Having finished our first year at law school, Vicky, Abi, Josie and I decided that we were well deserving of a holiday – and where better than the French Riviera and the Southern French city of Nice!
We booked the cutest little apartment right in the centre of the old town on Rue du Pont Vieux, just a stone’s throw from the magnificent Nice Cathedral. We really lucked out with our accommodation and were right in the centre of all the action which was perfect. On arriving in the city we unpacked and made our way swiftly to the supermarket to stock up on the essentials – it wouldn’t be a holiday to France without patisserie, bread, cheese and cheap wine would it?! We had a little picnic indoors before getting ready for the evening ahead and toasting to the start of a fantastic girly holiday.
After a couple of drinks in the flat we headed out into the town for a wander. We found a cute little restaurant not too far from the sea front. We sat out on the street, ate delicious food and watched the world go by. Gnocchi was actually invented in Nice, so of course I opted for that for our first meal in the city. After dinner we wandered down the promenade towards the beach before heading back to the apartment for a fantastic night sleep.
The next morning we woke up bright and early and decided that we would wander into through the old town, across to the markets for a wander. These markets sell a host of wares from antiques, jewellery, fruit, veg and meat. We had a fantastic time wandering around. We popped into the main square in the city and admired the beautiful fountains.
The girls and I then all picked up some cheap beach towels, water melon and quiche from the local bakery before heading down to the gorgeous beach for a sunbathe and a swim in the sun.
After a quick ice cream break and a change of clothes we donned our walking legs and decided we would head up to Castle Hill which gives the most amazing views out across the city. It’s a bit of a steep walk but definitely worth it once you’re up there! On top of the hill there are lovely open spaces where you can grab a seat, enjoy and ice cream and lie out in the sun. We had such a lovely relaxed afternoon. On the walk back down to earth we decided to check out Port Lympia, Nice’s harbour with all of the glistening white yachts bobbing on top of the water.
As the evening drew in we walked into the town to pick up supplies for dinner. We happened to wander past a cute little candy factory Confiseries Florian which we couldn’t not pay a visit to. We watched the sweets being made and gorged ourselves on all the free tasters – definitely a successful visit in our books.
We then headed back to the apartment where we treated ourselves to a delicious meal and sangria! For desert – patisserie and sparkling wine – perfect!
That evening we wandered into town and hit the famous Waynes bar where we drank lots of wine and danced on tables until the wee small hours….!
The next day, after returning from a fantastic trip to Monaco, we arrived back in Nice and had a fantastic meal out on the square. We sampled the city’s delicacy – courgette flowers – which were absolutely delicious. We walked off our meal by having a little walk through the shops before heading back to the flat to get ready for the evening.
This was our final evening in Nice, so we decided that we would head back to Waynes bar for another fun evening of dancing on the packed table tops – it was so much fun! On arriving home, still a little squiffy, we arrived home to find a little mouse scuttling around the flat. As I’m sure you can imagine, this didn’t half sober us up!
The next morning, after a quick coffee stop in the square by our apartment we wandered into the main city. We had a little wander around the streets before deciding that we would go and check out the St Nicholas Russian Orthodox Cathedral. We must have walked for over an hour before we arrived, and couldn’t believe our luck to find out it was closed…..! typical! We did get a nice view of it however through the, erm, locked gate!
We drowned our sorrows with the most amazing cakes so we couldn’t complain too much I guess…
As the afternoon drew in we headed back to the old town to grab one last meal before we had to head to the airport. We toasted with champagne the loveliest girly trip away in the French Riviera. We had such a fab time.
One point to note, if you ever travel from Nice airport, be super careful you don’t over pack your case! They aren’t half strict when it comes to baggage weight… we ended up wearing a million layers of clothes onto the plane so we could travel!
