Nice time in Nice ...

It was only 30 hours of my travel time, but I felt good to have the small slice of life I experienced in Nice, France, the place that is home (at least in the summer) to such things as great beach weather, beautiful views of the hillside and even more interesting people to meet and discover.

I did plenty of this in my short time here. Teddy, Rashid, Georgyna and a couple of women from Redmond, Washington whose names escape me at this moment all played a role.

Teddy was the first person I met, the owner of Hotel Felix, right in the heart of the Zone Pietrone and about a block from the sea. A budget hotel it was, but Teddy always had a welcoming smile on his face and he gave me two glasses of orange juice upon my early morning arrival (remember, I arrived in Nice on a night train that got me into the city at 8:30 a.m. on Monday). We talked a bit before he went back to helping the other customers. It was while sitting on the couch that I met the two women from Washington. They appeared to be sisters and the one who spoke to me, man I wish I remembered her name, was very, very sweet. She and I conversed about our respective trips. I told her about me winding down my long trip and she told me that the two of them were doing a Italy-France-Spain journey. They were heading for Spain next.
She and I wished each other well on our journeys and I headed for the room Teddy had arranged for me to occupy for the night.

I showered and then came back down the stairs. Teddy gave me the information on how to find the bus to the Henri Matisse Museum and I was on my way.

I walked to the bus stop and got on board for 1.30 euro. Not too bad a price. I was on the bus for about 10 minutes until being dropped off right in front of the park gardens which also houses the Matisse Museum and a nearby amphitheatre.

The museum was a three-story building filled with sculptures, paintings and drawing of the artist who lived in Nice and is buried in the city, too. Interesting exhibit, especially for only a 4 Euro admission price which includes a look at a temporary exhibition by other artists as well as Matisse's permanent collection and a small, 60-seat amphitheatre which runs a film program on Matisse's life as an artist.

I then left, originally thinking I would take the bus back to the Hotel Felix, but instead, I got inspired and chose to walk (I swear, I've walked a few marathons when I think of how much my feet have walked on the pavement and cobblestone streets of Europe). It was a good decision because I really got to soak up the scene as has been the case in several cities.

I returned and was soon out the door again and on my way to find a local restaurant/bar that Teddy had told me about called Wayne's (www.waynes.fr). It was a Monday night so the crowd was very minimal. Georgyna, a waitress from Australia with the thick accent, however, more than made up for the slow crowd.

We chatted awhile, she's only 21, we compared our trips -- she came to Nice because she likes the beaches, reminding her of home, so she is staying for six months before going back home to continue her studying at university.

I then ordered some chili which sounded good, surrounded by tortilla chips, guacamole, sour cream and a veggie garnish. It was good. I was also in the mood for something on the side, so I had a jacket potato with cheese, bacon and sour cream (the jacket potatoes are really just your standard baked potato) and I had two pints of Kilkenny (not sure if it is modeled after South Park, but the Guinness folks make this smooth, amber ale that was absolutely delicious).

I chatted up Georgyna again, but left before the live music band Breathe, playing cover songs, came on. I wasn't much in the mood to hear bad music (believe me people, I've heard enough bad American music to be the Encore champion for years to come --- for those of you who know the game I speak of).

Good night.

My Tuesday day was quite short since I had a train to catch at 2 p.m. and I had to get a reservation so that means standing in line at least a half hour or so before it leaves.

I had lunch with Rashid, a man who is a friend of our family. He and Teddy, they are friends too, and I sat down at a restaurant next door to Hotel Felix and I had what has become my pizza staples -- ham and mushrooms. It was served as a large half pizza (not a calzone). I washed it down with a Penforth Brune (dark beer, they also have a blonde beer) which hit the spot.

We talked about a lot of things and I had a great time. I then ordered a bowl of ice cream, one scoop vanilla, one coffee and enjoyed every bite.

We then had to go as Rashid dropped me off at the train station and I wished Teddy and those girls from Washington well. I also hope Georgyna has a good time in Nice and that her homeland is OK after that cyclone hit it the other day.

Ciao!