Day #3 Tour of Old Nice and Luxury Shopping

 Greetings, y'all! By the way, I find myself saying "y'all" a lot during conversation....it's just ingrained. Our tour group is from all over the US, places like Wichita, Albany, Austin and others, so my use of the word is always a topic of conversation. 

Anyway, today was an official tour of Old Nice, followed by a free afternoon. After I told some in the group that I was planning to check out the luxury stores as well as a vintage store I had several "Can I go with you?" We ended up with a group of 5 of us wandering around. Lots of fun. 

First up - the tour of Old Nice. Our tour guide was very nice, and very knowledgeable of the history of the area. We took a 2hr walking tour of the area, plus a tasting of macrons and gelato (picture below). I am now a fan of mango gelato.....if anyone can find it in the States, please let me know! It's fascinating to me how much effort was put into the architecture of older buildings. Today we build them as quickly as we can. The effort that was put into details back then is astounding. 

Oh, and here's my travel tip of the day - if you're coming to Europe, bring a few washcloths! I usually have to ask for them specifically (they're not included in your room when you check in), but this hotel had none. Trying to wash your face with a hand towel is not an easy feat. :) Several of us ventured into Zara Home today and wound up with some lovely 3-packs to take home. So if you're ever at my house and you see grey washcloths, you'll know where they came from. 

....and now, pictures (and stories!) 

Residents hang their laundry outside to dry. Please note the two peacoat hanging on either side.... 

We stopped mid afternoon after our legs (and knees!) gave out. Wound up at a Portuguese cafe, and tried the Pastels de Nata - an egg tart with custard, vanilla and cinnamon. So glad I did - it was yummy! 

When you're nice, you get two glasses of wine. The tour guide was walking around with an extra glass of rose, looking for the owner. I jokingly mentioned it wasn't me, but I would be happy to drink it. A few minutes later she walked up, made the "shhh" sign, and placed it at my seat at the table. 

Presented without comment, but it's an interesting commentary on worldwide public affairs. I've seen several expressions of opinion about the person in the painting. He's not making a good impression..... 

Can you see the faces on the bottom of the balcony (at either side)? There were about 6-8 balconies, each with different faces. The story goes that the nobility who lived there thought so much of their work, they told the house opposite them on the street they needed to put in some extra effort to make their facade equally as stunning. 

Outside of a local church. I don't know if the statue was intentionally posed that way for the birds, but I love it. 

The sample size of mango gelato. This was *before* lunch, by the way.... 

If you can't see, the picture is worth enlarging for the al fresco (al fresco? mural? something else?) on the ceiling and wall. Just a normal part of an apartment in Old Nice.... 

Old Nice has little air conditioning, but was built so there's little need for it. The main roads were built on the same path as the surrounding waterways, so there's a natural breeze. If you look at the above picture, there's a grate. Air flows through, into a courtyard inside. From there the air flows upward, cooling the rooms next to the courtyard. 

Another view of Castel Hill (from yesterday) 16 flights of stairs to the top! No, didn't make that today..... 

Me! 

View of Nice from the other side. 

So....I should know more about this statue than I remember. However, I was too distracted by the amount of jokes a group of women over a certain age can make about a naked man! Yes, the back is just as detailed as the front. And yes, many people took pictures of that side, too...... 

Very cool artwork. There were seven of these statues, representing the seven different continents. They were all in meditative poses and faced their home continent. At night they all glowed different colors, representing quiet communication with each other. If only it were that way in real life...... 

Place Messena, with our guide leading the group. The architecture and the paint colors are fascinating. The walkways especially - was trying not to be that person that stared at their feet, but it was so cool!

Today's OOTD. :) 

Our group at dinner last night. I'm the youngest at the table by far. The ladies made my night by guessing I was no older than 35. Passed that age a loooooong time ago, but I'm loving the compliment! 

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. :) 

Day #1. I'm in Nice!

 As I'm writing this, I'm sitting on my balcony overlooking the water. :) Not a bad way to start a vacation! Today is Day #1 of the French Riviera. I'm with a tour group (Collette) that's going to different locations throughout the week - Nice, Monaco, Cannes, etc. I got here a day early to get a little more adjusted to the time difference, and to let me get settled in. The first activity is dinner tomorrow night, so I've already got plans for during the day. Did you know Nice has resell shops?  

First observation for the trip - budget cuts are hitting the travel industry hard. The line for security check in (even TSA pre check) was about 45 minutes. I've never seen that happen in CLT. Also, there were no amenity kits on the plane. I know, I know.....total first world problem. But - the flight attendant mentioned that they came from China, and there were some issues with shipping. Both of these things don't seem like big problems, but they also make me wonder what's to come. 

Now, on to Nice. It's beautiful here! I'm in a waterfront room facing both the beach and the promenade. It makes me laugh because it sounds like something straight out of Bridgerton. The weathly English patrons built the promenade so they could do exactly that - walk up and down by the water, show off and gossip. Today it's a great place to stroll, ride bikes or jog. 

.....and, it's now past my bedtime because jet lag is seriously catching up with me. The poor waiter at dinner....he was trying to hard to be nice and ask me questions about where I was from, and I could barely string together a sentence in English, let alone French. Hopefully I'll have more sense tomorrow! 

A few pictures from today.... 

The view across the water, taken from the 8th floor of the hotel 

The private beach / restaurant area of the hotel. I'm going to try to eat lunch there sometime this week. 

The promenade is the red concrete area, the beach is to the right of it. The beach is all tiny stones, which is not something I'm used to. People are spreading towels and laying down on it like it's soft sand...

The view from my room.....

Marketing miss, or lost in translation? This is the snack / beverage menu for the British Airways flight. It makes the immature junior high schooler in me giggle.

Mountains, taken from the window of the plane

London Roundup: Links and Travel Suggestions

Home! I'm slowly readjusting to life at home, trying to get laundry done and the house reset. Bella is following me everywhere - I think she's afraid I'll leave again. :) 

Before I stop the blog until the next trip, I wanted to provide links to the places I wrote about, as well as some general travel suggestions for your next trip. Hope they're helpful! 

Wednesday: 

• Leicester Square statues: https://leicestersquare.london/whats-on/scenes-in-the-square
• Fortnum and Mason: https://www.fortnumandmason.com/

Thursday: 

• Big Ben tour: https://www.parliament.uk/visiting/visiting-and-tours/big-ben-tour/
• These tours sell out in just hours. If you're planning a visit, make this one of the first tickets you book! 
• Hadestown: https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/show/24465-hadestown-tickets
• I used the London Theatre site for all my theatre bookings. Easy to use. 

Friday: 

• Eating Europe Food Tour: https://www.eatingeurope.com/london/borough-market/
• This tour was one of many this company offers. They're also available in many European cities besides London. Highly recommend! 
• St Dunstan in the East: https://secretldn.com/st-dunstan-ruin-church-garden/
• Good spot to sit for a while. Quiet and peaceful. 

Saturday: 

• Brick Lane: https://travelinsighter.com/top-things-to-do-in-brick-lane-guide-to-the-brick-lane-markets/
• Chrysa Kouremeti Jewelry: Facebook, Etsy, and Instagram 
• Globe Theatre: https://www.shakespearesglobe.com/

Sunday: 

• Brigit's Bakery Bus Tour and Tea: https://b-bakery.com/london/blog/10-years-brigits-bakery-bus-tours
• Not a serious tour of London, but it's a lot of fun! 

Monday: 

• Van Cleef & Arpels: https://www.vancleefarpels.com/us/en/home.html
• Love Luxury: https://loveluxury.co.uk/
• They're also starting a sister site for some of the more loved of the pre-loved market, and some of the lesser known brands. I haven't used them, but if you're interested: https://loveprelove.com/

Tips for Traveling: 

• Don't forget your health insurance card! Depending on where you are it may or may not be of use, but if you need it you need it. 
• Carry a photocopy or a photo of your passport with you and keep your passport in the safe at the hotel. 
• Don't be afraid to be flexible! I skipped a few things I had planned and rearranged a few things as well. Vacation is supposed to be relaxing - make sure your schedule is something you enjoy. 
• If you have the time, wash your sheets and straighten up your house before you leave. You're going to spend time in a hotel where they likely have maid service. Coming home to fresh sheets and clean house is a nice luxury and makes re-entry a little easier. 
• If you have an evening or late afternoon return flight, consider taking the next day off of work. You'll need the chance to do things like wash clothes, grocery shop, and get used to the time change. 
• Lastly - travel your way. There are plenty of sites that will give you ideas, itineraries, everything you could think of. But when it comes down to it, it's your trip. Pick and choose from what interests you and build a trip plan based on your wants, not anyone else's. After all, it's a vacation.....  :) 

Day #6: Shopping!

So.....I had been saving my money to be able to (potentially) do some damage on this trip. So today was the shopping day! Here's the stories, in pictures and words.....  

I dressed up a little today, but only wore the sweater when I went out. I wore the sleeveless dress when I went down to breakfast. On the way I started talking with a little boy who was telling me all the things he was going to see that day. When I mentioned that I was going outside, too, he looked at me very seriously and said "I think you will be very cold." Cracked me up! 

Signs at the local coffee stand. If you know me, you know this is how I feel about coffee. 

This group was filming in Piccadilly - found them as I was walking. Not sure why the leader was singing into his iPhone, but they were very serious about it. 

Apparently Ralph Lauren is a big luxury brand here, and Ralphies Coffee is a hotspot. These large bears greet you at the door. Personally the huge bear head on a smaller size mannequin creeped me out, but it worked for them. 

First stop, Van Cleef & Arpels. I didn't hold out much hope of finding what I wanted, but I got some lovely chocolates and a bottled water. Also, the sales person was very kind and informative. 

Stop #2: Harrods. I had some time between VCA and my next appointment, so I decided to take a break at Harrods. Enjoyed a lovely lemonade and some great people watching. Plus, they had a mini Dior wall! If you remember the pics of the one in the Paris museum, this was very similar. Beautiful.  :) 

Stop #3: Love Luxury. No joke, I had been looking forward to this stop for most of my trip. I found Love Luxury through a google search, then through their Instagram page. They sell box fresh (meaning never used) and pre-loved luxury bags, specializing in Hermes and Chanel. If you know Hermes, you know trying to get a bag from the store is a game. It's ridiculous. Besides, I would much rather buy a box fresh or pre-loved bag. 

So....I went to the store with several bags in mind. There was one bag I really, truly wanted but knew was out of my budget, so I didn't bring it up. But apparently my guardian angels had other ideas because one of the bags Marya (the store manager) pulls was the very same bag. And she's able to offer a discount on it that brings it down into my price range. This bag had never been used, came with the original receipt, and had all the accessories. It was an offer I couldn't turn down! 

I'll include more of their info in my next post (trip summary), but if you're bag shopping this is a place I would definitely recommend (and you know I don't do many recommendations). Wonderful staff, great product. If you're looking for a luxury bag, they're it. 

The front of the store. They're selling the SUV if anyone is interested.....  :) 

Me, the bag, and Marya (the store manager). I got to talk with her and several other staff members. All so wonderful and helpful! 

Hermes Kelly 28 - this was the bag I really, really wanted (and thought I wouldn't get). Now to figure out how to get everything home! 

I'm ending the trip by seeing Hamilton this evening. Looking forward to seeing how it plays in London. It's just been open for a few weeks - the YouTube video of their West End Live performance this year was what convinced me I needed to go. 

Tomorrow is the plane ride home.......

Day #5: Tea On a Bus

When you're in London one thing people insist you MUST do is afternoon tea. I was fine with that, but the concept of daintily sipping tea and eating food didn't sound much different than having lunch or dinner in a restaurant - just a different time of day. So, I went with Option B - tea on a bus. Brigit's Bakery offers tea in a double-decker red bus, tour of London included. Sounded like a pretty fun option so I went for it. Pictures below....  :) 

Uptown London (Central London? Downtown London?) 

The lighting for this pic was just too perfect. House of Parliament and Big Ben 

Fountain at Trafalgar Square 

The residences here are beautiful. Only a few million each.....  :) 

Another house pic. 

Harrods! I don't have a winning lottery ticket so I'm not going in, but the crowd outside was massive. 

The amount of times I've gone past Big Ben on this trip. Every time I do it I mentally quote Chevy Chase - "Look kids, there's Big Ben!" 

My spot on the bus 

Teas I could choose from. I chose the Berry to start, then switched to the English Breakfast. Definitely preferred the second. 

My tea sweets 

The bus! I'm sure it's just because CLT isn't as big a town as other places, but seeing how close the bus got to other cars, bikes, etc on the road made me very, very nervous..... 

Storytime: After tea, I did a little shopping. My main plans for shopping are tomorrow, but I did treat myself to a Longchamp bag today. I was trying to decide between a black bag or navy bag, and started a conversation with the other ladies at the counter to get their opinions. The two ladies to my right were in full hijab and abaya, the ladies to my left were speaking a foreign language to themselves & English to me. Point being - we were three very different groups of people. However, it was a great discussion. I ended up buying the black bag, the ladies to my right liked it so much they also bought one, and the ladies to my left bought the navy one. We may all be different in terms of religion, place of origin and belief systems, but fashion is one of the great unifiers. That and a smile. :) 

New Bond Street - one of the fancy dancy shopping streets in London. It's worth it to enlarge the picture and see how many luxury name brands you can count. And all with black-suited security guards at the entrance......

Went past Liberty of London while I was walking today. Those at the street corner probably heard me muttering "I do NOT need any more fabric. I do NOT need any more fabric...... " 

Tomorrow is my shopping day, then Hamilton at night (I really, really want to see how it goes over here). London has several stores that CLT doesn't, so it's a good opportunity to see and handle things in person, instead of going off of tiny pictures on the internet. I mean, while I'm here..... 

Day #4: Shakespeare and The Globe

 Yup, needed a Part II on this one. I got back to the hotel way too late (for me) to type anything coherent, so you're getting this in the morning, when I'm fresher. :) 

Last night was Antony and Cleopatra at Shakespeare's The Globe theatre. Definitely a worthwhile experience, it was theatre like I'd never seen it before. The theatre is built to be exactly like it would have been in Shakespeare's time, so you get the experience as people would have the first time around. One of the main differences between this theatre and modern day is there's a pit between the seated audience area and the stage. People could pay a reduced price (about 5-10 Pounds) and stay in the pit area for the show. The downside is there are no seats - you're standing for about 2 1/2 to 3hrs. You gotta really, really love Shakespeare to do that. You'll see the pit area in some of the pictures. 

The fun: The show I attended was marked as interpreted for sign language, so I figured this would be like any other show I'd seen - the interpreter is in the corner, and signs the words as the actors say them. Nope. I found out later they were trying out a different method. If you were on Team Cleopatra (meaning the lead actress and anyone in her entourage) you signed a combination of British and English Sign Language. If you were on Team Antony, you used a combination of sign and spoken word. The lines were also displayed on large screens around the theatre. It wasn't something I was expecting at all, but was a very cool way of doing things. One of the volunteers mentioned they were getting a lot of people who used BSL to communicate, because this was one of the few theatre experiences geared for them. I really liked the way it was done - was very natural instead of "Hey! We're using sign language over here!" 

Another piece that was very well done was the presentation itself. I was wondering how much I'd be able to pick up, having never read the play. After all - it's Shakespeare. The actors did a fantastic job though of communicating through body language, expressions and gestures what was going on. What I missed in the words I could pick up in the subtext. 

The not-fun: Since the theatre is a replica of the original, the seats are wooden benches with no backs. Even with the provided cushion, I was wildly uncomfortable. Enough so that I left at intermission, because otherwise I would have been miserable for the last 1 1/2 hour of the performance, and probably driven those around me crazy with my wiggling, trying to get comfortable. I would have liked to seen the rest of the play, but I got a good flavor with the first act, and wasn't contorted and miserable. 

View of the theatre, taken as I was leaving. It's an imposing structure, definitely no missing it. 

Two angle of the stage and audience seating. You can see the standing-only area, as well as the bench seats (under the awnings) 

A view of my hotel, taken from across the river. It also houses an event space. It was also the original home of M15 and M16, with a direct tunnel to the Prime Minister's residence. Lots of wartime subterfuge!