Old Town

This morning was moving day to a different hostel. This one promises to be far better than yesterday's as it was rated number one in 2009. It's nice to already know a bit about the city and the transit system. I called the toll free number for the hostel and got the low down on how to get there. All I had to do was take the E1 tram to the Comte de Falicon stop and the hostel shuttle would pick me up. Everything went as planned. I checked in, but the rooms hadn't been cleaned yet since it was before the 10am checkout. I put all my things in the storage room and enjoyed the free breakfast with 12 kinds of cereal--or muselix as they call it. Nothing like a bowl of granola and milk. I haven't had milk since the US!

So I wouldn't lose a day of discovery time, I went down to Old Town in the SE corner of Nice and sampled the flower and food market. What a wonderful array of sights, sounds, smells and colors. Bunches of fresh flowers and baskets of peppers filled tables. You could purchase flavored olives or bulk spices. It's ridiculous how great these markets are. I'm incredibly jealous of the fresh and local food people in Europe have. The rest of Old Town is filled with small shops, restaurants and touristy goods. The charm of the old buildings and sea views is quite lovely though. I made my way to the far E side and started to climb Chateau Hill to the large park on top. An old fort used to reside there. On my way up a huge cannon blast went off. Perhaps they do renactments?? After that sirens sounded ear piercingly at varying times for quite a while. The hill is terraced into different levels as the path winds up to the top. I happened across a huge waterfall first and then the lookout over top of it. There are no remains of the fort, but the quiet and the green space was excellent.

For the afternoon I decided to take a side trip to St. Paul de Vence. Just an hour bus ride to the NW of Nice is a tiny medieval walled village. Filled with the typical small shops and quiet side streets, I wandered around enjoying the sweeping views of the surrounding countryside. I was tempted to buy some deliciously scented soaps, but have been trying not to accrue more weighty souvenirs. I did find some lovely handmade paper cards with real flowers pressed into them. It was nice to be in a quiet town away from cars darting by you and motorcycles cutting in front of you on the sidewalk.

I'm excited that the hostel offers a cheap but filling and nutritious dinner each night. It's far enough from the restaurants in town that you have to make an effort to go out and that can get expensive quick. Tonight's meal was a fish fillet in cream sauce with shrimp and scallops with tagliatelli pasta and a side salad. Nothing like a good meal after a long day of sightseeing. I also met two ladies tonight who are friendly--Louise from Melbourne and Michelle from New Zealand (working in the UK). We had some lively conversation tonight and hopefully more to come in the time I'm here.