Due to a happy twist of fate, I had the opportunity to visit Nice, on the Côte d’Azur. It was lovely: the deep blue of the Mediterranean, the smooth pebbles on the beach, the slightly-subdued, cheerful colours of the buildings in the old town, the variety of the flower market at the Cours Saleya, the port full of small fishing boats bobbing alongside great ships and ferries to Corsica, the tall palms growing amidst pine and spruce. I hope to return someday with more time to explore.
Roman ruins in Cimiez:
There is a large, modern apartment building a stone’s throw from here, just on the other side of a line of trees.
Franciscan Monastery:
The adjoining cemetery is beautiful and interesting, full of white marble. Ancient tombs, statues, and exquisite little chapels and mausoleums fill the small space, but photography is prohibited. Artists Henri Matisse and Raoul Dufy are buried here. From this hillside, you can see the entire city spread out below:
The observatory on the opposite hill:
A rose-covered pergola in the garden of the Monastery:
Finally, this is a the very sweet, very ancient cat I befriended at the monastery:
