Nice

Thursday 31 July
Jean Paul, our guide then took us on a tour of Nice, including the old section of the city. There is a variety of styles of architecture.

We began our walk along the Promenade du Paillon, a long park built where the Paillon River has been directed underground.

Beside the park can be viewed the colourful buildings of the city.

The park also has an interesting sea-world themed playground for children.

Jean Paul then took us into the old town to explore to explore the narrow streets, churches and shops.

The market in the Cours Saleya is open most days of the week providing a colourful display of local produce.

The building where Matisse lived for a time in Nice currently has a display of Aboriginal and Pacific art.

The street signs are written in both French and the Nicard dialect.

One of the best known shops is the Fenocchio Glacier with an extensive range of ice creams for sale.

Boulangers (bakeries) are also popular attractions.

It is not possible to visit Nice without visiting the beach - beautiful blue water of the Mediterranean Sea and a beach of pebbles, but there were still plenty of people enjoying the sun.

Others were enjoying walking in the sunshine along the promenade lined with palm trees.

Back to the bus for the trip to Arles where we were to board the ship, Armagio, for the cruise on the Rhone River.

Nice - Parc des Arenes de Cimiez

Thursday 31 July

Sunrise at Monte Carlo

An early start and we were on the road by 8 am on our way to Nice, the fifth largest city in France. On the way we stopped at a lookout for a view of Nice and the waterfront.

We spent part of the morning at the Parc des Arenes de Cimiez. The gardens were the location of the Nice Jazz Festival from 1948 to 2011 and the paths carry the names of jazz legends

while statues of well known jazz musicians can also be found.

Louis Armstrong

The gardens are also the location of a Roman amphitheatre

which we spent time exploring.

The remains of the Roman city of Cemenelum can also be seen in the gardens.

Cemenelum was the capital of the Roman province of Alpes Maritimae and the remains excavated provide a view of Roman life

and layout of buildings in a Roman town.

The Musee Matisse can be found next to the Cemenelum excavations. This museum is devoted to the work of artist, Henri Martisse (1869-1954).

The park itself is well known for its groves of olive trees.

Also located in the park is a Franciscan Monastery built in the 16th century.

The manicured gardens in the church grounds provide additional colour to the area.

It it amazing to be able to find all these features in a public park. Further information can be found in the French Riviera Blog.