Markets and Beaches, Mussels and Pizza

Well, this was another awesome day! We have officially developed the habit of sleeping late, but hey, it's vacay. We had breakfast on the busy street a block away from our hotel since the hotel breakfast wasn't included and is tres expensive. We walked to the boulevard where we had dinner last night and it had magically been converted overnight into a flower/food market. We had read there was a market there on Saturday mornings, but had no idea that the "market fairies" had done their magic on our beloved dinner area and turned into the neatest market we've been to in at least a week. It was totally different than the one in Barcelona, but really great! We loved looking at all the fresh flowers, fruits, vegetables, seafood, spices and honey. We bought some cherries and ate them as we strolled through market, and may I say they were the best fruit either of us has ever eaten (except for the watermelon in Barcelona)! I bought a little kitchen towel with cherries on it at a cute linens shop to remind me of the wonderful cherries I ate while strolling through the Saturday morning market in Nice.

The bus station was next on our agenda because we had heard that it's the cheapest and easiest way to get to Eze which was our next destination. The bus ride cost us 1 Euro (about $1.60) each and we got the most incredible view for 30 minutes, with someone else having the honor of driving along the side of the mountains with several hundred foot drop-offs! The views of Nice as well as the sea were breathtaking. When we arrived in Eze, we proceeded to walk up lots and lots of stone steps since this ancient town, perched on top of a mountain, is a pedestrian-only place.....the streets are too narrow for cars. The narrow streets and shops were oozing with ancient character. It was really hot (so hot that my vitamin E gel cap melted in my pocket...nasty) and we were parched, so we stopped for a cold drink in Chateau Eze near the tippy-top of the mountain. It was a very swanky place and the view of the Mediterranean below was beyond description....felt like a dream sitting on the balcony sipping a drink and looking onto the most beautiful scene ever. Oops, we were jolted back into reality with the bill of 20 Euros for two drinks, water and the "complimentary" bowl of olives, but the view was totally worth it! The bus ride back to Nice (another Euro each.....what a bargain) was another half hour of totally gorgeous scenery.

Jeff decided to return our rental car since we can get everywhere we want to go by foot or by bus. I, on the other hand, was compelled to explore the stores of this lovely city. We met up a couple of hours later and headed to the beach......yes, that would be the French Riviera, yeah baby! It was about 7:30 pm which was just before dusk (it really stays light longer here than at home) and was the perfect time to sit by the water with the sky changing all colors of blue before our very eyes. We went to a cafe on the beach and had a beer/glass of wine sitting on the beach (rocky, not sandy) as the sun went down. It just doesn't get much more romantic than that! We sat there for over an hour just listening to the water hit the little stones and carry them back into the sea, watching the last of today's beachcombers splashing in the waves and seeing the sky exhibit every shade of blue imaginable.

Jeff and I decided to go back to Vieux Nice where we had eaten last night (no way it could be as good as last night) and where the markets had been this morning. I scrutinized several places and found the perfect one! Since we are so close to Italy a lot of the Nicoise food has a heavy Italian influence. So we ate at La Pizza du Cours and we were not disappointed! Jeff ordered an amazing seafood salad, filled with critters fresh from the sea and it was very tasty. I ordered a pot of steamed mussels which were tres yummy. I ate and ate for quite a long time and Jeff kept asking when I would be finished since he thought the waiter was waiting for me to finish before bringing the pizza. He couldn't really see how many were in that deep pot, so I counted the shells after I finished. There were NINE dozen of those little jewels of the sea!!! Since they aren't exactly filling, I helped Jeff eat part of the pizza we ordered. Pizza here is paper-thin and this one was the best we've ever eaten. We brought half of it to our room since we had to save room for cappuccino. Oh my, it was good:) We shopped (rather, I shopped) in the cute places that lined the restaurant area. While walking back to our hotel along the busy, colorful streets, we stopped for a strawberry/blackberry gelato which was yummy.

A very good day indeed!

Click here for today's pictures. Click on Slideshow, then click on Full Screen in upper right.