Nice is nice....or is it?
If you're not here in the height of summertime, Nice is overrated. Sorry to start like this, but I had high expectations from the hype about The French Riviera.
The weather was'nt great so there was no swimming. I'm sure if the sun was out, the beach would be bluer and prettier. I was getting excited as our bus approached the center of Nice but when we got off, the place was tacky looking. Like an outdated Miami beach.
I think the locals are sick of tourists. They grimaced when I asked them in French if they spoke to English. Felt like I should be skipping the courtesy to save us both time.
Without the beach, there was not much to do and the place is overrun with bad overpriced touristy restaurants and toy dogs that poo everywhere. Paris is cleaner than Nice.
Monaco was a disappointment too as there was not much to do or see unless you were loaded. Maybe it's sour grapes but I'm not into oggling the rich (saw plenty of) and famous (saw none.)
Anyway, let's roll to the pictures...
I'm not a fan of dodging their poo, but I love cute dogs.
He looked so proud watching the street from his shop.
Biscuits Ahoy
Me presenting Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous in Monaco
Playground for the rich, the Monte Carlo Casino. Pay 10 Euros for the privilege of walking inside. Joke's on them, as I used their men's bathroom for free. (The ladies queue was too long.)
I'd love to drive a shit-box to the casino and have it valet parked.
Glow-in-the-dark palm trees along the beach.
Got a little splashed on taking this shot.
Pretty along the main street of Nice.
Typical French food market with lots of little goodies...
...and spices. On Mondays, this place is a flea market.
Overlooking Nice Beach
The better things we did was see the nightlife in the Vieux Ville (old town.) There were lots of clubs playing live music. Loved drinking beer and listening to a groove band. We were so tired from taking early flights and walking around all day, but this was awesome!
By Sunday afternoon, we had clearly run out of stuff to do. Lucky for everyone except me who had to return to London for work the next day. I stayed an extra night so I could go to Cannes.
Moved into a hostel which was supposed to be an Lonely Planet's author's choice. It was a lively one, but what bothered me was that the bathroom was smelly and the dorm doors facing the courtyard did'nt shut properly.
I had bad tartare for lunch (made with frozen beef, blast that horrible resturant!) and was sick. Not in the mood to go to the common areas of the hostel and meet people. So many Aussies at this hostel, it was annoying. Luckily I had the whole dorm to myself until I woke to another girl coming in. (I pretended to be asleep so I would'nt have to socialise.)
She complained about the doors and when the reception staff couldn't shut them, I heard her been taken to another dorm.
The next morning I checked out but was late for the train to Cannes. After buying the tickets and realising that I would'nt have enough time, I got a refund and walked around Nice instead.
It was relaxing to do things at my own pace as opposed to travelling in a group like the days before. I windowshopped and looked around the flea markets.
Was good to get back to London, although the weather was much worse there.
The weather was'nt great so there was no swimming. I'm sure if the sun was out, the beach would be bluer and prettier. I was getting excited as our bus approached the center of Nice but when we got off, the place was tacky looking. Like an outdated Miami beach.
I think the locals are sick of tourists. They grimaced when I asked them in French if they spoke to English. Felt like I should be skipping the courtesy to save us both time.
Without the beach, there was not much to do and the place is overrun with bad overpriced touristy restaurants and toy dogs that poo everywhere. Paris is cleaner than Nice.
Monaco was a disappointment too as there was not much to do or see unless you were loaded. Maybe it's sour grapes but I'm not into oggling the rich (saw plenty of) and famous (saw none.)
Anyway, let's roll to the pictures...
I'm not a fan of dodging their poo, but I love cute dogs.
He looked so proud watching the street from his shop.
Biscuits Ahoy
Me presenting Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous in Monaco
Playground for the rich, the Monte Carlo Casino. Pay 10 Euros for the privilege of walking inside. Joke's on them, as I used their men's bathroom for free. (The ladies queue was too long.)
I'd love to drive a shit-box to the casino and have it valet parked.
Glow-in-the-dark palm trees along the beach.
Got a little splashed on taking this shot.
Pretty along the main street of Nice.
Typical French food market with lots of little goodies...
...and spices. On Mondays, this place is a flea market.
Overlooking Nice Beach
The better things we did was see the nightlife in the Vieux Ville (old town.) There were lots of clubs playing live music. Loved drinking beer and listening to a groove band. We were so tired from taking early flights and walking around all day, but this was awesome!
By Sunday afternoon, we had clearly run out of stuff to do. Lucky for everyone except me who had to return to London for work the next day. I stayed an extra night so I could go to Cannes.
Moved into a hostel which was supposed to be an Lonely Planet's author's choice. It was a lively one, but what bothered me was that the bathroom was smelly and the dorm doors facing the courtyard did'nt shut properly.
I had bad tartare for lunch (made with frozen beef, blast that horrible resturant!) and was sick. Not in the mood to go to the common areas of the hostel and meet people. So many Aussies at this hostel, it was annoying. Luckily I had the whole dorm to myself until I woke to another girl coming in. (I pretended to be asleep so I would'nt have to socialise.)
She complained about the doors and when the reception staff couldn't shut them, I heard her been taken to another dorm.
The next morning I checked out but was late for the train to Cannes. After buying the tickets and realising that I would'nt have enough time, I got a refund and walked around Nice instead.
It was relaxing to do things at my own pace as opposed to travelling in a group like the days before. I windowshopped and looked around the flea markets.
Was good to get back to London, although the weather was much worse there.