Nice Really is Nice

Leaving Dubrovnik was a bittersweet feeling, but I was extremely excited to step foot back in France.

I was also particularly excited for my flight to France – because I was visiting the South of France during the Cannes Film Festival, flights were hard to come by, and I’d accidentally booked a first class flight from Dubrovnik to Nice. I’ve never flown first class before, and didn’t even realize the tickets I’d purchased were for first class when I booked them. In the U.S., I’ve come to expect that a flight across half the country could cost $300 depending on when you book and what time of year you’re flying, and since I was flying into the nearest airport to the Cannes Film Festival, I thought that was just the cost of any flight. However, when I was preparing for my trip, I noticed that my tickets were for first class, and got super excited to have a whole new experience flying!

It was definitely fun – my flight was in two parts, one from Dubrovnik to Zurich, and the other from Zurich to Nice.

We were given really cute boxes of Dalmatian snacks from Dubrovnik to Zurich, which was such a fun treat.

Inside was prosciutto, an almond nougat, salsa, crackers with olive oil and rosemary, and arancini. The arancini was my favorite, but you can’t really go wrong with a sugar-coated orange peel in my opinion.

The views flying into Zurich were absolutely incredible.

I mean, check out those mountains.

*Puts Zurich on “To-Travel List.”

I was similarly spoiled, both in snacks and views on my flight from Zurich to Nice.

The sun over the water is crazy gorgeous.

You can see a tiny little sailboat in the distance as we began to land in Nice.

I immediately felt comfortable and at ease back in France. I was super excited to hear French around me once again, and had a wonderful Uber driver pick me up from the airport. My French skills were a bit rusty, but he was so kind and wonderful to chat with.

I stayed at the Hôtel Le Royal Vacances Bleues, which was alright.

My room wasn’t the greatest, and I ended up with a bathroom in which the shower was just in the bathroom, no separation or partition between it and the rest of the bathroom, which meant when I showered, the water seeped and sprayed into the rest of the bathroom, which I found to be gross. I know that’s still a style of bathroom in some places, but I just wasn’t a fan of it.

However, I’d gotten a pretty good deal on the rate for my room through Hotwire, and the location of the hotel absolutely cannot be beat. You’re located right on the strip of beach in Nice, and walking around was so easy.

As soon as I dropped off my bags in my room, I walked across the street to the beach, where the sun was beginning to set.

Those are some beautiful pinks melting into those blues.

I walked around the city for a bit before grabbing a bite to eat and returning to my hotel for the evening.

The next morning, I decided to take a stroll through Nice.

I walked along the Promenade des Anglais and made my way to Place Massena, a historic square in Nice.

So beautiful!

There were a few people out, enjoying breakfast in little tables in the cafes along the square.

Most of the shops were closed, and since I had around 24 hours to explore Nice, I decided to move on to my next location, the Cours Saleya market.

I can still smell the flowers from here.

The market didn’t just sell flowers, but had an array of baskets, gifts, food, and drinks.

It was pretty busy at the market, but it was fun to walk around and check out what each of the vendors had for sale.

Look at how adorable this basket of oranges is.

As I walked along, the most mouth-watering smell of strawberries wafted over me. I felt like Scooby-Doo looking for a Scooby Snack as I tried to pinpoint where the scent was originating from. And then I saw them.

The most perfect strawberries to ever exist. I wish smell-evision was a thing, because I would totally use it in this scenario. These strawberries were perfectly red and smelled like heaven. I decided to buy a carton, as I had plans to climb to the top of a hill overlooking the city, and thought the strawberries would make a good snack at the top. I was very much correct.

I have to point out a mural I saw at the market, as well. I’ve thought of this mural many times since seeing it, because it was so freaking cool.

This is not a poster peeling off the wall. This is a mural. Those shadows? All painted on. The way it looks like some of the painting has faded and peeled away in areas? All painted. That poster is not real, it is not dimensional, it is paint. It is so cool to look at, and I’m in awe at how the artist made this truly look like a poster hanging on a wall that has aged over time. So cool.

Next, I wandered over to the Colline du Château, a former military citadel that is now a beautiful park. To get to the top, you have to climb a lot of stairs.

It’s a pretty beautiful climb, though.

And the views at the top are totally worth it.

Check out this archway in the park that looks like something out of Lord of The Rings.

The waterfall was beautiful, but it was a bit powerful the day I visited, so I was cautious to approach too closely, as I did not want to be drenched in water for the rest of the afternoon.

On your final set of stairs is a beautiful tree that feels like it knows all your secrets for some reason.

And at the very top, even more beautiful views.

Whew! Nice is really showing out today!

I underestimated how hot it was and how thirsty I would be after all of those steps, so I stopped at a little cafe at the top to pick up a strawberry juice. I didn’t even know that was a thing, but since I was already on a strawberry theme, I decided to go for it.

It was really good!

And the strawberries were the best strawberries I’ve ever had in my life.

I sat at the park for a bit, cooling off and enjoying my treat while I people-watched.

After I finally decided to descend, I walked through Vieux Nice, or Old Nice.

It was super charming!

Saw a little shoutout to the U.S.

This section of the road was officially named in honor of the U.S. when we joined forces during World War I.

During my stroll, I had to make a stop at Librairie Jean Jaures, where I snagged yet another book about F. Scott Fitzgerald in French.

I roamed the streets, taking in the beautiful details of the buildings along the way.

While the strawberries were delicious, lunchtime had struck and I was beginning to get hungry – and also in need of coffee.

I found a spot on Instagram that looked cute – and we’ve learned a lesson here, friends. Not everything that we see on Instagram that is cute is actually worth going to.

I went to Cafe Ballanger, which was terrible and I do not recommend it in the slightest.

I kind of immediately knew that it was not going to be good based on it’s exterior appearance and the actual menu – it just looks like a place that is only known because of it’s marble-laminate tables, pink chairs, overall pastel-theme, and excessive amounts of milkshakes.

But I carried on because they had a large coffee menu and I had walked too far to not get something to eat and drink.

The coffee was fine, but the food was extremely rich and made my stomach hurt, so that was fun!

It was exactly how it looks.

Less than satisfied, I moved on with my day anyhow!

My next destination was near my hotel, so I began walking in that direction, passing more beautiful architecture, including the Palais de Justice.

I also came across a tiny little Statue of Liberty.

Also placed her to commemorate the U.S. joining World War I.

I decided my coffee at Cafe Ballanger was not going to cut it, so I decided to stop and take another break at Cafe Frei, which was just across the street from Villa Masséna Musée, my next stop.

The coffee was way better here. Would recommend.

Sufficiently caffeinated, I walked across the street to Villa Masséna Musée.

I first walked around the gardens outside of the villa, which had a variety of interesting flowers.

The roses were out of this world.

Villa Masséna Musée is in itself a beautiful sight to see, but it also holds a collection of items from Nice’s history.

Let’s take a moment to appreciate the building first, shall we?

First of all, when you enter, you’ll immediately see the intricate tiling in the entrance.

Would not have wanted to be the guy who set all of that stone in place.

The main entrance had a marble pillar that felt like the fancy French version of Plank from Ed, Edd, and Eddy.

If you know, you know.

The ceilings were gorgeously ornate.

As were the walls.

Don’t even get me started on the staircase and that gorgeous blue paint on the doors.

I wanted to read a book in this room.

By far the most beautiful room in the entire house was the dining room.

This room was so beautiful it truly stopped me in my tracks. I went back to it two more times during my visit, because there was something about it so magnetically gorgeous that I couldn’t stop looking at it.

The sun pouring in through the windows, the greenery at the end of the room, the statue, the blue and orange colors, my eyeballs just couldn’t get enough of it!

You see what I’m seeing, right??

The upper level of the house had several Napoleon-related artifacts, which was also extremely cool to see. We’ve got the man’s hat!

And his coat!

As well as Queen Josephine’s coat.

Uhm yes, sign me up, I would also like something this dramatically beautiful.

They also had her diadem, which was stunning.

Would definitely have also worn that. She had good taste in cloaks and diadems!

I also saw a portrait that looked strikingly familiar.

It looked extremely similar to another piece that had stopped me in my tracks – the portrait of Empress Eugénie at the Louvre, which I’d seen a few years earlier. The portrait at the Louvre was luminous – the painter had included a glow around Eugénie so that your eye is drawn right to her. It was a beautiful portrait, and I was confused as to whether or not this was a replica, a second issue of the painting, or if it was somehow on loan from the Louvre. I suspect a replica, but there was no identifying card near the portrait.

After my visit to Villa Masséna Musée, I walked to Ruhl Plage, a beach that F. Scott Fitzgerald was said to frequent while in the South of France.