At the young age of 22, my suitemate and I made a pact: if, at the age of 40, we are both still single–let us move to Paris. Because, we imagined, there’s no better place to be single at 40 than in Paris. And if, at the age of 50, we are still both single–let’s move to the French Riviera. Because although Paris is nice for the single 40-year old woman of distinction, there is nowhere better to be 50 and single than the Riviera.
At the ripe old age of 25 (and happily no longer single…) I returned to Nice with four travel buddies: my better half, my good mumbly Chinese friend, and my very favorite gay couple. We stumbled out of the train station promptly at midnight, took a rather circuitous route to our hotel, and hot-footed it to the main drag for some food. Or some beer at least.
Nice is the kind of city that has arranged itself perfectly for the traveler with very focused needs: if you want to go to the beach and eat and drink at any old hour of the day or night, Nice is paradise. You can even throw in some shopping if you’ve had your Wheaties in the morning. We quickly established a schedule for our four day stay which went a little like:
- 10:30am-12:30pm: Wake up.
- 1pm-ish: Leave the hotel, walk through the main drag to get some brunch.
- 1:30: Eat said brunch on the beach.
- 1:40-4:00 or 5:00: Bake in the sun. Enjoy the Mediterranean. Avert your eyes from the nudes.
- The point at which you can no longer stand the sun: Grab a beer and a snack along the main drag.
- 6:00-8:00pm: Have a nap.
- 8:30pm: Rally the troops for dinner.
- 9:00-11:00pm: Dine at one of the many varieties of Italian restaurants.
- 11:30pm: Take some wine to the beach. Enjoy.
- 12:30am: Grab a drink and some gelato at a cafe.
- 2:00 or 3:00am: Wander home.
Let me state that I am NOT COMPLAINING. It’s a wonderful way to live for a few days. But I think any more than 3 or 4 and I’d get all kinds of bored. At least during the busiest summer months. Sure, you can spice it up with a bit of shopping. And Nice is a great launching point for daytrips to Cannes, Monaco, or San Tropez. But it’s all rather superficial, and I for one don’t feel like I’m in France at all. Everything’s in English. Everyone’s a tourist. The servicefolk are helpful. It will still take you an hour to get your bill from the waiter, but that’s hardly enough to say you’re getting the true French experience. Frenchsperience. For my money, if I’m staying in the Riviera I’d prefer something a little more cozy. Something like Villefranche-sur-Mer. Or maybe Monaco…
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