is pretty creative

every corner every small alley, it's simply beautiful

the French is good in giving names ><

another attraction is the Saint Nicolas Russian Orthodox Cathedral, wast built in the early 20th century. Listed as one of the most important historic building outside of Russia.

Boon admiring it's beauty

detail of the cathedral inspired by the Muscovite style

we decide not to go in as there was admission charge of 3Euro

back to the Cours Saleya, besides it's daily vegetable and flower market except Monday, when they are replaced by an antique market. During summer, there are also arts and crafts market in the evening

you can find old treasures or even 1960s Dior bag for 900Euro

during our visit, it was the mussels season, so you can get unlimited mussels with fries for only 12Euro

on one lazy day...we decided to take the bus to somewhere 15 minutes away from Nice town(in between Nice and Monaco) probably to a small town called Eze. Although the sun was blazing like crazy, nonetheless the view was spectacular