Day 53, 25 February 2013

After a short week of school, we headed to Nice last Thursday.  When we arrived, it was pouring and thundering, but not to worry, we woke up on Saturday to a beautiful blue sky.

We spent Friday visiting Eze Village, where we climbed to the top of the village and walked through the gardens overlooking the coast.  We also had an opportunity to visit a perfume manufacturer and learn how perfume is made.  Later in the day (perhaps one of the highlights of the weekend), we visited Monaco.  What a beautiful place! See the pictures of the ocean with the mountains in the background.  After a picnic lunch, we headed to Villa Kerylos, a replica of an ancient Greek villa.  Then, we headed back to our hotel and rested for a bit before going to a magnificent dinner along the Promenade des Anglais.  A Niçoise salad and salmon with a butter sauce (think the scene in Julie and Julia where Julia Child describes her love of butter) was the perfect way to end the day.

On Saturday, we walked along the Promenade des Anglais before heading to Vieux Nice, the old part of Nice filled with the market, small shops, and restaurants with traditional Niçoise cuisine.  After another delicious lunch, I took the bus to the Monastère de Cimiez and wandered around the gardens surrounding the monastery.  I was the only person there, and I enjoyed a little bit of quiet reflection time.  On Saturday evening, we met up for dinner and Carnaval festivities.  Carnaval is the traditional celebration before Lent (in this case right at the beginning of Lent).  The celebrations in Nice date as far back as the 1200s, and this year was yet another success.  The floats in the parade were spectacular, and the people were dressed up in various costumes including but not limited to a family of Dalmatians, the Easter bunny, pirates, and various princesses.  Also, people like to throw confetti and silly string.  We were sitting next to a little boy who decided that we were not sufficiently covered in confetti, so he brought out the silly string!

All in all, it was another fabulous weekend.  Here are the pictures.

 The view from Eze Village.

 Monaco.

 Au bord de la mer.

 The beach in Nice.

 Carnaval before the silly string...

...and after!