I took myself to Nice, in the French Riviera

This title is something I never thought I’d write knowing that it is not fiction. In my head, the French Riviera was always on another level. Perhaps because I’ve always heard about it as a destination for the uber-wealthy. For the celebrities. Vacationing in the South of France looked even more impossible than living in London, as I’ve been doing for the past few years. Well, turns out, I was wrong. Not completely – it is not a cheap destination at all. It will be expensive. But for someone who lives in London, it turns out it’s quite manageable, especially as there are ways to make it “on a budget”. And I think I did it – not the same way I did in my early twenties when I would endure beds in shared dorms, would only buy food at the supermarket or indulge in fast food from some chain when in need of more energy (typically McDonald’s). And I am not ashamed to admit it. When I was younger, I didn’t have as many means as I have now, and I could not indulge in trying out the regional delicacies in restaurants or drinking the local wine.

That has changed. I just turned 31 years old (auch). So it’s good to know that there has been progress in my life. Yet, I am frugal. I take care of my money and hate waste. And now that I am in my thirties I have learned how to be balanced when I travel – knowing where I don’t mind indulging, cause it’s worth it. But also choosing when and where I will not cross the line. And sometimes this can be hard when you travel during your holidays and you want to give yourself a break. I chose the South of France as a destination because I really needed to stop. I needed sunshine, the miraculous air of the sea. I needed to simply lie down somewhere and read.

Also, I found incredibly cheap flights to Nice 🙂 Precisely the place I chose as my base.

Now, I was a bit worried about it. I heard nice things about the destinations, but Nice ranks in the top 10 of the most expensive cities in France. I was scared I was throwing money away for a lie-down (not that there is anything wrong with that, I probably should start doing it at some point). Thankfully, I was wrong. The moment I got off the tram stop to get to the hotel, I was faced with the most beautiful architecture. You can easily see that Nice has been a place for the wealthy for many, many years, as only they would be investing in such elegant properties.

As I walked towards the beach, walking down Avenue Jean-Medecin (the main shopping street) I was then finding myself amid the Plaza Masséna, surrounded by red walls of Neoclassical buildings, lively with great esplanades and finished off by the Fountain of Soleil, where a statue of Apollo, the god who carried the sun, welcomes you into the other side – to the Promenade des Anglais, a seven-kilometre long walkway by the seaside.

And then that blue, the blue of the Mediterranean, shakes you. Your eyes were dazzled by the shine of the colours you just encountered. But here the sea is blue and the sand isn’t sand. It’s white stones. A wave of peacefulness is shot through. At that moment I knew why Nice was so special and I fell over it completely. What can I say, I do have a taste for expensive stuff 😉

The Promenade des Anglais was indeed financed by the wealthy British tourists, who would come to Nice in the 18th century for Winter Vacations. The Industrial Revolution happening in Britain had the time was one of the main reasons for the English crowds in Nice – these families were trying to escape not only the miserable weather that overcomes the British Isles during the Winter months but also the pollution of such industrialisation. Doctors were recommending the airs of the Mediterranean, and Nice was just… perfect.

But it’s really not just that. Give me the sea, give me a beautiful town, with its own history, and I’m sold. And then I stepped into the Old Town. If I could sell myself twice, that was it. Here you can really feel how Nice, in its heart, is also still Italian. I am a sucker for a place with two hearts, two souls, two minds. It was only in 1860 that Nice was ceded to France by the Treaty of Turin – this decision was made by the Niçoise population, who made the decision based on how messy Italy was at the moment. We have to remember at this time Italy wasn’t a unified country as it is now ‘ it was instead multiple counties, fighting amongst themselves for more power and control. Not wanting to be part of the confusion, they went for France.

But Italy is still there. It’s present, especially in the Old Town. Those narrow alleyways, painted in warm colours, the many Italian restaurants, some of them where I saw queues to get in every time I passed by. How lovely to be surrounded by the past in the present.

In Nice, I took every single opportunity to walk in these streets, enjoying proper gelato, and soaking in the sun. But I also took the chance to travel to other places, as my feet are itchy and all I wanted was to explore more of that amazing place, Côte d’Azur or French Riviera. I was about to find out there was so much more than pretty little beaches bathed by the tepid waters of the Mediterranean.

Stay tuned!

Love, Nic