a magnificent visit to nice

First off: prepare yourself, this could get quite lengthy as this past weekend I went to Nice and while there did just about as much as you could do in two days.

As I mentioned earlier there are seven of us in Dijon from UNH and all seven of us went to Nice this weekend. We caught a train at 22h (10 PM) and didn't get off the train until 9 the next morning. This in itself was pretty strange because if you were to take a train straight from Dijon to Nice it wouldn't take 12 hours; however, we had to take a 1 hour train down to Besancon and then take another train from there to Nice. This train then did what felt like a tour of France stopping in Strasbourg (north of Dijon), Marseille (south of Nice) and in between the two Dijon itself. When we rolled back into Dijon two hours after starting our journey we were pretty baffled and furious until we realized that no one got on or off the train at this point.

The stands for the Corso Illuminé with ferris wheel behind it.

The train was also quite odd as no one checked our tickets. When we first got on the second train there was someone sitting in my seat. This conversation was the result (the original was obviously in French):

Me: Uhh this is my seat.

Woman who was sitting in it:  Do you have to sit here.

Nick: Yes, we're a group.

Woman who is still sitting in the seat: There are no other seats.

Our entire group: *shows tickets*

Woman: *moves grudgingly but not before glaring*

After this we were quite sure there were a huge amount of people who did not buy tickets and were just sitting on the train.

Surprisingly enough I was able to sleep on the train and by the time we arrived in Nice I was quite well rested. From the train station we made our way to the hostel (Villa Saint-Exupery) which was in the heart of the city and literally a street over from the parade routes. We were a bit early and our room wasn't ready but they were kind enough to let us leave our baggage, have breakfast (gratuit!) and wash up a little bit. While we were eating someone came over to us, gave us a few maps of Nice and told us where we could buy tickets for the parades and then gave some advice on what else we could do.

From front to back: Michelle, Kendra, Amy, Kayla, Nick and Sean.

We attempted to buy tickets right away because we had been warned that they could sell out. Strangely enough none of the ticket booths were open. I was a little worried that they had already sold out but later on we discovered that they didn't open until 2 hours before the parade. While looking for an open booth we walked around. Nice was strikingly warmer than Dijon and I didn't have to wear my peacoat at all. We were even able to go down by the ocean because Nice sits right by the sea. The beach was entirely covered in rocks and I was wearing tights, but the others took off their shoes and dipped their feet in the Mediterranean. 

Not long after we saw an open ticket booth and all bought tickets for the Bataille des Fleurs, then bought sandwiches for lunch and finally checked in to the hostel. We were in a room of 10 beds (5 bunks) and apart from us 7 there were two others in the room under the name Miguel who we barely saw.

A view over Nice from the Ferris Wheel. Usually only 6 people were
allowed per car but the operator let all 7 of us up together.

The Bataille des Fleurs was at 14h30 (2:30PM) and took place on the Promenade des Anglais which is a huge strip that runs along the ocean. As we had tickets we were guaranteed a spot along the route. "Bataille" in French means battle and the battle referenced in the title of the parade is between the spectators who try to grab the flowers that are thrown by the people on the floats. As a group we got quite a bunch of flowers but most were caught by Nick who, quite tall, could grab them out of the air before the others. It was pretty neat to see all of the floats, balloons, people walking on stilts and others dressed in magnificent costumes but the parade was over two hours long and we left as soon as we realized it was coming to an end because we were getting quite exhausted. 

In focus: a giant whale balloon in the Bataille des Fleurs. This year's theme
was "King of the Mediterranean".
Out of focus: the yellow flowers that were thrown at the crowd.

From the parade we wandered into Vieux Nice and then decided to go up to the Castle which overlooks all of Nice. It was a beautiful day and we reaped the rewards in wonderful views. The castle was surprisingly less of a castle and more of a park. The sidewalks were covered in places with beautiful mosaics and there were several playgrounds for children to play around on. Just walking around the park was a great way to spend the rest of the afternoon.

A giant flower in the Bataille des Fleurs.

By the time we got back to the hostel it was happy hour and by the time we left to get dinner it was about 19h30 (7:30). Dinner itself was nothing special. There was a guide book lying around our room that we had a look at and it reccomended this one restaurant that turned out to have what was 3 EUR wine sold for 12 EURs and a huge line. There were several things on the menu but by the time we were able to order they only had pizza. We were forced to gobble our food because it was getting to be quite close to the Corso Illuminé (Light Parade). It was unfortunate and I'm quite sure we would have all liked to eat somewhere else but by the time we realized we didn't really want to eat there we had been in line too long. You can't win everything!

The streets of Vieux Nice which I really adore because they seem to burst
with color either with the awnings or the actual buildings.

Earlier in the day we had bought masks for the Corso Illuminé for fun and because someone had read online that if you came to the parade disguised you could get in for free. This turned out to be false but some internet research revealed that there were other ways of watching the parade without paying and we took this route, putting on dance recital levels of eye make-up and our masks before making our way to the parade.

If the Bataille des Fleurs was a battle (although not too strenuous) the Corso Illuminé was a spectacular show. Many of the floats that were in the afternoon parade were also in this one but with lights, music and crowds throwing tons of confetti and spraying cans upon cans of silly string. I was a bit worried about not having tickets but the chaos turned out to be a better experience than the controlled crowds with the 10 EUR standing tickets or the 36 EUR bleacher tickets.

By the time we got back to the hostel we were completely covered in confetti and I was personally quite exhausted. So were a few others and, like me, they tucked into the remarkably comfortable hostel beds.

A very fitting fish float in the Corso Illuminé. Somehow they managed
to make this guy change colors.

The next day was Sunday and on the advice of people at the hostel we had planned to go to Eze (a medieval village) and Monaco. After breakfast we spent our time waiting at the beach and then headed to the bus stop. We made it to the bus-stop two minutes before it was supposed to arrive but it didn't. At 11:45 we left, figuring we'd missed it but as luck would have it, when we rounded the street the bus was coming towards us. I said "Oh my god it's the bus!" and then someone else yelled "Run!" and then we were off, making it just as the bus stopped!

Eze itself was pretty touristy. Our first order of business was getting lunch and we did so at an outdoor café where we could get sandwiches and sit in the sun. Though Eze was a medieval town and all that we really saw were some shops and an open market. A castle sat on the top of the hill overlooking the Mediterranean but we didn't go up to it.

At the hostel that morning we had been told that we could take a train from Eze to Monaco and we tried to figure out how to do so after lunch. This proved to be quite difficult. Towards the castle there was a sign labeled "Gare/Plage" (Train station/beach) and we started down this. What the sign didn't note was that the path was actually a trail and that the train station wasn't actually in Eze but in Eze-sur-Mer.

Not three minutes down the trail it forked in to two directions. One lead further downwards and the other lead to what everyone else thought to be a bus station but actually was just a perfume factory with a tour bus parked in the parking lot. I started to go down the trail but the others were convinced that this couldn't actually be the way and outnumbered, I was forced to return. From the perfume factory, which quite clearly did not lead to a train station, we made our way back up to the Tourism Office. There we discovered that the train station was in Eze-sur-Mer and that the trail that went downwards (and that I had attempted to continue on) was the only way to get to it. Normally there are buses that run between these two towns and also between Eze and Monaco but it was a Sunday and nothing is ever normal in France on a Sunday. The trail it was!

The trail itself was quite nice, with carved steps all the way down. The only difficult part about it was that no one had planned on hiking that day and while I was wearing sneakers (though not of the hiking variety) some people had on flats and sandals. Thankfully enough no one moaned about going down. We were also all really glad about the strange change in plans, as the walk down allowed us to have beautiful views of the Mediterranean and enjoy the fresh, warm air.

Me in my mask which I bought earlier in the day. Some people were
hesitant about buying masks but in the end I somehow convinced
people that it was a good purchase and an investment for a great
memory of Carnaval. Luckily I was right! As you can see, I'm also covered
in confetti which made for an interesting floor in the hostel later.

Once down we bought tickets to Monaco (1.6 EUR) and with half an hour to spare went down to the beach. This time I was actually wearing shoes (not tights and boots) and so I was able to dip my feet in the water even though the beach was still very rocky. We stayed on the beach for about 20 minutes before heading to the train station where we only had to wait a few minutes for the train.

As for Monaco? I found it to be quite bizarre. At the hostel it was described as where "rich people live" and it's a pretty accurate description. Our first view of Monaco was the yachts, all of which were massive and all of which are worth some ungodly sum of money. The next sight was the cars and after that the famous Monte Carlo Casino (from the outside only of course). The most accurate picture I can paint of Monaco was that their banks are not called banks but wealth management. 

Despite being a place that screamed "MONEY", Monaco did have one thing of interest. As we attempted to make our way to the palace (which I didn't see and don't regret missing) I found a Space Invader mosaic. For anyone that watched Exit Through the Gift Shop they'll recall the street artist Space Invader. Well, stuck on an unassuming street corner was one of his mosaics! A few pieces of it were missing but for being so low to the ground and being in such a controlled city I was both surprised and elated to see it. 

From the mosaic we made our way back to the train station. Nick and Kendra wanted to see the palace but the rest of us felt like heading back to Dijon so that we would have plenty of time to get dinner, pick up our luggage at the hostel and still have breathing time to catch the train. We were all pretty reluctant to split up but eventually we did. Those of us that went back to Dijon (myself, Kayla, Amy, Sean and Michelle) all bought some gelato (I chose pecan which turned out to be an excellent choice especially for a first-timer like myself) and while eating it found a place to eat for dinner. We sat down at the restaurant as it was opening and by the time we had ordered Nick and Kendra were back in Nice. To continue our streak of luck for the day they were able to find the restaurant and also able to order shortly after us. Being the only restaurant patrons we were served quite quick and we were able to eat with time to spare.

The Space Invader mosaic in Monaco.

Back at the hostel we took our luggage from the luggage room, made changes into more comfortable outfits and used the bathroom. Our train left a few minutes before 20h (8 PM) and we were able to get quite comfortable on it before it left the station. This time around someone did check our tickets. This turned out to be great for us because the conductor told us that the stop at Dijon (the strange one I mentioned at the beginning) we could get off. This saved us two hours on the train and also gave us some time to sleep in our own beds. The early departure made up for the baby sitting right in front of me who alternated being trying to climb over her seat at us and wailing and subsequently prevented me from getting much sleep.

By the time we rolled into Dijon at 3h44 we were all exhausted and ready to sleep. There was only one difficulty in getting home and that was that none of the doors would open. We ended up going through an open iron gate on the platform when it was clear that the sliding doors were locked until 5 in the morning. All in all Nice was wonderful and an experience I certainly won't forget!