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Top Spots in Nice: Memories Tour Day 2

Picture of Deborah Bine
Deborah Bine

The Barefoot Blogger

A visit to the most famous city on the Cรดte d’Azur is exciting enough for most travelers. To appreciate the top spots in Nice, you need a good guide. For the Memories Tour, our guide, Stephanie, Is one of the best. She’s lived in the city for more than 30 years, and she’s studied it all.

Top Spots in Nice

Sightseeing on Day 2 in Nice started from our hotel, the Beau Rivage, across the street from the famous “Prom,” or Promenade des Anglais.ย 

It was a crystal clear day, so the views of the city and the coastline were magnificent. The sea was a brilliant blue, a sharp contrast to the white stones on the beach and the pale, “Riviera-style” architecture along the distant hillside.ย 

Top Spots in Nice
Promenade des Anglais

Our first stop was for a group photo at the iconic blue chair sculpture.

Memories Tour 2019

Next, a bit of history ..,

Nice
Stephanie tells the history of the 19th-century Centenary Monument commemorating Nice’s annexation to France.

 

Top spots in Nice
A symbol of Nice (young girl) embracing France (the armor-glad woman) on the Centenary Monument

 

Top spots in Nice
This modern art statue beside the Promenade was originally not the locals’ favorite. The Mayor convinced them it was a brilliant representation of how the rivers and cultures of the city’s neighboring regions, through the centuries, had come together to form the extraordinary town.

Tourism has been the primary industry for Nice for centuries. Many famous people here, like Matisse, Chekhov, and Marc Chagall, came for their health and the clean air. Italy, for example, had “bad air” because of the coal industry.ย 

Top spots in Nice
Old Town Nice. Matisse lived at the house at the end of the street. Matisse and Chekhov once resided at the Beau Rivage at the entrance to this street.

Although much of Nice was destroyed through the years before the 1600s, the tie with Italy through the years is evident, from the architecture to the food.

Top spots in Nice

 

Nice

 

Top spots in Nice
Place Massรฉna, towered over by Apollo, is the public square between old and new parts of Nice.

Top Spots in Nice to Dine

Along our tour route, one of our guests, Cheryl Jamison, broke away to run into La Merenda to make reservations for lunch. The restaurant of Michelin Star chef Dominique Le Stanc is one of our food experts and talk show host’s top spots in Nice to dine when she’s here from Sante Fe.Top Spots in Nice

 

Top spots in Nice
Chef Dominique Le Stanc
chef Dominique Le Stanc
Daube ร  la Niรงoise

Top Spots in Nice by Bus

An extraordinary lunch at La Merenda followed a hop-on-hop-off bus ride out and about Nice.

Top spots in Nice
Top of the bus view out of Nice to Villefranche Sur Mer
Top spots in Nice
Port of Nice

 

Top spots in Nice

Top Spots in Nice On Your Own

After a packed day of sightseeing, the tour gals were on their own to play in Nice. Some of the daring took to the skies…

Top spots in Nice
Parasailing is not included on the tour, but while in Nice … some couldn’t resist!

Top spots in Nice

 

Tomorrow… there’s more!ย 

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