LONG TIME DEAD

Me and my partner Paula cram a lot into a short break on the French Riviera. March 2024.

After a typically dark UK winter we are heading to the south of France in search of brightness and rejuvenation.  

This is a well-trodden path. The English have been coming to Nice as a winter retreat in large numbers since the 19th century. In fact, the main coastal promenade – Promenade des Anglais – was built with finance from the English aristocracy

We are staying near Place Garibaldi – a two-minute walk in one direction to the Port area and two minutes the other way to the Old Town, and at the intersection of Nice’s two tram lines. We couldn’t have chosen a better part of town to stay.   

The tram from the airport into the centre of Nice is super easy. I was tipped off that to avoid the tourist-inflated €10 fare from the airport and to qualify for the standard €1.7 locals fare I needed to purchase via the Lignes d’Azur mobile app in advance. This tip was one of many to come from a superb little blog I found before setting off – Best of Nice Blog. Big shout out to Allison Coe for a great insight into her adopted city.    

Thanks to our extremely early morning flight, we are seated at Chez Pipo near the Port by 12 noon. This place plus Chez Theresa in the Old Town (which we also visited) are the Socca institutions in Nice. Socca is a chickpea flour pancake, occasionally eaten with additional ingredients but mostly plain and perfect for Gluten Free folk like Paula. Socca was one of many Nice street-food specialities I managed to scoff in just four days.      

We had a lazy first afternoon wandering under the March sun and amazing blue skies. We stopped at a collection of high-end brocantes at Les Puces de Nice. Go here for 60s lights and good quality mid-century furniture and art. We walked up to Colline du Château & Cimetière du Château for the best views back across the city and down the coast. Back in town I spent a lot of time admiring (and photographing) the many new cycleways, walkways and planting schemes that the city has invested in.    

That first evening we have an early drink at the slightly eccentric but fun Cafe des Chineurs. I booked us in at Voyageur Nissart for dinner. I found this place on another local blog. It is hidden away in a back-street near the station and is both fab and reasonably priced. I would very much recommend it for a traditional Niçois menu.   

The weather turns a little rainy on Day Two. We spend some time taking in the shops and cafes of the Old Town. We spend at least an hour, and I was happy to do so, at the brilliant women’s store Caprice Vintage, run by the very savvy Madame Caprice. Paula ends up with a bright red 80s jacket and a seriously funky pair of Missoni trainers.  

In the afternoon I go swimming at Piscine Saint-Francois. I can’t quite believe the dense and tightly packed lanes of the Old Town can host a subterranean 25 metre public pool. This historic facility first opened in 1926 and has been renovated several times over the years. I reckon the last update was in the early 70s. Ignore the reviews that say it is dilapidated and smelly, it is fab and wonderfully old school. Oh, and don’t forget your swimming cap. Even if you have no hair.

Day Three is Saturday and we head out on the 09.44 train from Nice to Grasse. The train hugs the coast as far as Cannes and then starts its ascent up to Grasse. Once in Grasse we wander for a bit and stumble across a fantastic Moroccan place for an early lunch Delices de l’amiral. Really liked it in here. I think it used to be a pizzeria but now does tagines.        

The main reason for coming to Grasse is our trip to the Galimard Studio for a perfume making workshop. Grasse is without doubt the perfume capital of France and Galimard is one of the main perfume houses. 

Perfume factories have been here from the 1700s. When Queen Victoria took holidays in Nice, she was a regular in Grasse to buy her perfumes. The town’s microclimate has encouraged the flower farming industry for several centuries. It is warm and sufficiently inland to be sheltered from the sea air. In summer the town is apparently surrounded by fields of flowers — jasmine, May-rose, tuberose, lavender and numerous others.

I had a brilliant couple of hours at my perfumer’s ‘organ’ which included at least a hundred vials of raw scent materials arranged on different levels – base notes, heart notes and head notes. I have been wearing Penhaligon’s Juniper Sling for a few years. Paula sent me the Fragrantica website before our trip that deconstructs perfumes. I used some of the components of Juniper Sling and fused it with some other raw scents I liked – all under the guidance of our tutor. The outcome was surprisingly good. Paula was also very pleased with her creation, but she has been here twice before so knows her stuff when it comes to perfume. The session cost €60 each and you get your 100ml of scent to bring away.

Saturday evening we are back in Nice and find ourselves a top-notch craft beer place. Brasserie de Castillon is a new venture with a commitment to organic brewing and a supporter of several worthy local projects, including an initiative to expand the local bee population. We got chatting to the owner and he insisted I try a sample of pretty much all his current brews alongside our food. Star of the night was their limited-edition mead made with honey from up in the hills. It sent me to bed very happy.     

On Sunday we check out a couple of museums. We start at the Photography Museum (entry €5) where the whole place is currently devoted to the work of French photographer Henri Dauman. Amazing work, largely focused on 1960s New York, and an amazing life story. We then visit the luxuriously decorated salons at Palais Lascaris (entry also €5). This place is all about art, music and decadent living in the 17th and 18th centuries.

In the afternoon I get to watch the closing stages of the 2024 Paris to Nice bike race up close. Nicknamed The Race to the Sun the event has been staged since 1933 and is a relatively big thing on cycling’s world tour. I get a space about 300m from the finish line and make a lot of noise with the locals.   

In an act of perfect symmetry, we are back at Chez Pipo on Sunday evening replicating our opening day lunch of beer and Socca. This was Paula’s choice. When you are GF and you find a tasty snack you just got to run with it.  

Post Trip Reflections:

We both found Nice to be a really accessible place for a four-night break. There are regular flights from most parts of the UK and impressive infrastructure to get around easily on foot, tram and by bike.

Nice is making major investments in both its walkability and urban greening. The current expansion works to the signature Promenade du Paillon look amazing and make for a great chill-out zone. It cuts through the city centre in a big green swathe and is like a mini version of Valencia’s Jardin del Turia. 

I’m disappointed we never quite made it to Le Shapko. This is a little jazz bar I had been reading about that looks ace. Things don’t really get going until 11pm. Despite starting out every evening with a promise to get there we just couldn’t keep going long enough!

We also never made it to MAMAC (Nice’s Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art) because of current refurbishment works. If you are in Nice, and it is back open, then this place sounds like a must see.      

Finally, you fellas should not be fearful of perfume making. Just give it a go. My workshop was 50% made up of blokes from all corners of the globe and we all had a blast.