Friday, January 30, 2015

Nice, France: Promenade du Paillon

A view of the ''fog'' fountain on the Promenade du Paillon
Nice is more than a pretty beach and ritzy shopping venues. It's a wonderland of creative, interactive outdoor art, mesmerizing fountains and free art museums. Many of the wonders are part of  the new Coulée Verte, or “green corridor”, officially known as the Promenade de Paillon, opened in October 2013. The park covers nearly 30 acres and spans 1.2 kilometers (.75 miles), right through the heart of Nice.
The jet fountain: people can walk amidst the pulsating jets
In order to spruce up the area once dominated by an ugly bus station and concrete multi-story car park, those structures were demolished in 2011. In their place, the city has created a green space that has turned into a public garden, complete with fountains, a variety of unusual trees, interactive art displays and playgrounds. The Promenade du Paillon was constructed over the river of the same name, buried in the nineteenth century to clean up the city. Everything in the park is designed as a reminder of the river, which still flows beneath the city.

The "fog" fountain, minus the fog
Several fountains provide a place to play: one has pulsating jets that people can walk around. The jets pulsate at different heights and rhythms, stop altogether, then start up again, so it's wise to be careful when walking around them, to avoid getting drenched. Another "fountain" emits fog, and seems to be popular with both children and adults. It provides a dramatic backdrop to wander through, and there was a male model being filmed for an advertisement while I was taking photos.

Filming in the fog
One of several play areas for children
For children, there are swings, a variety of games and giant structures to climb on,  sculpted in wood in the form of marine animals, such as whales, dolphins, turtles, and octopus.


Wooden chairs that can be moved to face different directions

Some areas have arcades with roofs, and sturdy wooden chairs that can be moved to change directions for a different view, or to turn away from the sun's rays. This vast green corridor has been planted with 1,000 trees, 61,730 shrubs and 55,364 hardy plants, and is intended as a place for recreation, well-being and tranquility.

Magical night art on the pavement
As I was walking through the garden one evening, I noticed that there were mesmerizing designs on the pavement, and the designs changed, depending on the amount of light near them and where I was standing. It seems that the pavement was painted with some type of luminescent paint that reflected light. I couldn't find any explanations of the phenomenon in Nice, but after doing some research on the internet, came across something they might have used to create this effect. Perhaps it was " a glow-in-the-dark product called “STARPATH” that can be applied to virtually any pavement surface to provide energy-free lighting once night falls. The material absorbs light during the day to create a luminous glow at night, and it is also non-slip and water-resistant, so it could reduce accidents while increasing visibility." (from http://inhabitat.com/dazzling-starpath-pavement-glows-in-the-dark-to-provide-energy-free-illumination/) Whatever the case, it added to the fun and enjoyment of the Promenade.


Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Eze-le-village, France

Eze-le-village, in the hills above the Riviera
The trip to Eze was a simple one, as we caught a bus near our hotel that took us east, from Nice to Eze, in less than an hour. The bus followed the coastline, past Villefranche-sur-Mer, Cap Ferrat and Eze-Bord-du-Mer, then up into the hills.

Quaint street in Eze
Eze is a tiny village, with quaint winding streets that are too small for vehicles. The German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche wrote the bulk of his work “Thus Spoke Zarathustra” in Eze, where he lived in the late 19th century. There is also the famous Nietszche trail, a strenuous climb that goes from the coastline up to the Village. Nietszche claimed that climbing the trail daily in the summer heat gave him hallucinations that inspired his writing.

Up and up...
And at the top of the village, there is a castle in ruins, the area now covered by an exotic garden with more than 400 cactus and succulent plants. It cost 6 euros to enter the gardens, but it was well worth it, as there is a panoramic, 360-degree view of the Riviera at the top. It was a lovely spot to spend a few hours enjoying the scenery. 

Cactus and Sea
Placed amidst the cactus are fifteen ethereal statues of women,  created by the sculptor Jean-Philippe Richard and added to the garden in the 1990s. The visages of the idealized women are said to be "steeped in eternity."

Endless beauty!
I found the statues to be mesmerizing, and took many photos of them, against the backdrop of the Mediterranean Sea.


After our trek, we stopped for galettes (crêpes made with buckwheat flour) at a crêperie called The Cactus. Galettes are usually savory, with vegetables, meat and/or cheese fillings.

Galette with vegies and cheese
There are several perfume factories in Eze, including another Fragonard, but we skipped it and visited a different one, Galimard, which had a similar museum and saleshop as the one we'd seen at Fragonard in Grasse. My friend was anxious to get back to Nice, so we didn't linger, and as the prices were higher that what we'd seen in Grasse, it's just as well.

The perfume museum at Galimard

In this room, you can hire someone to create a unique perfume for you.
After a rainy day in Grasse, we were fortunate to have such a lovely, clear day in Eze. I'm still haunted by the images of the statues in the cactus garden: it seemed they had some wisdom to impart with their ethereal beauty.

Monday, January 26, 2015

Grasse, France

Train Station in Grasse
The journey from Nice to Grasse was somewhat awkward, and further complicated by rain and the fact that we went there on a Sunday, when many things were not open. The train didn't leave until noon and it took about 90 minutes for us to arrive in Grasse. Though the distance was not that great, it was necessary to take one train to Cannes, then another to Grasse, with many stops along the way. And from the station in Grasse, we had a long walk up to the city center, following a winding path up hundreds of stairs, as the shuttle buses were not running that day.

part of the walk to the village center
Once in the village, we headed towards the Fragonard Parfumerie, one of the leading perfume factories in France, which also has a small historical museum.  The streets of Grasse were eerily empty, and shops were closed, so there was not much to distract us from our goal.

the empty streets of Grasse
Just as we arrived at Fragonard, it started pouring rain, so we were content to peruse the Fragonard complex for several hours.
Parfumerie Fragonard Museum
Tours of the factory were given in several languages. Since the tour in Italian was getting ready to start, we decided to go along with that group, instead of waiting for the English-speaking tour guide.

An explanation of one method used to make perfume.
I could understand most of the tour, and there were also written explanations in English to fill in the blanks. However, it didn't seem like a working factory, since everything was so pristine. It left me wondering where the real work was being done, but I was too intimidated to ask.

A display of the mixing room
How cold extraction is performed.
Here's where you get enticed to buy their products.
And of course, there were several sales rooms. There were so many lovely scents, it was hard to choose, but I knew that I wanted to splurge a bit. I ended up buying a small 1.7 ounce bottle of eau de parfum, called Jasmin - Perle de Thé, which has notes of lemon, bergamot, jasmine, honeysuckle, green tea, white cedar, guaiac wood and white amber. So subtle and lovely! I was told that the scent of eau de parfum will linger for up to 5 hours, while the scent of parfum (perfume) will last up to 8 hours, or longer.  I also bought a smaller bottle of perfume, (.5 oz), for twice the cost of the eau de parfum, in a similar scent, strong on jasmine. (Oddly enough, I recently discovered that I can get the same bottle of Jasmin - Perle de Thé on Amazon! It's a lot more expensive, but at least it would save a trip to Grasse.)

Some  antique perfume bottles in the museum
The museum had a large selection of antique perfume bottles that were attractively displayed.
More uniquely shaped antique perfume bottles.
Though there were several other perfume factories in Grasse, we didn't get to see them. We walked around in the rain trying to find the International Perfume Museum, but kept getting lost, and when I stopped to ask for directions, I only got annoyed responses from the locals, who didn't seem to know what I was talking about. I know enough French to ask simple questions, but could not always understand complicated responses to those questions. And many locals either didn't speak English or they didn't want to.


I loved the decor of this cafe!
Once we left Fragonard, we were pressed for time, knowing there was only one more bus (no more trains!) that would take us back to Cannes, but we stopped to get out of the rain and have a snack before we made the long trek back down to the station. There was a clever little cafe across from Fragonard, and even though the waiter was surly when we asked how to get back to the station (he refused to tell us!), he made wonderful crepes. My crepe was simple yet exquisite, with a dusting of powdered sugar and a squeeze of lemon juice.

The best crepe ever, and yet so simple: crepe au sucre et citron.

On the way back to the train station, I asked a local man if we were headed in the right direction, and he was kind enough to lead us to a shortcut that saved us some time. I was disappointed that we'd seen so little of the town, and wished we had planned it better. If we'd come earlier, on a weekday, we'd have had more time to see what Grasse has to offer. As it is, due to the rain and the hassles we'd encountered, we were tired eager to get back to Nice.

About those crepes: when I returned to Florence, I went to several creperies, hoping to find a crepe made with sugar and lemon like the one I'd had in Grasse. Yes, they had them, but they were not the same. The crepe in Florence was thick, and covered with granulated sugar (instead of powdered), which made it  heavy, gritty, and sickeningly sweet. However, back in the States a friend invited me to take a crepe-making class at our favorite health food store, and now I can make them myself!


Saturday, January 24, 2015

Nice, France, Part 1

Nice, France
Okay, I've been lazy for a few months, and still have stories to post about my recent stay in Italy, which included a side trip to the French Riviera. I was surprised and delighted with Nice, which I hadn't anticipated at all. I mean, I was expecting a lot of snobby, rich people,  and that everything would be expensive and la ti da, but it was NOT like that at all! In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I'm eager to return and spend more time in that part of the world.

Our venture to Nice took place during the first week of October, 2014. Since we had bought our train tickets online three months earlier, we got great discounts, and paid less than 30 euros one way from Florence to Nice. The journey involved several train changes, one in Genova and another in Ventimiglia, located on the border between Italy and France. Our journey took about four hours total, but was otherwise uneventful.

Gare di Nice Ville: train station
Once we arrived in Nice, the first thing we did was take the tram across town to our hotel, located near Place Garibaldi. We lucked out, as the hotel was both inexpensive and centrally located, near Vieux Nice. Once settled, we went out to look for food, in particular, Socca, which is  a  thin, unleavened crêpe, made with chickpea flour and sprinkled with pepper. It's a typical food of the Ligurian seacoast, from Nice to Pisa. Socca turned out to be very cheap and filling, an interesting and unusual snack.

Socca stand near our hotel
By an odd coincidence, my brother Chris from Camas, Washington was in Nice that weekend. He'd been in Cannes for work and had come to visit me in Florence the previous week. When he heard we were coming to Nice that weekend, he arranged to stay an extra day so we could meet up before his departure for Denmark and another work-related meeting. 

Chris and I at a restaurant on Place Garibaldi
Chris called to tell me he was eating lunch near our hotel, so we met up with him for a brief chat before going on to explore Nice for the first time. We headed down the winding streets of Vieux Nice, the older part of town, to the beach. After all, isn't that where all the action takes place? I mean, we'd come to the French Riviera...shouldn't we be checking it out?

Vieux Nice




Above and along the long stretch of Nice's famous beach is the equally famous  Promenade des Anglais, or La Prom, as the locals call it. It seems it was named The English Promenade because it was originally conceived of by wealthy English visitors who were visiting Nice in the late 1800's and noticed that many people were out of work. The city of Nice liked the idea, and expanded on it, building a wide pathway that follows the line of beach from one end to the other.

Promenade des Anglais
One can stroll, run, skate, or bike along the path, which is lined with palm trees, or sit in one of the many long benches that face the sea. I spent several hours enjoying this part of Nice, and only wish I could have stayed longer.

Cours Saleya, a shopping area near La Prom.
Of course, shopping in Nice is de rigour, and we did some of that, though it was not my favorite pasttime. Instead, I would have preferred spending more time at the beach. However, shopping abroad  is always interesting, and I did my share of it during our stay. Mainly, I shopped for soap, lavender and perfume, small items that would not add much weight to my luggage.

That evening we met up with my brother for dinner in Vieux Nice, such a special occasion! I'd seen my brother at the beginning and end of his adventure, and was thrilled to have been able to share that event with him. (I need to write a post about his motorcycle journey through France and Italy!)

Eating out in Vieux Nice with Chris and  Haruko.
The next day my friend and I were headed to Grasse, the perfume capital of the world, so we bid adieu to Chris and returned to our hotel.