It's terrible! We already had snow this winter, on the Friday before Christmas!

This is truely the worst winter I ever experienced in Nice. And if it were the nice, crunchy, powdery snow - no sir, it's that wet shit.

I want my money back!

 

 

 

Promising, promising, this huge affiche that you can see everywhere in Nice... The advertisement campaign probably cost the Tourist Office more than the whole "spectacle" itself.

 

But as usual in Nice, there's less to it than the eye can see. The exposition "Magie du Noël Russe" is nothing more than two stands with paintings and "matryoshkas" (behind glass - you can't touch or buy them), three huge matryoshkas, and a cardboard replica of a Russian cathedral.

 

Actually it's nothing more than the annual Winter Market, and of the thirty odd stands that sell the usual artisan stuff, this year there's one of them selling Russian artifacts.

 

The ferris wheel is there, as always.

 

New is the "bungy-jump" for kids.

 

Lots of people visit the Winter Market, lots of locals too.

 

I must admit, the lights are rather nice.

 

Also nice, the icerink.

 

Last year this part of the park near Place Massena was covered, to make place for the christmas trees.

 

The old town still attracts tourists during the Winter holidays.

 

"And all the lights that lead us there are blinding"

 

Aah! Here we are, at our final destination - The Snug and Cellar Bar. Perfect place for a nice meal and a glass of mulled wine. Or two.

 

A little street between Rue Verdi and Rue Rossini

 

Beautiful trees in this quiet place in the middle of the city. A heaven for small birds.

 

Nice, secluded apartment buildings.

 

When you enter the street from Rue Rossini a sign tells you that it's a private street, but it isn't an official sign, so this might be wishful thinking.

 

Anyway, it's special.

 

 

 

 

Like in the rest of Europe, the clock was turned back one hour last night to safe daytime light: it's Winter Time in Nice.

 

People are enjoying the weather; most of the tourists have gone - Nice is once more a pleasant place to be.

 

A grandfather is teaching his grandson how to play pétanque - the grandson wins every time. "Tu m'a gagné!"

 

Another Easyjet plane is landing. Despite the Winter Nice is still a very attractive destination for holiday makers.

 

 

Next to the airport Nice - Côte d'Azur the first beach you will find is Carras Plage, right behind the gas station. Actually Carras Plage is devided into the Carras Basin, where people can launch their small boats, the Pétanque field further up, and the Site de la Lanterne.

 

Site de la Lanterne is the only place in Nice where you can let your dog walk free on the beach and let him swim. On all the other beaches dogs are forbidden, or only admitted when they're on the leish. Although some people, usually locals, may complain when you come to Site de la Lanterne with your dog, because the finally found a place without tourists, don't let that keep you from letting your dog run and swim, because this is THE official place he may do so. People without dogs can go elsewhere, you and your dog can't.

 

My boy Boris, who's already had a swim before I could get my camera ready, is waiting for the tennis ball.

 

And there he goes, fetching it.

 

Boris brings the ball back, waiting for me to throw it again.

 

What a power! So much energy!

 

And bringing the ball back once more. This goes on for hours...

 

 

Nice, Place Massena, September 23, 2009. A professional team is building a film set.

 

The location manager is asking where the other trucks with equipment are. He needs them here, right now. 

 

All and all there are more than 35 people professionally involved in this project.

 

They are making a slow motion, high speed film, a commercial for the city of Nice. The thing on the right is a remote controlled camera trolley.

 

Water is a perfect object when it comes to high speed filming. And there is plenty of that on Place Massena.

 

Why haven't those trucks arrived yet? Time is money, you know? 

 

Finally they arrive and people start unloading them. There's police to keep the pedestrians from the scene and security personnel to guard the expensive equipment.

 

A couple of hours later the set seems to be ready.

 

Last instructions, and then the director's assistent shouts, 'Standby and... Action!'

 

The camera trolley is moved into position.

 

A balloon filled with water is attached to the construction. The high speed camera is rolling. A bullet is fired at the balloon.

 

Not very spectacular if you watch it live or take pictures or videos using a normal camera.

 

Okay, let's playback the video to see if it's good. It's a wrap!

 

The producer on the set agrees: it looks good.

 

And this is what it would look like with a high speed camera.

 

I selected some videos from YouTube and links that might be interesting:

 

Video 1

Video 2

Video 3

Video 4

I would like to say, 'In the beginning there was O'Hara's', but that wouldn't be true. In the beginning there was La Trappa and a nameless place that now is called the Subway, almost opposite the place where O'Hara's was.

La Trappa and 'Subway' were gangsters' hangouts. If you carried a gun they would let you in, otherwise you had to move on. I spent amusing hours there. This was in the 1970s. Although the police station was only a hundred yards away, in Rue Préfecture, no police would show up if gunshots were heard. It reminded me so much of the Zeedijk in Amsterdam, in the Red Light District, or Chinatown, where I once worked and lived.

 

In those days Vieux Nice was such a dangerous place that famous French actors, who played gangsters in the movies, bought apartments in Vieux Nice, to be part of that world. Alain Delon bought the entire building above La Trappa and lived there for several years. Vieux Nice, in 1945 still forbidden to the American Marines who liberated Nice, because it was too dangerous there, was (and is) a place I feel at home. In those days a guy called Salvatore Giuliano called the shots, nowadays the Niçoise mafia is divided more than ever, between the Italians and the Corsicans, while the Chechens are used as killers and arsonists, working for whom pays most. I don't give a shit, as long as they treat me respectfully and leave me alone.

 

In the beginning of the 1980s Vieux Nice started to develop a little, trying to become the tourist trap that it is today, and some entrepeneurs from abroad hesitatingly started their businesses. A nice couple from Holland started their 'traditional brown Dutch pub', De Klomp, but they were too soft to keep up with the stress of everyday life in Vieux Nice and they sold the pub to French people only one year after. It still exists, but there's nothing Dutch about the place.

Jacquie (an English teacher) and her husband Allan (an engineer from Northern Ireland) started their pub O'Hara's Tavern in those days, and some years later they expanded the place with their restaurant Scarlett's, in the same building. For years the place was known as Scarlett O'Hara's, and for years they were the only Irish pub in Vieux Nice  that was Irish owned and managed.

 

When I returned to Nice to live here permanently, in 2007, this place was still called the Yasmine, and it was a shop where you could buy all kinds of stuff from the Middle East. It belonged to Omar and Lama, who were divorcing at the time.

Omar and I became best friends. We saw each other on a daily basis in O'Hara's Pub and I did my part in helping him to get his internet cafe started. So I made the sign and the sandwich board and his great personality did the rest to make the Hotspot Cafe a good place to hang out. I still come there very regularly, to meet friends from all over the world: Russia, Brazil, England, Ireland, France, Canada, the US of fucking A, etc.

 

And now O'Hara's is called the Snug and Cellar Bar. With new ownership, i.e. Paul Clinton, from Ireland, and Jon, the manager, who has a share in the ownership. The place is runned professionaly, with skilled staff, and so many people ask me if the changes are good. And I say YES, from the bottom of my heart.

You see, Snugs, or O'Hara's, or whatever you call it, is not depending on what the interior looks like; it depends on the people you meet there, the old ones and the new ones. And a lot of them are interesting people, I can tell you.

 

But... I don't live in Vieux Nice anymore. I live in an area called Musiciens, the 'Musician's Quarter'. With lots of medical specialists and lawyers on my side of Boulevard Gambetta, and a beautiful mix of Jews, Arabs, Russians and Italians on the other side. At daytime we meet in Café de la Buffa, 3 minutes from my house. The manager of the place is a young man called Stephane ('Stef'), and we're on handshaking and tutoyer terms. It is a nice place to go to in the late afternoon and have a couple of pints.

 

And then there is L'Ouastou. A brasserie with excellent oysters, mussels and fish. Just around my corner, less than a minute's walk.

 

When the Café de Buffa is closed, there is always L'Ouastou. While Le Buffa is closing around sevenish, L'Ouastou carries on until late in the evening, when the last eating guests are leaving. From the terrace of the Oustaou you have a nice view on Boulevard Gambetta and the Jardin Alçase-Lorraine. And the only gangsters you meet there are lawyers and medical specialists, but they don't carry guns nowadays.

 

So once in a while, and certainly not on a daily basis, you will find me in the pub, either in Vieux Nice, but more likely just around my corner. 

Times have changed, the thrill has gone. If I've got a problem with you and I act like today's mafia lieutenants and captains, sissies they are, I will pay a price and leave the dirty work to nameless Chechens, in the mean time acting like a victim all the way. Not my type of guys though.

So I checked out and I left, no matter what the Eagles are singing in Hotel California. I am my own boss, I've got nothing to hide and no-one to fear. And that's why I'm sitting here when I feel like it, free from everyone in Vieux Nice. I am no threat to the mafia, I've got nothing that could be interesting to them, and I don't give a flying fuck about their Chechens, poor little bastards that live in a place for the homeless, waiting for a chance to act. Act like a victim and you become a victim. Act like a free spirit and you'll become one.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What can we tell you about AXA France in general and AXA Limonier in Nice in particular? Not much apart from our own experiences with this bank and insurance company.

This is what AXA Limonier (General Agent: Walter Limonier) promises you:  "English speaking service for all your Insurance needs" ; "Call Christina Wingfield, your British insurer on the Riviera for 10 years. Competitive prices for ALL your insurance needs direct from AXA. Home, car (including UK plates), life insurance and health. Claims dealt with in English" and "English speaking Banking service to clients resident in France, the UK and  Ireland. So that you can manage your money wherever and whenever, 24 hour on-line telephone banking - Internet banking; Full English speaking service for all your French banking & insurance needs."
Is this true, you may ask yourself, or is it just another sales pitch?

 

Our experiences with AXA Limonier in Nice

 

Bad service, inefficient staff

(This email was sent to the appropriate persons and companies on the 4th of August 2009. Since then I have received no reply, except from mr Richard Lukomski, AXA France, Service Relations Clientèle, Région Sud-Est.)

 

Dear mr Limonier,

My partner, Jean Henderson, and I became clients of your AXA bank and insurance company because you promised English speaking people in Nice that you would take care of their affairs and help them in case of language barriers.  
In good faith we insured our home and our car with your AXA Limonier in Nice, hoping, of course, that we would never need your services.
However, in May 2009 there was a fire in our bedroom, caused by someone who threw a cigarette through the shutters, and there was a lot of damage.
Not knowing French language too well, and certainly not when it comes to French insurance technical terms, we counted on you, AXA Limonier in Nice, to help us with these problems.
Friends of us, living in the same building, had these problems once, and they were helped by their insurance company in a very nice way, and everything was settled within a couple of weeks. So we were hopeful.  
However, no initiative whatsoever was taken by your (English) staff. Mr Thiery Wherlen (Ingexco) noted the damage and the value of the damage goods, so we expected him to send these details to you. He didn't. We asked your (English) staff to keep us informed about the proceedings, but they didn't. There were no proceedings. All the initiative to get things done had to come from us, and your (English) staff seemed to be quite annoyed because we dared to complain about the fact that 2 months after the fire NOTHING had happened. There was no understanding whatsoever, no sympathy for our situation (fire damage, broken windows, no clothes, no wallpaper, no computer, etc.), and only when we became angry and told your (English) staff that we were deeply dissatisfied with the services of AXA Limonier in Nice, something started to move. But only a part of the problem was solved, and none of it was an initiative of the (English) staff of AXA Limonier in Nice. We had to call again and again, send emails again and again, and nothing happened.  

When we approached mr Theiry Wherlen (Ingexco) to ask about the progression, he had the nerve to reply that he was waiting for our list of the damaged goods, while he himself, the expert, had made that list right after the fire, and we expected him to send that list to you. Right now we are asking ourselves what did he do with that original list, why did he make that list, and why has he been paid, and for what services?  
Our bedroom has been cleaned by a professional company (Cedric Koehl, AAD Phenix), but they also took our clothes, our bed linen, to clean, and after more than two months they still have not returned these items. When we asked your (English) staff about the progress in this case, they advised us to pick up the goods ourself. Of course we could not agree with this "solution". Why should we go through all the trouble of finding out where are possessions are, and when it will be suitable to pick them up? Isn't this the task of the company that took them from our home? We emailed the person responsible for our goods, and he never replied. We were not surprised anymore.  

So, the fire in our bedroom was on the 27th of May, and today it is the 3rd of August. The only thing that happened was cleaning the bedroom, and, only because we put a lot of pressure on it, the bedroom window was repaired. However, when we came to your AXA Limonier yesterday and presented the bill of €858,91, your (English) staff refused to reimburse us, although they promised before that they would.

This procedure may be the norm in France. But it certainly isn't the norm in other Western European countries, and it absolutely isn't the norm in the United Kingdom. Yet, people like us turn to your AXA Limonier in Nice, expecting that your (English) staff will help us, also because AXA Limonier in Nice promises to help their English speaking clients, also because of this promise AXA Limonier in Nice attracts a lot of English speaking clients.  

 

Since reality has shown us that AXA Limonier in Nice does nothing more than any other French insurance company would do, and probably a lot less than many other French insurance companies would do, I'm sure you will agree with me that (English speaking) clients of AXA Limonier in Nice are misled. I also understand that you, mr Limonier, would be the last person on earth to admit that the services you provide are very limited, and certainly not up to the standard of the rest of Western Europe. (...)

 

Awaiting your reply,

Kind regards,
Jack Vanderwyk

 

(Of course there hasn't been any reply.)

 

What should have been done

Since the discrepancy between what AXA promises and the reality is so huge, we let AXA know that we were very dissatisfied with their services in an early stage.
No response.
We told them that we were taking our complaints higher up in the AXA organisation.
No response.
We told them we have the means to make our complaints public.
No response.

 

Right now, as I write this (Monday August 10, 2009) both AXA France and AXA Limonier in Nice are crawling our websites. Obviously they're in a panic. And rightfully so.
What should have happened in an early stage was that someone in AXA told us, "Listen, I can see that something has gone wrong here, I'm very sorry, and I will see to it that this problem will be solved in no time at all."
Why is it so hard for some people to understand the simple basics of  the word Service?

 

The AXA connection

 

Anglo-Info Riviera has a forum for English speaking people on the Côte d'Azur. One of the subjects is "car insurance", and a British woman asked about an insurance company in this region. Someone gave her the advise to go to AXA in Nice. I advised against it, because of our bad experiences with AXA Limonier. This reply was removed by Anglo-Info Riviera. Another reply from us, in which we complained about this unusual behaviour, was also removed within an hour. Why doesn't Anglo-Info Riviera accept criticism of AXA on their forums? Why are these critical reviews removed immediately? The answer is simple: AXA Limonier is one of the major advertisers on Anglo-Info Riviera. So in their forum people who are critical of their advertisers are discriminated. Read all about it on our website: http://axa.bellevueholidayrentals.com.

 

Read the full story and the updates: http://axa.bellevueholidayrentals.com/

So you're planning your holiday in Nice, Cote d'Azur, France (French Riviera)?

Let us help you a little with this Nice travel planner. In this article we will tell you all about Nice - the history, the climate, the sights to see, the nightlife, the shopping centres, the accomodation, the restaurants, the beaches, the Old Town (Vieux Nice), the Old Port Lympia, the antiques centre (Quartier des Antiquaires) and so much more.

 

The French Riviera

This is the Riviera of Hollywood lore, a land of sunglasses, convertibles, and palm trees lording it over indigo surf. From glamorous St-Tropez and Cannes through picturesque Antibes to sophisticated Nice, this sprawl of pebble beaches and ocher villas has captivated sun lovers and socialites since the days of the Grand Tour. Artists, too: Renoir, Matisse, Picasso, and Cocteau all reveled in its light and left an impressive legacy of modern art behind them. If you're weary of the coast, it's three quick heel-clicks into another world: just behind the shore lie the golden hill towns of Old Provence: St-Paul, Vence, and Grasse.

This is where the dreamland of azure waters and indigo sky begins, where balustraded white villas edge the blue horizon, evening air is perfumed with jasmine and mimosa, and parasol pines silhouette against sunsets of ripe apricot and gold. As emblematic as the sheet-music cover for a Jazz Age tune, the Côte d'Azur seems to epitomize happiness, a state of being the world pursues with a vengeance.

But the Jazz Age dream confronts modern reality: on the hills that undulate along the blue water, every cliff, cranny, gully, and plain bristles with cubes of hot-pink cement and iron balconies, each skewed to catch a glimpse of the sea and the sun. Like a rosy rash, these crawl and spread, outnumbering the trees and blocking each other's views. Their owners and renters, who arrive on every vacation and at every holiday—Easter, Christmas, Carnival, All Saints' Day—choke the tiered highways with bumper-to-bumper cars, and on a hot day in high summer the traffic to the beach—slow-flowing at any time—coagulates and blisters in the sun. In other words; this is the place you want to be.

Veterans know that the beauty of the Côte d'Azur coastline is only skin deep, a thin veneer of coddled glamour that hugs the water and hides a much more ascetic region up in the hills. These low-lying mountains and deep gorges are known as the arrière-pays (backcountry) for good cause: they are as aloof and isolated as the waterfront resorts are in the swim. Medieval stone villages cap rocky hills and play out scenes of Provençal life—the game of boules, the slowly savored pastis (the anise-and-licorice-flavored spirit mixed slowly with water), the farmers' market—as if the ocean were a hundred miles away. Some of them have become virtual Provençal theme parks, catering to busloads of tourists day-tripping from the coast. But just behind them, dozens of hill towns stand virtually untouched, and you can lose yourself in a cobblestone maze.

You could drive from St-Tropez to the border of Italy in three hours and take in the entire Riviera, so small is this renowned stretch of Mediterranean coast. Along the way you'll undoubtedly encounter the downside: jammed beaches, insolent waiters serving frozen seafood, traffic gridlock. But once you dabble your feet off the docks in a picturesque port full of brightly painted boats, or drink a Lillet in a hilltop village high above the coast, or tip your face up to the sun from a boardwalk park bench and doze off to the rhythm of the waves, you will very likely be seduced to linger.

　

The history of Nice

Nice was founded around 350 BC by the Greek seafaring folks who had settled Marseilles. They named the colony Nikaia, apparently to commemorate a victory (nike in Greek) over a nearby town. In 154 BC the Greeks were followed by the Romans, who settled farther uphill around what is now

The Counts of Provence ruled Nice in the 10th century until the House of Savoy took over in 1388. In 1860, Napoleon decided he wanted to annex Nice to France. He put the matter to a vote and Nice voted to become part of France.

There has always been a rush to the Côte d'Azur (or Azure Coast), starting with the ancient Greeks, who were drawn eastward from Marseille to market their goods to the natives. From the 18th-century English aristocrats who claimed it as one vast spa to the 19th-century Russian nobles who transformed Nice into a tropical St. Petersburg to the 20th-century American tycoons who cast themselves as romantic sheiks, the beckoning coast became a blank slate for their whims. Like the modern vacationers who followed, they all left their mark—villas, shrines—temples all to the sensual pleasures of the sun and sultry sea breezes. Artists, too, made the Côte d'Azur their own, as museum goers who have studied the sunny legacy of Picasso, Renoir, Matisse, and Chagall will attest. Today's admirers can take this all in, along with the Riviera's textbook points of interest: animated St-Tropez; the Belle Epoque aura of Cannes; the towns made famous by Picasso—Antibes, Vallauris, Mougins; the urban charms of Nice; and several spots where the per-capita population of billionaires must be among the highest on the planet: Cap d'Antibes, Villefranche-sur-Mer, and Monaco.

 

Nice, the capital of the Côte d'Azur

"Nizza la Bella" sing the people of Nice. Come here for the palms, the beach, the carnival, but look below the surface and the real Nice is even more beautiful. A queen of culture and life, its festivals, heritage and gastronomy are a delight!

The lay of the land east of Nice is nearly vertical, as the coastline is one great cliff, a corniche terraced by three parallel highways—the Corniche Inférieure (sometimes called the Basse Corniche and N98), the Moyenne Corniche (N7), and the Grande Corniche (D2564)—that snake along its graduated crests.

The lowest (inférieure) is the slowest, following the coast and crawling through the main streets of resorts, including downtown Monte Carlo. Villefranche, Cap-Ferrat, and Beaulieu are some of the towns located along this 20-mile-long highway. The highest (grande) is the fastest, but its panoramic views are blocked by villas, and there are few safe overlooks (this is the highway Grace Kelly roared along in To Catch a Thief, and some 27 years later, at La Turbie, crashed and died on). The middle (moyenne) offers views down over the shoreline and villages and passes through a few picturesque cliff-top towns, including Èze.

And then of course there is Nice itself, full of big-city textures, scents, and history, rich with museums, and coloured with its own cuisine and patois.

 

Climate

With the Alps playing bodyguard against inland winds and the sultry Mediterranean warming the breezes, the Côte d'Azur, or French Riviera, is pampered by a nearly tropical climate. Nice enjoys mild temperatures most of the year; rainfall is very moderate and mainly concentrated in the darkest part of the year (September to March). It is a windy city, especially in spring.

Summers are hot, dry, and sunny. Rainfall is rare in this season, and a typical July month only records one or two days with measurable rainfall. Temperatures seldom go below 20°C, and frequently reach 30°C, but it's about 5° cooler in the mountains.

Autumn generally starts sunny in September and becomes more cloudy and rainy towards October, while temperatures usually remain above 20°C until November where days start to cool down to around 17°C.

Winters are characterized by mild days (11 to 17°C), cool nights (4°C to 9°C) and variable weather, usually warm enough to lunch outdoors under the noon sunshine in little more than a T-shirt, even in February. Days can be either sunny and dry, or damp and rainy. Frost is unusual.

Spring starts mild and a little bit rainy in late March, and is increasingly warm and sunny towards June.

 

When to go to Nice

July and August in on the French Riviera can be stifling, not only because of the intense heat but the crowds of tourists and vacationers. However I must admit that July and August are the best months for us in the holiday business, and it's amazing to see European tourists turn from light blue to white to pink to deep red in just one day. June and September are the best months to be in the region, as both are free of the midsummer crowds and the weather is summer-balmy. June offers the advantage of long daylight hours, although cheaper prices and many warm days, often lasting well into October, make September attractive. Try to avoid the second half of July and all of August, when almost all of France goes on vacation. Huge crowds jam the roads and beaches, and prices are jacked up in resorts. Don't travel on or around July 14 and August 1, 15, and 31, when every French family is either going on vacation or driving home. The best way to travel is by air, and there are plenty of ways to get to Nice for a fraction of the price of travelling by car or train.

Anytime between March and November will offer you a good chance to soak up the sun on the Côte d'Azur. After All Saints (November 1) the whole region begins to shutter down for winter, and won't open its main resort hotels until Easter. Most holiday apartment rentals will also be available during off-season. Off-season also has its charms—the pétanque games are truly just the town folks' game, the most touristy hill towns are virtually abandoned, and when it's nice out—more often than not—you can bask in direct sun in the cafés. Winter is an ideal time to visit, since the crowds of summer disappear by the end of September, yet the warmth and light, which has attracted everyone from aristocrats to Impressionists, remains.

 

Transportation in Nice

Nice has got an excellent public transport system. For just 1 euro you can travel 74 minutes (in one direction) on the bus and the new tramway system. For just 4 euros you can buy a day ticket ("pass"), valid for all Ligne d'Azur buses and trams. It is the same ticket you buy when you take the nr 98 or 99 bus (Airport Direct) from the airport. After 10pm there are night buses (N1, N2, N3, N4 and N5) that will take you to the outskirts of Nice and even to St. Laurent de Var.

Taxis are quite expensive, compared to British taxis. A taxi from the airport to the inner city will cost you about 30 euros.

New to Nice is the Vélobleu, blue bikes you can hire per hour, per day, per week, per month or per year. You pay with your credit card or your mobile phone.

There are plenty of public parking garages in Nice. A day ticket for a parking garage will cost you about 24 euros. Parking in the street is difficult; there seem to be more cars than parking places in Nice, especially in the summer.

 

Click here to read the full article - The areas of Nice (Old Port Lympia, Chateau, Vieux Nice, Nice Central, Promenade des Anglais), the Beaches, Restaurants, Bars, etc.

 

 

 

Nice, 15 July, 2009: Starting the 18th of July the Vélobleu will be available for everyone in Nice.

 

The stations are already there, like here in Rue Bonaporte (Port area)...

 

...and here, on Boulevard Gambetta.

 

This is the Vélobleu station in Rue Préfecture (Vieux Nice).

 

This thing (in French, Italian and English) explains how the systems works.

 

And this map shows the places where you can hire a bike or drop it. Click here to see larger version of the map.

 

There are 90 stations all over Nice, and there will be 1.750 bikes available, 365 days a year, 24 hours a day.

The weight of the bikes is 18 kilograms, 4 kilograms lighter than the Paris Vélib.

You can pay with your credit card or with your mobile phone. You have to be older than 14 years.

You can subscribe to the Vélobleu: for a year (€ 25,-), a month (€10,-), a week (€5,-), or a day (€ 1,-).

If you only want to use it occasionally, the first 30 minutes are free, from 30 minutes to an hour it's € 1,-, and you pay € 2,- for every additional hour.

Even if you are subscribed to Vélobleu, you have to return your bike to one of the stations within 24 hours.

 

It's wonderful to see these bike plans develop all over the world. It very much reminds me of my fellow countryman and fellow Provo Ruud Schimmelpenninck, who developed the "White Bike Plan" for the city of Amsterdam in the 1960s.

Some people say that the rest of the world is 50 years behind comparing to Amsterdam. Today the city of Nice proofs that this is not true: it's only 49 years.

 

UPDATE 20 JULY, 2009

The Vélobleu was received well by the public. Niçoise motorists are not exactly known for their patience, and some of them find it necessary to respond rather irritated to the new traffic participants (more obstacles that you have to avoid), but in general the introduction of the Vélobleu went smoothly.

 

A Vélobleu station in Rue de Foresta, in the Port.

 

Vélobleu station in Rue Catherine Ségurane, at the Collège Ségurane. People have to get used to the system, but there's always someone wiling and able to explain it to you.

 

Click here to read the full article and updates.

 

Click here to return to bellevueholidayrentals.com.

 

 

In the Old Port of Nice (Port Lympia), on the Western part of the port, you will find the Quartier des Antiquaires.

 

There are many antique shops in this cozy neighborhood, but today we will focus on the Village Ségurane and Les Puces de Nice.

 

On the outside, here in Rue Antoine Gautier, the Village Ségurane looks like any other antique shop in the neighborhood. But don't get misguided by the façade.

 

If you walk along Rue Catherine Ségurane towards the sea, you will find another entrance.

 

 

While the Flea Market on the Cours Saleya in Nice (every Monday) is turning more and more into an ordinary tourist trap, the Village Ségurane in Nice still is a chic haven for those in the antique market.

Old linen, china, "objects de curiosité" -- the Village Ségurane offers a wide choice for hunters. At the heart of the Old Port Lympia, this jewel is an atypical flea market. More than forty-two shops are spread in a small maze of alleys.

 

Village Ségurane is known as the aficionados' flea market. "Many Niçois people have forgotten about this flea market in the heart of the city. For them, the district is confined to antique stores in nearby streets," says Véronique, owning shop Nr 16 in the Village.

 

The magic of the place is to offer very diverse goods at all times. The concentration of these professionals in the antiques and flea market business makes each specialism between them complementary, guaranteeing a wide range of skills and knowledge.

 

"The objects we find here are all things with a great history and tell us a great deal about the know-how of the past," says Véronique.

 

"The Village Ségurane has been an effective way to revitalize the neighborhood and bring back those who have left the place because there was no work," she says. Proof of this is an "open house" in the weekends during spring. A wonderful opportunity for locals, as well as tourists to (re)discover the work of the great craftsmen from the past.

 

Flea Market Village Ségurane. Rue Antoine Gautier, Rue Catherine Ségurane, (Port de Nice). Tuesday to Saturday, from 10 am to 18 pm.

 

Further down to the port, only a minute's walk from the Village Ségurane, you will find Les Puces de Nice, another gathering of antiques and brocante shops.

 

If you're into antiques and brocante, this is a place you could easily spend an hour or two without getting bored for a second.

 

The shop keepers are friendly and relaxed. Most of them speak English.

 

There is a slight chance, however, that the Vermeer painting in this photo isn't the real McCoy. Or it might even be a real McCoy.

 

And to be honest, I've got my doubts about the Van Gogh too...

 

You never know what you will find in Les Puces de Nice - experience the adventure!

 

Click here to read the whole story and keep updated

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We've been waiting for it so long: a real terrace on Place Massena, and now we have one. There was even a big article about it in the Nice-Matin, so I had to take a look and experience the new sensation.

 

As you can see it's nothing to be proud of. The place is called "Café Brasserie L'Iris", but it's really nothing more, well maybe two or three tables more, than the Asian takeaway that was here before.

L'Iris serves drinks out of cans.

 

They (the Nice City Council) promised us a classy joint, fit for the most important square in the city of Nice, a place where people come to see and to be seen, a place in the style of Galeries Lafayette. 

Well, one thing is clear: L'Iris is not such a place.

 

The question is: who fucked up in the City Council and who put pressure on the Nice-Matin to write about this and give free publicity to this cafeteria on one of the nicest and most expensive squares of the city of Nice? 

Recently McMahon's Pub in Nice got a new owner, thus new management. The new owners are French and hired French staff. Yes, they do speak a little English, but the nice and familiar Anglo-Celtic atmosphere has completely gone.

 

Also gone are the nice Australian, English and Irish girls that used to serve us so well. And worst of all: THEY MORE THAN DOUBLED THE PRICES! IT'S A BLOODY RIP-OFF!

 

Yesterday I ordered a bottle of rosé and it was drinkable as always, but instead of the usual € 14,- for a bottle, they charged us € 31 - thirty-one fucking euros! When I complained about it, the bartender said it was because of the new management, and yes, he would pass my complaint on to them, but no, there was nothing he could do.

 

I assured him that this is outrageous and that many expats will go drinking elsewhere. This may not be a problem for the new management now, because it's high season and there are a lot of tourists, but it certainly will become a problem in mid and low season, when his income will be largely depending on the expats and the locals.

 

Dear new McMahons owners: if you speak any English at all, this is the most stupid move you could make.

On the North-Eastern outskirt of Vieux Nice you will find Place Garibaldi. Café de Turin, the place to go to spoil your woman with great oysters and excellent white wine.


Millions of euros where pumped into this almost forgotten square in Nice.


A good place to be and to live, this square between the Old Town and the Port.


The tram takes you straight into the city center or to the north-eastern or north-western outskirts of Nice. For just one euro.


View from Place Garibaldi on Avenue Jean Jaurès, which separates the Old Town from the City Center.

Click here to read the full article and updates

Rue Kosma / Jardins Alsaçe-Lorraine, just around the corner. I have to "faire les courses", do the shopping.


It's almost lunchtime. Brasserie L'Oustaou has got great oysters. Imagine that, with a nice bottle of perfectly chilled Chablis.


Lunch boxes don't fit in with life style in Nice. People who work here go out for lunch, and will spend an average amount of € 15,00 on it.


Boulevard Victor Hugo / Jardins Alsaçe-Lorraine. A lot of medical specialists and lawyers have their "cabinets" here, so whatever is wrong with you, it's only a two minute walk to the person who can help you. If I ever need a lawyer, I'll see the guy who lives in the apartment building next to ours. His last name is Machiavelli.


Enjoying the sun in Boulevard Victor Hugo. Yesterday and today (13th and 14th of April, 2009) we had a wonderful 28°C. Not unusual, really, but it could have been colder.


My tobacconist. He thinks Ajax is the greatest football club in the world.


My supermarket. Actually I buy most of my everyday groceries here. Only when we want a top quality "filet de boeuf", for special occasions, when we're having people for dinner (not in the Hannibal Lector way), I go to Galerie Lafayette. For nice, fresh bread I go to Multari, on the other corner of Rue de Buffa.


Marché du Buffa. We sometimes go here to buy fresh fruit and veggies, but usually in the summer, when a lot of stuff is cheap at the end of the day.


After shopping we sometimes go the Café du Meridien, for an espresso or a beer. Many "locals" from England and real locals come here to meet each other.

 

An English friend of ours lives in Milan and wants to move closer to Nice, but she doesn't have a lot of money, so today we went to Ceriana to look at some affordable real estate. The little yellow house in the middle has about 800 square metres of land (left of the house, the terraces all the way to the road) and the owner asked € 35,000. Actual distance from Nice: 70 kilometres, about one hour drive.


The steepness can be a real problem if you don't have a (small) car, and especially in winter you need to be prepared for the possibility that you might not be able to leave the place in days.


A few miles to the south, near Foggia, you're able to see the Mediterranean Sea from your (one and only) window, but the real estate prices are about 25% higher because of it.


Ceriana in the distance - a little mediaeval town. A lot of people from France want to invest in property here, because it still is very cheap and it will become an outskirt of touristy San Remo within a few years.


Imagine, buying a place like this, just outside Ceriana, along the main route from San Remo, for € 45,000, investing another € 45,000 in it to restore the place, and you own a house that will be worth at least € 300,000 within three to five years, when the financial crisis is over. Quite a return, eh?

These are the Jardins Alsaçe-Lorraine. I live right next to it. On my way to my friend Omar, who's just returned from a family visit in Canada, I realized spring has finally come to Nice!


This winter has been too long and too cold. Temperatures as low as 10°C during the day and 6°C at night, with rain and cold winds. It was terrible.


People enjoying the sun on Place Massena.


There are always tourists in Nice, the whole year through, but soon you won't be able to take a picture like this on Place Massena, because it will be crowded.


Tourists at the Vietnamese takeaway on Place Massena.


Women seeking attention for the fact that so many women in this world don't have the rights they should have.


The fountains near Place Massena, on Avenue Jean Jaurès. During the winter it was covered with wooden boards and used for the traditional Winter Market.


It's Saturday, the weather is beautiful, so people in the city are relaxing.


Bookmarket on Place du Palais de la Justice, in the Old Town.


The sound of samba drums fills the square and everyone is enjoying it. Some people are dancing. Yes, spring has finally come to Nice!


And already it's hard to find a place in the sidewalk cafes.

Just a couple of miles from Nice. Most tourists won't know Antibes this way - with the snow covered Alps so near, and yet so far away, as the roads and railways have been blocked because of heavy snowfall. We're here in the sun, they're there freezing their balls off, and never the twain shall meet, not this week anyway.


The old town of Antibes is really nice. Many people from the boats, crew of luxurious yachts, mostly from Australia, are roaming the narrow streets, meeting their mates.


Washing place. Witness of many secrets.


Nice little house on the sea side.


The Bay of Angels. On the other side of the bay you can see Nice.


One more look into the Old Town - we need to go back to Nice.


On our way back to the railway station we walk by the port. In the distance you can see the old fortress, and way back the Alps. There's something in the air - something that promises a nice summer. 

 

Three groups applied for official permission for a demonstration today, but only one group got it, and it wasn't the one that wanted to demonstrate against the war in Gaza. After all, they were allowed to demonstrate Saturday last week and the Saturday before.


Yet the police was prepared for riots. Some small groups of youngsters were arrested.


Remembering what happened last week, the police could count on support from the general public.


The scooter brigade from the municipal police - ready to assist the national police and the gendarmerie.


More municipal police in Place Massena. Their mere presence is enough to keep things quiet.


Avenue Jean Medecin blocked by the gendarmerie. With good reason: last week McDonalds restaurants in the city were attacked by rioters, so were Casino Ruhl and different other targets. Some people wanted to attack the synagogue and the Israeli consulat, but backed off when they saw the police waiting for them. 

A sunny Saturday afternoon in Nice. Outside the inner city, like here at the Carrefour shopping centre in Riquier, everything is normal. People are getting their weekend shit in, the sidewalk cafes are packed.


In the city however, like here on Place Massena, the situation is different. For the second Saturday in a row the city traffic is jammed because of a demonstration against the war in Gaza. Why do I call this an anti-Israel demonstration? Because the demands of the organisation are one-sided: Israel needs to withdraw, Israel needs to comply with the latest UN-resolutions (Hamas hasn't).


The police are present in black and shiny armour. This demonstration is organised by the French Communist Party (PCF) and a Collective for Durable Peace in the Middle-East.


These young people are part of a large group that has just wrecked the sidewalk cafe of L'Univers, a small restaurant.


The restaurant owner is removing the remains of the wrecked terrace. The Universe - how small it is sometimes...


The group moves on. Their next target is the tram; windows are smashed. Quickly they move on to their next targets, whoever innocent civilians that may be.