Côte d’Azur—33 miles of heaven

Cote d’Azur. It sounds sexy just saying it.

          Where did you summer?  

          The Cote d’Azur.  

Sexy.

NICE, FRANCE

Our first day here, we hit the ground running. We browsed the striped canopies of the Cours Saleya market on the periphery of Vieux-Nice (old Nice). Here we found an intoxicating number of vendors with cheeses, oils, artisan salts, breads, and fruits–the essentials for a picnic on the beach, or in our case, a picnic in Parc du Chateau.

A bottle of sparkling wine in hand, we hoofed it to the top of the Parc du Chateau (Castle Park) for a panoramic view of Nice: the Promenade des Anglais, Baie des Anges (west), and Port de Nice (east). Sweeping views of the cerulean Mediterranean Sea and the stippling of terra cotta roofs gifted us with a beautiful introduction to the Côte d’Azur. (I hear the views at sundown are also stunning.)

While in Castle Park I ventured along some meandering pathways to find myself in Cimetière du Château. I love visiting cemeteries. They whisper of rich and often intimate histories of those who rest there.

At the bottom of the park, we posed with the I LOVE NICE sign, and then headed to the beach.

We opted for a private beach where we rented 2 chairs, 2 towels, an umbrella, and a handsome cabana boy. We ordered Aperol spritzes and soaked in the sights.

The sunbathers were absolutely beautiful. Sauntering women in silky Versace kaftans. Sometimes in heels, sometimes in bikinis, sometimes in neither.

But let me share with you what was not sexy nor beautiful:  getting out of the water. The pebbles (nay rocks) will make a mockery of you, no matter how beautifully you saunter.

I am certain that if you listen carefully, you will hear the rocks laughing at me.

The moral of the story: no matter how glamorous you dress for sunbathing on the Cote d’Azur, floaties and good beach shoes are a must.  You have my word. The experience is humbling.

Coming soon…Monaco, Eze, Antibes, and Cannes.