Nice (France) is Nice

But first a word from ouragan Sandy...
Monday. The storm of the century was approaching. The Frankenmonster storm. We were apprehensive. If your lived in Zone A (a scary red area on the map of New York City) you had been ordered to leave. We live in the white area on the map. Far enough away from East River to not evacuate. The storm was off the coast of South Carolina. It would hit by morning.

 WHAT WERE WE SUPPOSED TO DO?

Drink hot chocolate, that's what.
This lovely young lady at Brown Cafe on Hester Street 

gave me two free hot chocolates on

Monday, as the storm approached.

 Our fire hydrants were open for water.
What do you need water (lots of water) for? 
Yes, we had bottled water, but have you ever
tried to flush a toilet with 16.9 fl oz of Poland Spring?

Just fill your bucket or your container of choice.
And be lucky enough to have a porter carry 
two buckets up 7 flights for you.
Yes, I tipped him good.
And remember -- water is the # 1 and # 2 Priority.

You know what I missed the most when we did not have electric or water for a week? Coffee. And I could have been making coffee in my French press all week. But I was too stupid to realize that I could light my electrically triggered gas stove with a match. When I asked a guy if it was safe, he said,"It only happens in the movies when you light a gas stove and the whole house blows up."

Nice = Sunshine = Color = Oh My!

Talk about contrast. After all the rain, wind and darkness, I think we owe it to ourselves to drench our eyes with the colors and warmth of the Riviera and the south of France That's what Matisse did when he moved to Nice in 1917.  So let's take a ride on the fast train -- the TGV -- to sunny Nice, France.

A Matisse painting in the Matisse Museum in Cimiez, just north of Nice.

Nice is a city of 347,000 people. 

It's cosmopolitan, but not super sophisticated, like Paris.

That's a good thing.

Meet Heinie Girl

We named her Heinie. She is a large sculpture perched on a ledge at the outdoor dining area of our hotel in Nice, Le Palais de la Méditerranée. When we dined outside, we saw our Heinie. What a girl.

I'm trying to ignore Heinie Girl.
What if Heinie had a sister? Then she'd be a Heineken!

The view from our room looking at the courtyard area
 with the Bay of Angels of the Mediterranean Sea beyond.

 See Heinie? 

Our terrace.

Le Palais de la Méditerranée is a 5-star, art-deco hotel built in 1930.

 The lobby of Le Palais.

Spit and polish marble, elegant green velvet and a knock-out floral display.

The magnificent facade of Le Palais,
 across the street from the Promenade des Anglais.

 The Promenade des Anglais (English promenade) runs the length of Nice.
 A constant stream of people "promenade."

 A vintage Carte Postale.
La Promenade des Anglais. Effet de Vagues. (Showing the waves.)

The Victorian pavilion in this picture is no longer there.

 A beach on the sea-side of the Promenade.
The weather was sunny and in the 80s while we were there.

Richard ready to roar away on a Côte d'Azur holiday. 

Beach goers and sun worshippers on the pebble beach.

 Welcoming gifts in our room at Le Palais.

 A very comfortable king-side bed.

 Bath products. Oh how I would like a hot shower right now.

A view of our room with simple, modern decor.

Une Confiserie Magnifique

And just because it's beautiful, feast your eyes on this candy shop that we saw on our first day in Nice.

 It's all marzipan.

 The French make the best souvenirs.

I love this tin box. 

The candy shops look the same today except for the clothes

and there are no maids in black and white outfits.

Candied fruits.

I will be back next week with more from Nice.

In the mean time, I hope that everyone who has been adversely

 affected by Hurricane Sandy will recover soon.

À bientôt mes amis et

j′espère que vous alliez bien!