After being inundated by travel brochures for years, we finally succumbed and booked a river cruise around the fabled Bordeaux wine region. With most of France chilly and soggy in the late fall, I figured a side trip to the French Riviera for some sun & fun was in order.
The coastal route along the Côte d’Azur is lined with picturesque villages and the scenic Nice to Monte Carlo train was a highlight of my last trip; coupled with easy access from Paris, I decided it was time for a Nice redux.
La Villa Nice Victor Hugo, is a contemporary hotel within walking distance to famous Promenade des Anglais and other major tourist sites. With a packed schedule for our 2-day, 1 night stay, there was no time to relax in the hotel’s inviting lounge but we were lucky enough to get early check in.
Our balcony looked straight at the roof of the Eglise Reforme de Nice. The architectural detailing of this window next to the steeple caught my eye.
Situated at the intersection of several major boulevards and bordered by attractive stores in the surrounding arcades, Place Massena is the heart of local life. The Fontaine du Soleil and the once-controversial monumental statue of Apollo are visible in the background.
The unassuming sculptures on tall poles come to life after dark when the resin lights up in bright colors. The seven statues of kneeling men are not installed to promote yoga or prayer. They are the work of Spanish artist Jaume Plensa and represent the 7 continents!
A centerpiece of the Promenade du Paillon is the Miroir d’Eau (Mirror of Water). The large reflecting pool is enlivened by random bursts of cooling mist or dancing fountains, and is a favorite among the young and young-at-heart.
The carousel remains a fixture in many French towns and this is no exception. It’s nice to see that children still love such low tech thrills in the digital age. The Fontaine des Tritons, like other public monuments in Nice, have been dismantled and then restored a couple times over the years.
Arc De 115.5 Degrees, or more commonly known as Arc de Venet, was created by French conceptual artist Bernard Venet. The contemporary steel sculpture stands 57 ft high and is one of the symbols of Nice.
Wood steampunk renditions of octopus, turtle, whale and dolphin dot the play area, inviting children to hang out and explore.
Offerings from one of the bakeries around the neighborhood.
The once impregnable fortress now lies in ruins. But for the adventurous, a hike from Old Nice to the top of Colline du Château (Castle Hill) will reward you with a surprise waterfall and panoramic scenery.
We spied a door adorned by a trio of angels with an inscription above. It’ll certainly look marvelous with decorations at Christmas!
If salt is your passion, then this store is for you! We stumbled across this in Vieille Ville (Old Town) while looking for lunch. The mind-numbing varieties of salt also come in a rainbow of colors to boot!
I’m always up for a full spectrum of culinary experiences when travelling and was excited to find a cooking class for a 3-course meal in Nice. The menu was Cappuccino Mushroom with Porcini Crumble for first course, Duck Breast, Olive and Sage sauce, Almonds, Pumpkin cream for main dish, and Gingerbread chocolate pie (special around the Holiday time) for desert. I love mushrooms of all stripes and duck is my favorite poultry, so it was an easy decision.
The group class in French was 70 Euros/person vs as a private class in English would be 200-250 Euros/person. Given the price difference, I decided my 2 semesters of high school French and general knowledge of French cooking would have to do. Unfortunately our San Francisco-Paris flight arrived the night prior and we were up early for the 7 am flight to Nice. So it was a struggle keeping awake while following the recipes in French. Luckily the class was small and we cooked in teams, so the food was delish even though we were increasingly semi-comatose as the evening wore on.
The entrée of duck breast, olive and sage sauce was garnished with almonds and pumpkin cream. Socca, a popular street food in Nice, was an unexpected addition, but our polenta like ‘socca fingers’ were much more substantial than the traditional pancake-thin version.
Here’s a traditional socca recipe, compliments of the NY Times:
INGREDIENTS
1 cup chickpea flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 to 6 tablespoons olive oil
½ large onion, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
PREPARATION
1.Heat the oven to 450. Put a well-seasoned or nonstick 12-inch pizza pan or cast-iron skillet in oven. (If you have a socca pan, obviously that will work well also.)
2.Put the chickpea flour in a bowl; add the salt and pepper. Slowly add 1 cup lukewarm water, whisking to eliminate lumps. Stir in 2 tablespoons olive oil. Cover and let sit while the oven heats, or for as long as 12 hours. The batter should be about the consistency of heavy cream.
3.Remove the pan, pour 2 tablespoons of the oil into it and swirl. Add the onions return the pan to the oven and cook, stirring once or twice, until they’re well browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the rosemary. Stir the onions and rosemary into the batter, then immediately pour the batter into the pan. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the pancake is firm and the edges set.
4.Heat the broiler and brush the top of the pancake with 1 or 2 tablespoons of oil if it looks dry. Set the pancake a few inches away from the broiler, and cook just long enough to brown it in spots. Cut it into wedges, and serve hot or warm.
It’s always amazing to see the pride and care French shop keepers take to display their wares.
Nice Epilogue: we left the cooking class in torrential rain that lasted throughout our stay. We didn’t stray far from our hotel the next day as the streets were flooded. It also forced cancellation of our flight to Paris and we ended up returning to Paris via TGV a day late.