Why I love Nice, France
and spent a year there from 1998 to 1999. The city dates from the Greeks and was called Nicea by the Romans. It's not hard to imagine why I'm fond of this city of approximately one million people located in southeastern France about an hour from the Italian border. It's simply spectacular. The entry to the city from the international airport features one of the most beautiful shoreline drives in the world along the Baie Des Anges (Bay Of Angels) where the water is a unique turquoise blue. The walkway along the water is named the Promenade Des Anglais (English Promenade), reflecting the large English presence in the city. Nice was the favorite place to summer for Queen Victoria. She would arrive in Nice in the summertime with an entourage of over 100 attendants, Scottish soldiers in kilts marching to bagpipes, Indian soldiers in turbans, with assorted maids, footmen, valets, and butlers. Because of her difficulty in walking, but with her desire for independent movement and her fondness for gardens, the Queen would drive herself around the extensive gardens surrounding her summer lodgings in Nice in a cart pulled by a donkey.
Excelsior Regina Palace which housed the Queen on her visits to Nice:
Statue in Nice honoring Queen Victoria:
Baie Des Anges and Promenade Des Anglais:
Beyond the Baie Des Anges, Nice's Old Port, established by the Romans:
But the main reason I love Nice is the Old Town, built hundreds of years ago. It's a labyrinth of streets designed for horse and buggy, too narrow for cars. You can find great restaurants in those streets, bakeries, bars, and music clubs. It's really, really cool:
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