Day #2 Learning the city and Old Nice

Bonjour, y'all! Day #2 of vacation, and I'm starting to get the hang of it (12+ hours of sleep helps). :) Today is a collection of stories with a collection of pictures. Enjoy! 

Do you remember in the original Top Gun, when Maverick and Goose loved buzzing the tower? Well, there's a version here in Nice. The airport is close, close enough I can see the end of the takeoff runway from my hotel balcony. Some planes don't get too close to the land, but some fly RIGHTNEXT to the beach, then bank off over the water. I'm talking close enough that I could see the people in the windows if I tried. I need to get a picture before I leave, it's definitely something else. 

The grandmas here are next level. I was sitting at a boulangerie this morning (being very proud of myself for ordering my pan au chocolate and cappuccino in French, when I heard a voice say "Parles vous Francois?" I looked up, and this adorable grandmother type asked if she could sit with me (the other chair at my table was the only one available). I said yes, and we had a great conversation about where I was from, and she reminded me of a few words of French (Bon Journee). I also had another sweet grandmother type help me when my tram / subway card didn't want to work. Mr Rogers said "Find the helpers", maybe in Nice it should be "Find the grandmothers"

Now for Old Nice. We're right on the border between France and Italy, so there's a lot of mixing of architecture and food. Although, the "Casa Pizza" restaurant stumps me. :) Old Nice is full of tiny alleys that you would expect to be mugged in if it were America. But, instead they're filled with shops, restaurants and patisseries. A blog I read before I got here said the best way to experience it was "get lost". Can't say I disagree with that advice. It's a great place to wander in - small enough you can't get really lost (especially with Google maps), and fun options around the corners. 

Tonight is the first dinner with the whole group, and tomorrow is the food tour and the flower market (you'll see a picture of it today, I accidentally stumbled across it). I'm planning to use the afternoon to explore Jean de Medicin - the luxury shopping area of town. Should be interesting! 

And now, the pictures! 

The view from the beach in front of the hotel....I keep trying to find different angles. :) 

Lunch - Salad Nicoise. Fresh ingredients, and tasted yummy. 

Can you see the waterfall just below the people? I believe this is Castle Hill - I'm planning to visit later this week. Supposed to be the best views of the city. 

The back of the market. Too many people (for me) on the inside, I'll see it tomorrow. 

One of the flower stalls. Just one of them. 

It was starting to get a little crowded, and a lot of the shops were closing down for lunch. Time to go back to the hotel! 

Place Messena - big open space, and really cool walkways. 

An open church I passed by. I hope you can see from the picture, but the detail work is astounding. 

Detail in the streets.... 

Some of the streets I mentioned earlier. These were some of the wider ones....

So proud of myself - successfully ordered cappuccino and pan au chocolate! 

.....and you just know I needed an OOTD picture. :)