Step out of that bubble that the travel agencies are chocking you with. Great empty deals, big dusty pools and zero cultural value. Feeling smothered yet? How about a gasp of fresh air? Open your eyes and take a look at Nice! Any excuse to visit Nice is a good one. It's popular enough, yet easily overlooked; has that exotic charm around it and doesn't require too much of your precious holiday time just to get there. So let's find out what it actually means to see the Côte d'Azur through the experiences of a simple Lithuanian guy.
I was about 20 years old when I noticed Nice for the first time. It happened in 2008 when I was back in my hometown, sitting in my room, staring into the white wall. There was a pencil drawn world map hanging on it. Darker shades represented the countries I've already been to and countries left in blank were still to be visited. As I was looking at the pale-white, dreamy Paris, my eyes wandered down towards the Mediterranean sea. A small dot between Monaco and Cannes caught my attention. All I knew about it back then was only that in 2001, the EU leaders had gathered there to sign what is now called a Nice treatyagreement. An agreement that had significant changes in the growth of EU.
When I finally started getting ready to visit the Blue Coast, the year of 2010 was rolling and my friends started rushing mesaying I shouldn't delay this trip any longer. However, it took me another 7 years, before I finally reached that small dot on the South-East coast of France. Knowing me and the fact that I am not a fan of crowded places, my friends kept on insisting that I should go before the tourists flooded in and stories, told by others, changed my primary expectations and perhaps formed an opinion.
Luckily, Nice was still standing there all graceful and calm, as if waiting just for me. Thus, the time for first introductions with the beautiful and, as I had naively expected, uncrowded Nice has finally arrived. A mistake waiting to happen turned out to be one of my best memories.
As I was standing in Place Masséna observing all the empty tribunes and somewhat strangely dressed people, I was tryingto figure out what was happening in front of my eyes. It turned out that all the commotion was because of the carnival thatwas taking place. Not just any carnival, but one of the biggest carnivals in the world, that would obviously attract massivecrowds. So there I was standing amidst all of those people thinking that, perhaps, I was late…
One of the first people I met in Nice was a receptionist of the hotel I was staying at. He left quite an impression on me as Iwas observing him swiftly working in his carnival attire, in the lobby, brightly decorated with glitter and masks. At this point it was easily noticeable that the hotel was overfilled with guests that had just arrived for the carnival. There were three days left before the closing of the carnival, which were plenty enough to visit the nearby towns, I though. But beforethat, I had to settle in.
I marked my location on my phone, re-packed my backpack with photo equipment, grabbed a bottle of water and I was ready. Ready to start one of my all time favourite games that I like to call “get lost”.
The rules are simple. All you have to do is just to get lost in a crowd and see where it will take you. Stop at the objects that interest you the most and merge in with the environment as if you have been living here for years. That's all there is.
As I was wandering around, the streets were getting narrower, colourful coffee shops filled up with chattering and laughter. The streets became so narrow at some point that if two people were to stretch their arms sideways, both of them would touch the building walls. A beeping moped coming from behind interrupted my thoughts. They're even driving in such tight corners!
Curvy old streets and a light sea breeze kept me company until I found myself at the highest point of Nice – Colline du Château. It was breathtaking as the whole of Nice laid there in front of me. I let myself aimlessly walk around the park noticing the kids playground, mosaic decorations on the steps and the view to Port Lympia. A few hundred meters further I caught the Castle Hill Waterfall glistening in the evening sun. It was a true bliss to my eyes.
The park gates at the bottom of the mountain are usually locked every night and I couldn't help but notice mischievous looks on people's faces. Failed attempts to climb over the fence followed by the search of another gateway soon turned into a small adventure. However just like most, this one had to end as well. The sun sinking in the horizon, restaurants closing down and tourists strolling around led towards the end of the first encounter with Nice.
After a delightful yet essential cup of morning coffee it was already time for Monaco. A half an hour ride on a train and we're there. Straight away I was greeted by a lovely smiling statue of their Prince. Gentle warm tones of the buildings, clean streets and the view of sea in the background painted the picture. One day was more than enough time to explore all of the city, however lush parks with benches facing the sea, stopped me from rushing. The whole city seemed as if it was taken out of a movie set; everything there was signifying a carefree and luxurious lifestyle.
Sea life has always been a weakness of mine, and I would highly recommend it to anybody. Therefore, one of my usual 'must see' places, wherever I go, is an oceanarium. Obviously, I couldn't allow myself to miss out on the opportunity to one while in Monaco as well. I won't go into detail describing every single object that I've seen there, but let's just say thatanything you'd see there would be worthy of a front cover of a magazine.
The next day I've decided to dedicate to Cannes. Unfortunately, after glorious Monaco, spoiled by all the parties and festivals, Cannes seemed poor. Not because of all the luxurious shops and big brand names, which it definitely was overflowing with, but by places worthy a traveler's visit and time. I'd highly recommend doing some research on famous objects before heading to Cannes; otherwise you'd just pass them without ever noticing. And since fancy shopping or partying wasn't my goal of the journey, I decided not to spend too much time and moved on.
I'd say it is rather so much better to visit a small town like Èze, otherwise known as 'eagle's nest'. This town is famous for its locally produced perfume and art galleries. Furthermore, it's captivating with its narrow, stone paved streets and mesmerising panoramic views at any given angle. It would surely suit as a perfect getaway from the quick-paced lifestyle and, in my case, great place to relax before heading back to Nice for the carnival.
An enormous flow of people in costumes instantly washed me away and I went where the crowd led me until we stopped in front of this black wall. Countless metal detectors and attentive eyes greeted me at the gates to the carnival. We passed these black curtains, as if they were a candy wrap, and soon got a taste of the sweet and bright colours that were hiding behind them. It felt like an entirely different world. Imagine circus meets magic, all coated in every colour of the rainbow,dusted with glitter on top. The crowd became more cheerful with passing time, however to my big surprise I did not notice a massive alcohol consumption. My typical Lithuanian subconsciousness started analysing people, expecting something unpleasant to happen. However it was not the place for adrenaline. Excitement, yes; relaxation, even more so. It was truly a place to sit back and enjoy the magnificent play evolving in front of you. And who knew that me, of all people, would have ever enjoyed spending time in such a massive crowd?!