ACTUALLY IT’S PRONOUNCED “NIECE” AND “EASE” but it really is nice and easy. Nice may be the fifth largest city in France but we couldn’t find lodging there that met all or our needs; parking, it seems, costs nearly as much as a room. So we drove up the coast (“up” being the operative word) to the historic Eze-le-Village, 1200 feet above the Mediterranean, and our Goldilocks hotel, Eze Vista, where everything was just right. We have a kitchenette, wifi and a grocery store just a few steps away. Plus free parking! The village is tres charmand with fantastic views, brilliant colors and vistas so vast that cruise ships appear like bathtub toys. We are only a hop, skip and a roll of the dice from Monaco and a €1.50, 20-minute bus ride down into Nice.
Eze from below View on the way up
Nice, though large and crowded, is wonderful. The beaches are rocky, it’s true, but most are free. Espace Jacque Medecin was packed with socializing old folks, families and lovers. Strolling on the Promenade Anglais is as delightful now as it was when the Brits built it in the late 19th Century — maybe more since few Victorians went topless then.
Red Umbrella Old Nice
Old Nice is a warren of narrow alleyways, shops, restaurants and cafes with colorful shutters opened to let in the afternoon sun and laundry drying from the open windows. The pastel Art Nouveau buildings contrasted wonderfully against the bright Midi sky. Very Nice, indeed.
Hotel Negresso, a Nice landmark
