Nice, France: The Beach and Castle Hill

Sailboats on the Mediterranean, from the beach at Nice

We've all seen images of the French Riviera, and it's touted as one of the most beautiful spots in the world. But seeing it up close and personal was not what I expected. Yes, it's long, and attractive: the weather is lovely and the setting is exquisite.

Hanging out on the beach

But the beach itself? It's rocky! And it's no fun walking along a rocky beach like the one in Nice. What's more, walking barefoot is out of the question. But if you can get past that, it's a great place to spend an afternoon watching and listening to the waves.

The only sand you'll find on this beach!

There is only one sandy spot, a sort of large sandbox, where kids can play and build sandcastles. There is also an absence of changing cabins, which are readily available (usually for a price) on the beaches in Italy. Instead, in Nice I noticed several people, men and women, changing their clothes right on the beach. They managed to take off all their clothes and put on bathing suits (usually bikinis) with little fuss or notice...quite modestly, in fact, without any sort of cover up.

You can see how large the rocks are on Nice's beach. Ouch!

Even though the rocks kept me from walking along the beach, I found a spot to sit and enjoy the sights and sounds of the waves crashing on the shore. It's a lovely sound...like a rain stick....a swoosh as the wave comes in, and then a clatter of the rocks hitting against each other as the wave recedes.

Benches like this are placed along the Promenade des Anglais: a great place to watch the sea!

After walking along the beach, we decided to explore Castle Hill, the highest point of the city, where there are spectacular views of the Riviera. We went in the afternoon, and were already tired, so took advantage of the elevator that swiftly transports you from beach level to the top of the hill.
 

A view of the Riviera from Castle Hill

At the top, there is a large park with a terrace, and a variety of paths to meander along. The 90-meter terrace overlooks the sea, but the castle itself is no longer there.

A view of Nice from the other side of the terrace on Castle Hill.

Castle Hill” was the site chosen by the Greeks in 350 B.C. to set up a trading-post, thus founding the city of Nice. The post became a permanent settlement, and they named it Nikaia, after Nike, the goddess of victory.

Cascade Dijon: A man made waterfall on Castle Hill

A castle was built on the site during the Middle Ages, but had been completely destroyed by 1706, as the city underwent the tumult  caused by various rulers. 

Castle Hill with the beach in the foreground and the full moon above.

We made our way back down to the beach from the castle, avoiding the elevator in favor of walking. We were lucky to be in Nice during a full moon, and I was able to get some lovely shots of the beach and the city under its glow.