The Last Few Days in Nice

The 15th was my Swiss friends' last day in Nice.  They flew home on Thursday.  To celebrate their last evening, we went for drinks on the rooftop at the Meridien - fabulous views even though it was windy.  Then, we went for dinner at one of my favourite restaurants, Le Siecle, in the West End Hotel on the Promenade.  My duck in a fruit sauce was fabulous and the Pavlova dessert was almost epic!  The only downside of the evening was that Roger wasn't feeling well and didn't join us.  However, us gals had a great time.

We checked out of the apartment the next day and I said good bye to Kathrin, Roger and Alina.  It is always a sad to leave the apartment but I have my fingers crossed I will be back there sometime next year.  I will be on my own for my remaining time in Nice although I have plans to meet up with Elaine Friday evening and see Elizabeth (a colleague of Elaine's) on the weekend.  Like with most vacations, I can't believe how fast the time is flying by.  

I moved to the Hotel Saint Paul for my remaining nights here.  It is not far from the port, has a lovely terrace and, for the first three nights here, I have a sea view room.  I went down to the terrace, ordered a glass of rose and relaxed. 

I walked to the old port to a restaurant that the hotel had recommended called Vigna.  I ordered chicken milanaise - basically chicken schnitzel - with fries and salad.  It was quite good.  Then, I ordered an Uber to take me "home".

Friday, I took it very easy as I had neglected my "chores" - editing photos, writing my journal and posting blogs.  Gosh, sometimes vacationing is a bit like work - but in a very good way!  I did walk to the harbour as I'd spotted a creperie last evening and I wanted a crepe au citron et sucre for my late breakfast.  Unfortunately, they didn't have orange pressee (freshly squeezed orange juice) so I tried the citron vert (lime) version.  I won't make that mistake again!!  Very sour.  However, sitting there, looking across the harbour at the pretty colourful boats and La Colline du Chateau was great.

Friday evening, I'd arranged to meet Elaine for diner at a place near Cours Saleya in the old town called Bocca where we'd tried to meet up the previous Friday.  First, however, I enjoyed a glass of wine on the hotel terrace with a lovely sunset in the distance.  Bocca was very trendy and quite unique.  We ate in the rooftop bar and, by the time we left, there was a line-up of young, sort of chic looking people waiting to get in.  Elaine spotted a friend of her daughter's and said hi.  The girl responded by saying "I thought this place was for young people!"  Kids these days!  I don't normally post photos of washrooms but I thought the ones at Bocca were quite unique. The area was filled with partyers as we headed back.

Saturday, I went back to the creperie.  The man remembered me and suggested I just have a bottle of orange juice this time.  Good call!  Later, a friend of Elaine's who had stayed with me in the summer, came to pick me up.  Elizabeth wanted to take me to Leghet, a sanctuary in the hills.  Below is the info I found out about it from the internet.

Tucked away in Nice's rolling hinterland, deep in the lush, green hills, the sanctuary of Our Lady of Laghet (Notre-Dame de Laghet) in La Trinité reflects all the richness of the 17th-century Baroque style.  First, there is its pretty ochre façade dotted with arches and attractive sky-blue louvred shutters, beneath a charming bell tower with a dome.  Its chapel, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, is surrounded by a cloister with immaculate walls beneath rib vaults.  The building offers a peaceful setting for pilgrims or visitors.  In the chapel, there are the ex-votos, wonderful pictures painted in the techniques of naive art and depicting the pilgrims saved by the Virgin, as well as scenes of daily life in the 18th century.  In 1652, it was reported that the Virgin Mary had manifested, not through her visible presence but the spontaneous healing of the sick and dispossessed.  When news started to circulate that miracles were being performed in the Chapel of Laghet, visitors and believers were soon coming from not only France but from all parts of the Catholic world.  Now, Notre-Dame de Laghet has a reputation rivalled only by Lourdes and Rome as a place of divine deliverance for the physically and mentally infirm.  

After that, we drove to La Turbie where we'd hoped to stop but there was no parking so we went along the Grand Corniche with its spectacular views of the Cote d'Azur but, unfortunately I didn't get any photos.  It was great to see some familiar places away from the coast and had been a good afternoon.  Back at the hotel, I sipped wine on the terrace and, once again, enjoyed a beautiful sunset.  

For dinner, I decided to try a casual restaurant which is a short walk from the hotel.  For some reason, it hadn't been recommended to me by the hotel staff but I decided to try it anyway.  It was a good choice.  The lamb shank I ordered was delicious and it was served with a salad, roasted vegetables and potatoes dauphinoise.  The restaurant was quite empty but there was another couple sitting not far from me.  I didn't know what language they were speaking - and the waiter didn't know either as they were speaking English with him.  After I'd finished my meal and they had as well, the woman asked me where I was from and then she told me they were from Iceland.  They invited me to join them and, for the rest of the evening, we chatted about all sorts of things and I am now friends with her on Facebook.  It underlined to me that you never know what an evening in a restaurant is going to lead to.

Photo of where I ate last evening

Sunday was my last full day here.  I had arranged to meet Elizabeth again on her side of town.  So, I started my day again at the creperie and this time the proprietor surprised me with a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice.  What a treat!  Then I caught the tram to a station called Fabron where I met Elizabeth.  Years ago, I'd rented a house up in the hills in Bar sur Loup and, while we were there doing road trips, I'd spotted a village in the distance called Coursegoules.  It is a medieval hilltop town and I'd always wanted to see it so when Elizabeth told me it was one of her favourite places, we decided to go there.  The roads in that part of the region are not for the faint of heart - I know, I've driven them!  The scenery was spectacular but, once again, there weren't many places to stop to take photos and, where there were, the views were blocked by trees.  At least I got some photos in the village.

Back at the hotel, I started getting organized for my departure in the morning.  The weather was changing - too cold to eat on the terrace tonight even though it is the first time I've managed to get a reservation - so I'm taking it as a sign that I need to move on to the next leg of this adventure.  Heading to Turkey tomorrow.  I'm going to miss this hotel though  I quite like it here.