I decided to extend my stay here because Nice continues to surprise me every day when I stumble upon lively pedestrian squares, lively jazz music, new and delicious Mediterranean cuisine, free museums and easy-to-use transportation. Justyna was kind enough to accommodate me another night, so I’m spending it on a private beach, lounging on a chaise with a cheesy novel. It’s nearly November, but I’m turning a nice golden brown just in time for Morocco.
My first night here, after a quick tour of old town with Justyna, I went for a long run along the boardwalk. After a two-hour ride in a stuffy bus, stretching my legs in the sunshine and saltwater breeze felt wonderful! I’ve come to the conclusion, after a month of traveling, that running is one of the best ways to see a new city. Running allows you to cover a lot of ground in a short amount of time while getting a better sense of the sights and city streets.
Later that evening, I met up with Devon, another musician friend of Robby. I watched him and his friend “busk.” This was a term I was not familiar with, but was vaguely reminiscent of corn-on-the-cob. In fact, I found out that it refers to street performing. For Devon and his friend, “busking” meant playing some jazz music in old town. After only about an hour, they left with about 20 euros (…wishing I had stuck with piano now)! Devon invited me to join him and his friends out for dinner, and I happily accepted, grateful to have a group of friends to go out with. His friends, many of whom where fellow band mates, were extremely friendly and welcoming to me. Their band, called the Phly Boyz, is made up of mostly Americans, but they play internationally, usually for private events hosted by the rich and famous. They’ve worked parties that have hosted the likes of Selma Hyak, Leonado DiCaprio and Jason Myraz (who opened for them)!
Dinner was at a tiny little restaurant, jam-packed with locals. Although I couldn’t eat the main course, which a choice between beef, pork and chicken, I did have the most delicious ratatouille I’ve ever eaten à la carte. Drinks followed dinner. We ordered two rounds of aperitifs late in the night, and I finally felt as though I was experiencing the southern France lifestyle.
I enjoyed exploring Nice at my own leisure during my last few days here. I bought an all day ticket to ride the trams up and down the city, hopping off and on to explore different neighborhoods. I took a bus up to the FREE Matisse Museum. It was a well-thought out exhibit with a good selection of his work from different periods in his life. Of course, my favorite works were those inspired by the beautiful Italian architecture and côte d’azur light.
Outside of the museum was a park full of olive trees. I saw school groups and older couples picnic up here next to some excavated ancient ruins, and as I walked around, I discovered another FREE museum: The Museum of Archeology. Although I didn’t linger here for very long, they had some wonderful, interactive exhibits set up for kids, and I got to dig in the sand for pretend artifacts!
On my way back to center-ville, I stopped in at the famous Chagall Museum. Before coming to Nice, I had very little idea of who Chagall was and what kind of artwork he produced. A guidebook I had borrowed briefly mentioned that his work usually portrayed Jewish images, often with deep blue hues. I am not a deeply religious person, myself, but I was completely blown away by the symbolism and story his paintings brought to life. His artwork was rich, both in content and in saturated acrylic. Deep blues, blazing oranges and flamboyant reds dominated canvas stretched the size of sliding double doors. The emphasis on primary colors and fantastical elements gives the paintings a childlike quality that contrasts with the sometimes somber and serious subject matter of his work. Overall, his work felt very personal to me in a way I didn’t expect. I think this is because his paintings depict a very good understanding and expression of human emotion and compassion.
Back at the apartment, Justyna offered me some of the delicious food she had cooked for herself, but I was anxious to try some Mediterranean cuisine, so I went out for Provençal pizza and world-famous gelato at Fenocchio. Although Fenocchio has over 100 flavors, I settled on a scoop of chocolate orange and a scoop of orange flower, which was amazing. Chocolate covered candied orange is a traditional candy along the Riviera, and it may be my new favorite flavor combination.
For now, it’s nice to have some time to myself to read and reflect, to dip my toes in the Mediterranean, to catch up on my writing in my real carnet de voyage—the hard copy moleskin I carry everywhere to jot down random thoughts, feelings, observations and important dates before desperately try to cohesively make sense of it all through these blog posts.