March in and around Nice

It’s been so depressingly grey that I can’t help browsing some old photos to brighten up my spirits. These were taken a few years ago in March on a trip to Nice and its surroundings. In fact, I was travelling with the friends with whom we’ll be staying in Catalonia in a few weeks as I told in an earlier post.

Don’t you just have to love the colours and decorations of the Mediterranean buildings! My favourites are those of the Provence – Côte d’Azur area. When my children were young we drove several times to spend the summer holiday there but that was ages before the digital camera era. Must make another entry to the never-ending list of tasks awaiting to be started: digitize your slides. 

(The following photos are from Nice.)

A tip to mussel lovers, a bit to the right of this view on the Quai des Docks in the old harbour of Nice there is a restaurant called l'Escale specializing in moules. Some locals say they serve the best moules in town.  

Since then I’ve never visited the Mediterranean in the hottest season, except for a week in Barcelona once and ten days in Croatia a couple of years ago. I kind of miss it even though I don’t like excessive heat. In those days leaving the country was a way to make sure you won’t be disturbed from the office during your four-week vacation. Now that there is no office interested in us, a retiree and a lady of leisure, the Finnish summer with its light nights is something we absolutely want to experience every time. You can’t have it both ways I’m afraid. 

(The following photos are from Menton.)

Perhaps it is just because of the long wait that we appreciate the summer so heartily and it feels so unique when it finally arrives. Until then I’ll have to take some joy in watching these photos: we are still surrounded by piles of snow but somewhere on this continent you can already sit under the sun by the sea.

(The following photos were shot 1: in St. Tropez, 2&3: in Cannes, 4&5: somewhere on the coast of the Massif de l'Estérel and 6&7: at Théoule-sur-Mer.)