Departing Aix en Provence I left behind the first part of my trip; a tour of Provence. Next up was two weeks in Nice. I had an apartment booked in the city center not far from the train station. Given that the bedroom, living room & kitchen were all separate rooms, it was actually something of a luxury accommodation for me.
After getting setup there, and given that it was a beautiful, sunny day (quite unlike my quick visit to Nice last year), I went straight down to the sea-front. The Monday after Easter is a public holiday in France, so there were lots of people about. And, even though the temperature was only in the 60′s, there were plenty of them enjoying the sunshine on the beach; and even a few brave souls out swimming.I walked down the beach along the Promenade des Anglais, the main strolling street, and then up Castle Hill for views over the city & sea. Afterwards, I walked back to explore my neighborhood some and find a restaurant for dinner. Given the holiday, many restaurants were closed, so I eventually settled on a Chinese place (a change of pace if you will). I was amused when the waiter (owner?) brought over my half bottle of wine already opened, but carrying the corkscrew as if he had just removed the cork (when it was quite obvious he hadn’t). At €6 for a half bottle, I really didn’t care. I just couldn’t figure out why he felt the need for the charade, and didn’t just serve it in a little pitcher like so many other restaurants.