We headed out to our new-found cafe for our morning cafe au lait and croissant this morning. The owner of the restaurant remembered us and had a table waiting! The cafe is on the lower floor of what looks like a high rise that is divided into condos. As we observed the people both yesterday and today, we realized that this is the local spot where those living in the area come for breakfast and lunch. The owner was so cute this morning. She and her helper kept running back and forth to the Patissier (baker) to get fresh croissants as people came into the restaurant. I guess she didn’t expect so many people this morning. She kept looking at us and apologizing (I think). We did’t care. We had our croissant! Delightful!
We are staying in a section of Nice that is more residential than touristy. Most tourists stay near the bustling old town section because of the proximity to the water and cheaper restaurants We opted to stay in this area because of the convenience of the train station, which is only about 4 blocks away. We didn’t realize that we wold be in a section where there are actually residents of Nice. It’s been great! The streets are lined with old buildings that have been converted to the above mentioned condos. I have been trying to figure out what the style of architecture is. Mike says it’s Art Deco, but not like the Art Deco that we saw in Miami with the neon lights. In front of the condos, the streets are lined with Sycamore trees, similar to the ones I saw on the Mirabeau in Aix en Provence. It’s really a lovely area. And, we love that the woman who owns the cafe remembers us and is happy to see us each morning. It makes us feel like part of the local scene.
Today, on our last day, we decided that we would take the bus to Antibes, another of the bustling sea front rivera towns here on the Cote d’Azur. We got directions from our favorite front desk person last night and are ready to go! I am becoming a expert at figuring out the public transportation system everywhere I travel. I like order, and it’s comforting to me to know that there is a schedule and you can count on the bus coming and going in time with the schedule. Still, though, when we reached the specified bus stop, we checked in with our other bus traveling companions to be sure that we were heading in the right direction. As it turns out, we were! One glitch, we missed our stop and ended up in Juan les Pins again. It’s easy to do and these towns are so close together that it isn’t a real hardship. Just a disappointment that we failed to figure out the system. I hate that!
But, Mike was OK with being in Juan Les Pins again, as it was his favorite place on this trip behind Monaco. We contemplated just staying there. But, I really wanted to see Antibes. So, we crossed the street and took the same bus in the other direction and got off in Antibes. We were coached by a very nice Scottsman, who jokingly said he only spoke a little English…the Scottish one. What a comedian!
The tour books talked about how extensive the bus system is in the Cote d’Azur area. They weren’t kidding!. I don’t think I have seen so many buses going our of Nice to neighboring locations. We could have taken the bus instead of the train to any of the locations we visited in the time we were here. And, to top is off, the bus is only 1 Euro per way. You could go to the end of the line and only pay 1 Euro. YOu could even make a vehicle change and still only pay 1 Euro. WOW! this is great!
The downside is that it takes a long time to get where you are going in a really hot bus! This is another of Mike’s pet peeves. He gets a little grumpy when he is too hot. The other downside is that in the afternoon, the bus is really crowded. As we were coming back, I elbowed my way into the only seats that were available, which is not something I would normally do. But, we had a 45 minute plus ride ahead of us and I wasn’t going to stand. The ride back was about twice as long as the ride there because of traffic. And, the bus was jam packed with people. WOW! Glad to have been tucked away in a seat! All in all, though, the bus is the conservative alternative…and, not too unpleasant.
We loved Antibes!
We stopped at the handy Tourist Information Center that was near where we got off the bus in Antibes for some direction. They were at lunch. So, we decided to take a lunch break, too. We stopped at a sidewalk cafe and took a seat. Truth be told, we needed a little R & R after the bus ride. Mike is always in search of the perfect club sandwich and this place had one! Who knew! I had a warm goat cheese salad. I had this a few times when in Paris…love it! Mike also had a giant beer. It rivaled the size of the beers we at at the Hoffbraugh House a number of years ago in Germany….1 liter, but he managed to get it down.
I went to the bathroom and when I came out, Mike informed me that the chair he was sitting on broke while I was gone and he fell heels over head backward onto the sidewalk. The nice man sitting next to us helped him up. I can’t take him anywhere! YIKES!!
We walked through the old part of the city towards the water front. What a beautiful city! We wandered around on the narrow, winding streets looking at the shops and looking for photo ops. There were plenty. My favorite, was one that Mike found, an elderly woman sitting in a window above a shop. She was looking out over the city with a dreamy smile on her face. We both wondered what she was thinking of…..and, we both took her picture.
We walked to the water and viewed a lot of yachts…surprise, surprise… and some very colorful sailboats. The boats set along the azure blue water with the beach and town in the background was breathtaking.
The town also has a daily market and even has a covered space dedicated to the market. We were there too late to see this for today. Too bad.
Antibes is the home of a small Picasso Museum, which we also visited. The museum was the home of Grimaldi at one point. At some point, Grimaldi suggested to Picasso that he use part of the home for a studio. He ended up living and working there. There are numberous photos showing him working in the space…very interesting. I enjoyed looking at the different works. But, I have to say, I don’t really “get” his work as much as I did some of the art I saw on my last trip. As you probably know, Picasso’s style, as a rule, is quite abstract and cube-like. Human (and non-human) figures are generally disconnected with eyes positioned vertically instead of horizontally and heads disconnected from bodies. (I have seen more than my fair share of disconnected heads and bodies on this trip!) Picasso has a unique perspective on the things he paints. I will need to study up on his work before viewing more of his works. I visited the Picasso Museum in Paris a number of years ago, which was much more extensive. I liked the intimacy of the Antibes Museum.
Antibes s quite different than some of the other Cote d’Azur towns we have visited. They have a beach and a port area. But, the beach for sunbathers is minimal with the focus on the old town. All the way around a wonderful day!
We opted out of dinner tonight. I can’t believe it, but I am “fooded” out for now. I say for now, because tomorrow morning, I will probably be ready to eat the curtians in the room. But, I just can’t do it tonight. We finished up a bottle of wine from our wine tour that we had opened and ate some junk food that we had in the room. This will do for now.
Tomorrow we will leave France to go home, so this will be my last post until I get home and do my final wrap up. We will be up at 6:30 to prepare for our journey back. I hope I am able to sleep. Tomorrow will be a long day!
Travel With Betsy 
Leave a comment