Day 20 - Nice
Oh, Nice.
Sam says you're his favorite place we've been to so far. It's really hard for me to say, because everywhere we've been is so different from the next and I find something to love so much about each place, but Nice reminds me of home. Not because of the buildings or the sounds or certainly not the palm trees, but the beach.
That's the first thing we did this morning. We went to the beach. 60 degrees outside and the sun was shining. We plopped down on the smooth rocks - not sand! - and let the sun warm our faces and the spray mist our arms. The smell of the salty air and the sound of the waves going in and out, put us right back in Rhode Island. Sam and I both agreed, no matter where we end up, we will never be too far from the beach.
After getting our feet wet and soaking up some Vitamin D, we headed towards the town center where the Carnival Flower Parade was taking place. It felt like we were behind the scenes walking down the quiet street closed down for this event, getting to see some of the floats being set up. It was just really cool.
We found our seats and waited for the show to start. The MC got the party started with the wave, American music, and making us shout and wave the flowers that were waiting on the seat for us. Then the music got louder, the news cameras starting rolling and the first float came down the promenade and the show began! Dazzling performers, spectacular colors, larger than life floats all danced their way in front of us. I was snapping pictures left and right trying to do justice to the visual feast before our eyes.
It was a spectacle, and just when you think it's over, it started back up again with cannons of confetti popping left and right. I kept thinking how much I loved all the beautiful chaos. At the actual end, the performers started to deconstruct the floats and toss the flowers into the crowd. It was raining confetti and flowers. Everyone left with a huge bouquet and confetti in their hair. Not wanting the party to stop, Sam and I cozied up to a cantina and shared a plate of cheesy nachos and happy hour margaritas.
After our Mexican feast, we walked back to the beach. I noticed at the far end there was a photo opportunity with a large sign saying "#ILoveNice, so we took the walk down and I got my picture. Then we saw this stairway leading wayyy up and decided it would be a beautiful spot to watch the sunset. So up we went, and the view was stunning. We followed the White Rabbit down another path and were rewarded with a beautiful park with more incredible views. We looked down on the city of Nice and felt totally blissed.
It was an amazing day of exploring, and I have to say Nice is making a good fight to be both of our favorite spots so far.
Until tomorrow my darlings! Keely
