We checked out of our house in Sablet and headed south to Nice. Once again, there are so, so, so many more places to see in Provence. We missed some because of bad weather, but another week would have helped too!
The skies were overcast most of the way, but the clouds were high enough that we could see some of the beautiful and dramatic scenery on the way down. Rolling green hills, and also high cliffs of rock and chalk.
We stopped at a truck stop for lunch. This time there were only 6 coffee vending machines, but the café
served coffee also. It's obviously top priority here.
We knew the drive would take 3 hours, and we allowed 4, plus some time to stop and eat. We were scheduled to check into our apartment at 3 and return the rental car at 4. We arrived in Nice about 2. Brunhilda, our GPS, was programmed with the address of our apartment here. It was in the old part of town - Vieux Nice - and we knew there were streets where we wouldn't be able to drive. We thought we could get the car as close as possible, unload our luggage, and then park the car at the closest parking lot. We had some groceries and wine left over from our place in Sablet, so of course we were loaded down with more than just our luggage. We drove around for quite a while, and finally parked in a lot near the border of the old town. I shouldn't say WE, because Tim was driving the whole time, and Rick was trying to navigate. It was stressful for both of them, and Linda and I, in the back seat, weren't having much fun either! The audio on the GPS was turned off, thank goodness, or we would have heard "at the next opportunity, make a u-turn" about two dozen times!
Parking garage in Nice. I wish we could add the sound effects!
We got parked, but we didn't really know where the apartment was because our little maps weren't detailed enough. We were supposed to meet an agent from Nice Pebbles, the rental company, at the apartment. It would take me too long to relay the convoluted series of events that ensued. Let's just say we finally phoned the agency, with the help of a very kind (trés gentile) bookstore owner, who spoke almost no English. The agent, Marie, met us at the parking garage and helped cart our luggage and groceries several blocks to the apartment. "You knew it was on the top floor, with no lift?" She asked, laughing. She's half our age, and got to the top floor with a fraction of the pain we were all feeling!
The building next door. Our place is even with the top floor
We got directions about everything at the beautiful apartment, and Rick, Tim and I headed out to return the car. It was also a much longer, and much more involved, drive than we hoped. There are also lots of one-way streets in Nice, which added to our adventure. Finally, our business was complete for the day. We stopped to buy some supplies for dinner, and the chef was so exhausted after our long day that he couldn't come up with his usual amazing fare. He made a simple pasta with sauce, and we also had some canned ravioli(!) In Nice! At our feet were dozens of restaurants, but none of us wanted to climb those stairs again. We all practically collapsed after the long and stressful day.
The funny part was that the GPS had taken us right to the end of the street where the apartment was located. But, there were police monitoring the narrow street to make sure that cars weren't driving down it. We had almost made it!
We all loved the apartment and got settled in for our stay of 6 nights. Our neighborhood is hoppin' all the time.
A street in Vieux Nice
Photo courtesy of VirtualTrip.com
Our kitchen, classy but small
Our balcony looked out over the rooftops
View of the cathedral tower at night
So, could you say driving in Nice was 'dicey' ;)
ReplyDeleteKeith M