The overall feeling of the city: touristy, yet perfect to live in, with lots of activities that keep you healthy and well, good coffee in the small cafes near the beach.
To be honest, I don't know which was first, the azure color or the Mediterranean sea, but the color of the water is somewhat magical. The pictures are nothing compared to the real thing, however here are a few that I loved most.
Oh, I mustn't forget - the old city center is absolutely gorgeous! Must see it if you're in town.
What I didn't like
The touristy central alleys, but I don't think Nice would be the same without :)
We entered France from Italy in a rainy afternoon. We went through Menton, a small lovely city right at the border, then passed in a hurry through Monaco and finally found a small hotel in Eze, a high mountain village right above Nice. The second day the sky was clear, and we saw the Mediterranean coast to our right, and the Provencal valley to our left. It was 15 degrees up there.
We descended and went to Nice where we got lucky and found a place to park the car, then we enjoyed the place. What struck me the most was the peaceful feeling of the older men and women reading books near the beach, while the teens were renting bicycles and tourists were migrating towards the free beaches. That's right - there were a few beaches you needed to pay for, most of Nice was free to enjoy, and further more you benefited of surveillance, if anything should happen. The beach was rocky, but the amazing azure color of the water compensated that.
We had a coffee in the Messena plaza, then visited the famous flower market and the old city center.
Sfantu Gheorghe, Delta Dunarii, 2010
Provence trip II: Cannes on fast forward
Hvar, the island of the Sun