Day 2

Saturday began with a visit to the Russian Orthodox cathedral. We were a little early, so we first occupied ourselves with taking photos of one another. Then we walked around the corner to a patisserie and had a drink and a sweet snack.

We were surprised at how small the interior of the church was as compared to its massive exterior. But there are areas not open to the public.

From there we went to Cimiez, the area with the Roman ruins and the Matisse Museum. We strolled through the gardens with its ancient olive trees. We had decided that Saturday would be portrait day. So, Monsieur photographed the girls in the garden and the Roman arena.

After Cimiez, we visited the Marc Chagall Museum. We were all enchanted by Chagall’s use of color and his imaginative imagery. We were only there for 45 minutes, but could have spent much longer

Our next stop was the old city with its narrow streets, small shops and crowded markets. Before lunch, we stopped to do some portraits. These were some really amazing photos we did in a simple alley way.

We had lunch at a restaurant we think was called Chez Antoine. They had seating in the square in front of the cathedral, where we chose to sit in the sun. Several of us chose the classic croque monsieur sandwich. Taylor had a thick bread with three cheeses – sort of an elegant grilled cheese sandwich. Raven chose a white chocolate crèpe with fresh strawberries – yum! Since a glass of rosé is traditional in the south for lunch, we felt obligated.

Then it was on to the beach and a wade in the chilly Mediterranean and more portraits. It was sunny, warm and breezy – just what you might expect of a spring afternoon in Nice.

We walked over and took the lift to the top of the colline du château which overlooks the entire city. On top is a family-friendly park with amazing views. We did more portraits and explored the various sights and sounds. There were jugglers and tightrope walkers, children playing on a tall climbing net and teens playing soccer. Taylor and Sommer joined the children for a climb. Then we had a leisurely walk down the hill, through the old town to the park in the middle of the grand boulevard.

We did more portraits in and around the reflecting pool awaiting the activation of the fountains. Of course, when we tired of waiting and walked away, they activated.

After a quick stop at the hotel to change and get freshened up, we headed to the restaurant d’Authentique for dinner. The highlight of the salad course was Monsieur finding a live escargot (snail) in his salad. That was not planned by the chef. The main course was pork with a mushroom sauce, potatoes, and amazing green beans. Dessert was a tarte aux pommes.

From there, we walked back to the old town for ice cream at Fenoccio and their 137 choices of flavors. We ate our ice cream, got cold and walked home to warm up. It was the end of long, tiring, absolutely delightful day in Nice.