In the past week we have done a few fun things around town and made sure to hit the last remaining restaurants on our dining list. Cocodile is a cafe not far from our apartment with spectacular views of the Promenade des Anglais and the Mediterranean Sea.
In the background of that last photo, you can see what appears to be a giant polar bear on the boardwalk. It's one of ten massive statues by Richard Orlinksi that decorate the city. While this statue is white, other brightly colored plasticine animals in the shape of lions, gorillas, and even a T-Rex are scattered throughout Nice.
For one of our last lunches out, we specifically ordered some local specialties. Kevin had the moules frites (mussels and fries) in white wine sauce while I had a local beef stew called Daube Niçoise.
To burn off all the wine, cheese, and delicious meals we've had on this trip, we made sure to take a few more walks along the Promenade des Anglais to burn off some of the extra calories. This is the view back to the Promenade from an overlook on the eastern edge of the beach. Look how blue the water appears. It's definitely called "the Blue Coast" for good reason!
One afternoon we were walking and could hear snare drums nearby. So we followed our ears and found this Napoleonic marching band. But this band wasn't dressed up to honor the more famous Napoleon Bonaparte; instead they were dressed in the military style that was in fashion during the rule of his nephew, Napoleon III. Napoleon III (or as I like to call him, "N3") ruled France from 1848 to 1852 as its first president and then also as France's last Emperor from 1852 until 1870. Around these parts, N3 is pretty important -- under his leadership Nice became part of France in 1860. The year 2023 commemorates 150 years since his death, which is probably why this marching band was partying like it was 1873.
We have enjoyed staying in this very walkable city. We loved that we felt safe walking at night in the most popular districts. It does feel like the city of Nice comes alive in the evenings. This is the former train station building (Gare du Sud) in the Liberation quarter -- it's now a food hall.
One of the fun things we were able to see at night while we were here was how the kids in France celebrate Halloween. We did not know Halloween was even a thing here, but we did see kids walking through the streets in costume on the 31st. Interestingly, it would be difficult to go door-to-door to homes here since many apartments are located inside buildings with an entry code. So instead the children go trick-or-treating at the local ground-floor businesses who keep their doors open a bit later to hand out treats to the kids. We saw some cute costumes but they were maybe a little more homemade than what you get in the US (there are no "Spirit Halloween" stores here!) I didn't want to be the weird foreigner taking photos of other people's children, so you'll have to take my word for it. Instead enjoy this nighttime photo of the Palais de Justice (courthouse).
The meditating human figures in the Place Massena set the night aglow with constantly changing colors. We spent a lot of time in this part of the city in the evenings; it was always lively and filled with people dining at cafes or out for a stroll. Despite enjoying our time here, we are ready to head home after 2 months away. À bientôt, Nice - we hope to see you again soon!
