Théâtre de Verdure

Today, I accepted the challenge from Erin to wake up at 6 am and headed to the beach. This is apparently when the water is at its clearest and most beautiful. Unfortunately, in an attempt to not wake up everyone from my room, I forgot to bring a towel and so couldn't go for a swim but enjoyed standing in the crystal clear water. I expected to be the only one there, but apparently, it is quite a popular thing to do as there were plenty of tourists with the same idea. It was worth the wake-up as the beach and the water were unbelievably clear and calm. I stayed here for a good couple hours as the sun slowly made its way onto the beach and the water. It didn't take long until the suns heat began to take effect, and I had to move on. As I try to always do in a new town, I booked a free walking tour for the city at about midday. It's a great way to learn about the city and is always super interesting. Rather than walking around with no idea what you're looking at, you get an insight into the history of the town and begin to understand why things are the way they are. It makes wandering through the city that much more enjoyable for the rest of your trip as you are looking out for things mentioned in the tour. Before that, however, I walked along the Promenade des Anglais, heading West to ensure I didn't walk through the areas outlined in the walking tour that I'd be doing soon. It was quite an enjoyable walk, especially out of the midday heat. But, it wasn't long until the heat became a bit much, and I found somewhere to sit before the walking tour. Eventually, though, the tour started, and we began at the end of the main strip at the statue of Apollo. She explained that the houses at the end of the main strip are incredibly historic and some of the first houses built in the town. They are very well preserved, but to live in them, not only is it incredibly expensive, but it also comes with rules. Firstly, you can't hang clothes on the front side of the buildings. Secondly, you can't have coloured blinds, and finally, you can not be naked in the vicinity of the window. Strange rules that are still somewhat enforced, apparently. We then went to a famous theatre and chocolate store, both incredibly old with an interesting history. The chocolate shop was a favourite of Queen Victoria who would drink tea there during breaks from the theatre. We had time to walk inside and see what chocolates were on offer, and it looked unbelievable. I wish I had the money to buy something but it was very, very expensive. After this, we moved on to the markets that were always present in Nice from morning until about 2pm. We had about 20mins to explore, and it was cool the amount of interesting food they had. We then moved on to the biggest church in the old town. It is quite big but easy to miss, as it is somewhat hidden in a little alleyway. She then showed us the best places for authentic French food while pointing out some cheaper places to eat if you're on a budget (which I am). We ended on the same Promenade des Anglais I had walked on earlier, but this time, we headed East. She explained the history behind the name, which translates to the English Promenade. Nice has always been a popular travel destination for the English people, especially during winter when they are escaping the harsh cold. But they complained that there wasn't enough walking opportunity along the water. The old Promenade used to be on top of the buildings that now track along the Promenade (photo 15 shows it well). To please them, they built a 6km long walkway and removed access to the roof of the buildings along the front. The Promenade now goes from the first castle constructed in Nice all the way to the airport. She ended the tour at the Eastern most point, which is great for photos, and then she heavily suggested we go to the top of the castle, it is free, and the views are amazing.

I followed her suggestion and headed up the hill to see the castle and learn a bit more about the history. It was cool to be able to see the old Promenade from atop the castle. The castle was the original town of Nice, founded by the Greeks, who were victory over a neighbouring colony. Thus, the city was named after the Greek goddess of victory Νίκαια (Nike gets its name from the same place) or Nice. But it has history going back 400,000 years, with evidence of the earliest uses of fire going back 230,000 years ago. The extensive cave systems that exist in the area made it perfect for early humans. The views from atop the castle did not disappoint either. It had historical photos of paintings that overlook the same area, and you can see how it has changed over hundreds of years. It was really cool. Not only this, but it had a really nice park area where the castle once stood, so it is still very functional despite many of the ruins of the actual castle being gone. There are some, but it is minor - it is mostly just the castle walls that remain. It even had its own little water fall.

I was well and truly exhausted by the time this was done, it was many hours of walking in some pretty brutal heat so I went back to the hostel for a little bit and when the sun set a bit more in the sky, I headed back to the beach for a quick swim. This was really nice despite the busyness and a good way to end the day.Read more