Rain and Shine

​Sat-Sun, March 14-15, 2026 — Nice, France

We took it easy on Saturday… partly due to the three country tour the day before and partly because the weather was kind of crappy. In fact, the Paris-Nice bike which was ending in town, was shortened because of snow in the mountains nearby. We made the best of it and played cards.

A rainy day on La Promenade d’Anglais

The other night, whike walking back to the apartment, Meg stopped to admire a bottle of wine in fancy bag on the outdoor table  af a restaurant (she’s a bit traumatized by the lack of ice around here.) The guy at the table, thinking she was admiring his pizza, immediately offered her some and launched into a a story about how he’s been going to that restaurant for 15 years for their aubergine pizza. “It will change your life” were his words, which are hard to ignore. Alas, when the weather cleared, it seemed like a good enough reason to wander back down the street to check if out. I ordered the gnocchi, so I had no chance, but the jury is still out with Meg. 

Lunch at La Pizza Cresci
Pizza to “change your life”

Unfortunately, the weather also messed up our activity for the evening. Not only did we get to enjoy a very wet 15 minute walk to the cathedral, but the evening show was cancelled after standing in line at the door, in the rain, for another ten minutes! Oh well, we’re on vacation on the French Riviera, so we can’t really complain!


We got our mojo, and the sun, back on Sunday!  What a difference a blue sky makes. We visited the farmers’ market, photo museum, and the old town for the first half of the day. 

Morning “flower” market
Photo portrait by Justine Tjallinks
Getting artsy in the Old Town

For me, though, the highlight was our 50-minute boat tour just off the coast. Although we went no further than the Villefranche harbor to the east and the Bay of Angles in front of Nice to the west, it was awesome to see all the landmarks we’ve discovered over the last 6 weeks — the Negresco Hotel, promenade, docks, WWI memorial, monuments, statues, restaurants and buildings — from the water. Plus, the blue skies, bright sun, and snow capped mountains made for some fabulous vistas. 

Vive la France
In front of Villefranche-sur-Mer
Nice waterfront with mountains behind
Recent snowfall 

The only sad part was that our week with Geraldine and Jed was coming to an end. They were super easy to hang out with, and it was an absolute pleasure having them. We once shared a tiny cruise ship cabin with them, so our “palatial” (in comparison) three bedroom apartment was certainly not going to be a problem. Half the time Meg and Geraldine were busting a gut and I had no idea what was going on. But, as they say, laughter’s the best medicine, for which I’m grateful. 

Good buddies

Thank you for a fun time Geraldine and Jed.

One last toast
Bon voyage!


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

And We’re Off

Image
January 19-20, 2026 — San Francisco to Marrakech Waiting for our plane at SFO I’m not sure if we’re ready for this, but our bags are packed (one carry-on each), we have a couple of “riads” booked for our ten days in Morocco, we’ve paid for our four weeks of French lessons at the Institut de Francais in Nice, we have a three-bedroom apartment booked there for the entire month of March,  and our bikes are partially dismantled and BikeFlights primed to pick them up deliver to us.  Traveling light Bike stuff As of only a week ago, we were still not 100% sure the trip was a go. After talking to Meg’s oncologist, however, we breathed a sigh of relief and committed to the plan. The doc felt that the because the new spot on her spleen was so small, chemo could wait until our return at the beginning of April. Of course, Meg was hoping to delay chemo as long as possible so she could be out and about while I was off on the trail. Nevertheless, the trip to France has been on the list for ...
Read more

Looking for Sun

Image
Mon-Tue, January 26-27, 2026 -- Agadir, Morocco We didn't finally arrive in Agadir until 3AM on Monday morning.  We had booked a direct seven-hour van ride the night before in Fez, but it was never confirmed.  So, in the end, we took a train back to Marrakech and then a bus to Agadir. Miles of beach One of the unavoidable hazards of traveling as an obvious tourist here, is that you are a bit of a target and people are not always honest.  As a result, you learn to be a little cautious and suspicious.  However, that too can be a problem. If you get too cynical, you end up not trusting anyone, even when should and need to to get what you want.  Trying to get a bus ticket in Marrakech at 9:30 at night was a bit stressful simply because we didn't really know how the process should work (the normal ticket windows were closed). There were just a bunch of men walking up to us, asking us where we were going, scribbling on a paper ticket pads, and asking for money. Not ve...
Read more

Flying Solo

Image
Saturday-Sunday, January 24-25, 2026 -- Fez to Agadir Hi all! This morning I experienced Fez on my own. Poor Dean ate a bum dinner last night in Marrakech and got food poisoning. He was pretty miserable, but suffered quietly…except when he was throwing up. No fun. So, after my breakfast, I bundled up, donned my raincoat (thanks, Jane!), and made my way to the Museo Nejjarine. Navigating my way through the Medina was tricky, but me and Google Maps got there.   The Fez Medina  Woodworking Museum The museum was a testament to the woodworkers and their crafts. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to take pictures of the displays, but the building itself was pretty. The first floor consisted of the trunks of various trees showing the wood that was used, where it could be found in Morocco, and how long it lived. The other two floors showcased tools, chests, doors, chairs, stairs, toys, and even tablets that were used to help memorize the Koran. It was also a good way for me to read the Fren...
Read more