We continued from there to Nice Airport, the third largest in France (after Charles DeGaulle and Orly in Paris), and handles about 12 million passengers annually. The morning was unbelievable trying to figure out how we could manage to check in for our flight on Sunday with the least hassle. The parking garages were extensive, and the lanes extremely narrow, and the spaces created for miniature cars! People get frustrated and park illegally, making traversing the small rows even more difficult. Ron pulled into one spot, and I had to get out since there would have been no room to exit the car otherwise. He came so close to the post beside us, I screamed for him to stop and said, "Let's find another spot!" After driving VERY SLOWLY through floor after floor, connected by little "bridges" to more floors after floors, we finally found a spot, which happened to be close to the elevators to the terminals. (Wish I had taken pictures of the horrible parking facilities.) We were only there to "suss" things out - just think if we were anxious to catch a flight - we (especially ME) would have been a nervous wreck! We went into Terminal 2 where we will be departing from on Sunday.
We were trying to determine if there was a place to store luggage, as we thought we could take the big bags ahead of time and return the rental car, and spend the night in a nearby hotel. I had read conflicting reports on-line - the official airport site says it is only possible in Terminal 1. But, several people had written on forums that you could also store luggage in arrivals of Terminal 2 at a "service center" near the aquarium. However, after asking at an information desk (and being told it wasn't possible) and looking all around the "aquarium" area, we found nowhere to leave luggage. The terminals were very far apart - so storing in Terminal 1 would have made no sense. So, Plan "A" was scratched off!
Ron hadn't really been in favor of the hotel plan (my idea), and thought it would work out to leave the house at 6 AM and drop me at the curb, and return the car while I waited. This is our usual modus operandi. So, we went outside to see where Ron would need to drop me off with the luggage before returning the rental car - and discovered that private vehicles are not allowed to stop for unloading anywhere near the entrance to the terminal. We really couldn't believe this was true, and spent a lot of time looking, reading signs, etc. Only buses and taxis could come directly to the curb. Ron actually walked to the beginning of the road, as he thought he might "slip" by, but there was a "boom gate" controlling access. There were some far "ouside" lanes, but they were also such that stopping for more than a few seconds was impossible. Someone with just a carry-on bag could hop out, but there was no way to unload "real" luggage. So, Plan B was also out the window.
Then we set off for the car rental facility to see how difficult it would be to drop the car and then put all the luggage on a cart and walk to the terminal. This proved to be a LONG WAY, and in many places wasn't covered - so a rainy morning would have been problematic - trying to push heavy luggage while holding an umbrella. So, Plan C did not seem feasible either.
It appeared the only solution (and what most people seem to do) would be to park the car in the vast parking garages, get a trolley, take it to the terminal, check in, go back to the garage, then return the rental car, then walk back to the terminal. That sounds like a hassle and time-consuming, but possible, BUT having seen how difficult it can be to find a parking spot (we drove around at LEAST 15-minutes to find one) - we decided that wasn't good either. Suppose there were no spots to be found and time for the flight was getting near!
We were quite "flummoxed". We have traveled all over the world, and have never encountered such a passenger-unfriendly airport! We decided that it would be best to get a hotel and have the shuttle or taxi drop us at the terminal.
We were at the airport about 2 hours in all - quite a waste of a morning, but a good thing we did it. We could have had a nasty surprise if we'd shown up Sunday thinking things would be easy!
We finally left there very frazzled, and realized we no longer had a few extra hours to drive in the hills above Nice - so headed to Cours Selaya parking garage in the old town of Nice, and arrived here about 12:15.
We walked through the streets, and arrived at our lunch appointment a bit early - Olive Et Artichaut.
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| Beautiful roses in Cours Selaya flower market |
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| Terrine de Foie Gras Maison |
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| Pumpkin and chestnut soup |
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| Mary's Filet of Liche (something like albacore) on bed of barley with a lemon confit |
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| Ron's rissotto with spicy sausage and scallops |
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| Credit card machine used by restaurant staff almost everywhere in Central Europe - so your credit card is never out of your sight |
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| Place Massena and Mediterranean Sea from Galeries Lafayette |
After lunch we walked a LONG way. We left the old city and walked through the beautiful Place Massena, an Italianate-style square which originated in 1815. We went into the Galeries Lafayette, a 5-story department store, to look for a few items. One of the main things was a certain flavor of Nespresso coffee to replace what we had used of the house owners. We went up the escalators, so saw much more of the store than we needed to - especially since it was very warm. We find many European stores are over-heated in cool months. On the top floor in the housewares department there were many models of Nespresso machine, but no coffee pods. Also, unusual for major department stores in Europe, there was no basement level "gourmet" grocery store. I was getting tired and cranky from being too warm, and went into the fifth floor restaurant, La Table, to relax and have a beverage. However, they weren't licensed to serve wine (or any alcohol) without a meal. The views were superb, and I was able to take a couple good photos. Ron eventually came and had a capuccino.
Leaving there, we walked up the pedestrian streets, Rue Massena and Rue de France. We walked along Rue Paradis, where all the luxury brand stores seemed to be located. As we came back to Place Massena, we finally happened upon a Nespresso store that we had been looking for, as we wanted to replace coffee pods Ron had used. The "boutique" was very busy with numerous displays of machines and coffees, as well as a cafe. It seems there is almost a "cult" of Nespresso enthusiasts, who visit the "boutiques" around the world. They did have the "Arpeggio" flavor Ron wanted, and the girl was taken aback that he only wanted two boxes (narrow, long boxes holding 10 pods each). Most people apparently buy LOTS.
We then walked into the Albert 1 garden, the oldest in Nice, and sat by the "Three Graces" fountain by Volti. Further along in the garden, which we could see from our bench, is a greenway with a huge black metal arc, which is a sculpture by the modern artist, Bernar Venet.
Once we were rested, we continued walking into the Promenade du Paillon, the new (2013) greenway which revitalized this area of Nice. One of its central features is the "mirror water" where there are jets of water.
I managed to "walk on the water" (as they call it) while the mists were enveloping the area - very NEAT! I missed the thickest of the mists, whch were already receding by the time we got there. However, best not to linger too long, as soon the jets of water will spray you! The water feature is very large and the surrounding buildings are reflected in the shallow water.
We walked back into the old city, and went to Place Rossetti to get a gelato at the famous Finocchio, only to find it had already closed. It was in full swing when we were there a few days ago, but I do recall reading something about it closing in mid-November for the season. We then went several more blocks to the Distilleries Ideales where we had been previously, and sat outside on the sidewalk watching the people go by.
It was then time to retrieve the car from the underground garage and make our way back to St. Paul. As we drove out along the Promenade Anglais on the sea, I kicked myself that I hadn't remembered the cute cafes and bistros along the way with balconies where one could sit and enjoy the sunset over the Riviera! Instead we viewed it from our windshield, creeping through rush-hour traffic.We passed the famous Belle-Epoque Negresco Hotel, built in 1912 for the Hungarian businessman, Henri Negresco, who later went bankrupt and died at 52. The hotel had been turned into a hospital during WWI, and tourism did not revive quickly after the war, and the hotel was siezed by creditors. It is filled with collections of art work, and is touted as one of the finest hotels in the world. Unfortunately, I have read some recent reviews that were less than flattering. We had lunch there quite a few years ago with an Australian friend, who loved the place. The hotel and its famous pink dome were designed by Edouard-Jean Niermans, the architect of the society crowd of the time. In the Royal Lounge hangs an enormous Baccarat chandelier with 16,309 crystals.
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| Hotel Negresco on Promenade Anglais We bid "au revoir" to Nice |
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