And Outside The Rain Fell...

Amongst the quickest overnight plans, waking up early at 5 to dress up, a warm breakfast of Maggi, sleep deprived eyes and excitement.

We were heading to the French Riviera, Cote d'Azur, to the Mediterranean. Having spent 2 weeks in the cold cold Scandic North, we decided we needed a change of air, a change of climate, and already, something different to do. The warm beaches of Nice, Cannes allured us, and that meant an early morning TGV from Gare du Lyon. Comfortably packed, we headed out, boarding the RER city metro- experimenting on our Eurail passes by not buying tickets. The train zipped along, and we covered an hour's distance by walk in little under 5 minutes.

Boarding the super fast TGV, Which apparently was moving at 300km/hr, I quickly fell asleep, the countryside fading away in green and gold.

Waking up at 10.30am to the knock of the ticket examiner, we shelled out 10 euros for a ticket. Expensive! An unexpected blow at the start of this trip, we settled in, watching the countryside transforming into an ocean of blue- the sea, with our train running alongside for almost the last 200 miles. The clear, blue waters and the sun shining down warm excited us, most of all Patwa, who had never been in the sea before (“Mumbai ke paani ko paani thodi keh sakte”).

Alighting at Nice, I was immediately impressed by the old charm to the station, with it’s many wrought iron pillars and frosted glass ceilings. A quick stop at the Subway, catching our usual Vegetarian sub, i finally got down to observing this warm town. The first feel was of Goa - the place rang with a relaxed atmosphere, cafes and restaurants (apparently the best in the Mediterranean) comfortably placed alongside premier luxury brands. The entire feel of the town was 'touristy', bustling with rich, beautiful women (honestly, I hardly even noticed the presence of the other sex) armed with cameras, tan lotions and not too many clothes!

We walked down the town boulevard, heading towards the beach. Midway, we came across a fantastic fountain, flanked by statues of men taming horses and bulls. The fountain rose high into the sky, standing out in a huge courtyard. Further, the courtyard had statues of monks in yogic poses, giving the courtyard a feeling of large emptiness and calmness.

Onwards, we had been warned, the beach, while beautiful, was rocky.

Landing immediately to the beaches lining the promenade, we were enthralled. Rocky, yes. But absolutely everything you're heard about the Mediterranean. Crystal clear blue waters lapping against a shore full of pebbles, with many sunbathers enjoying the warm sun and sight of the bay arching along this pretty city.

Patwa and I stepped in for a swim, and the touch of the cold water lapping our toes left us jumping up and down! Soon acclimatizing, I paddled in further. The water was cold at the surface, but I could distinctly feel a warmer current on the sea bed. Enjoying the swim for several minutes, I got out doing what the locals do- tan myself! Laying out my towel on the beach full of pebbles, I just slept there, enjoying the feel of the warm sun on my cold body. Constantly laughing, bickering, checking out other peoples (especially the 'Sugars'); we had a ball on the beach. All smiles, we left to begin our walking tour of the city. The old town was dominated by the tower of the 330 year old cathedral, an entirely bland chimney like tower, enclosed by the smallest and most densely packed quadrangle I’ve seen. Littered with cafes and restaurants, we entered the cathedral to spend a few moments in solitude, watching the church being decked up in flowers and candles for some festival on October 4th. The interiors of the church too were far too different from the gothic structures of Paris. This one had a ceiling embossed in gold, with stained glass lining the lofty ceiling along with ancient paintings. The exterior facade was painted bright, the greens and yellows standing out, with statues of what I think were the magi’s. I think one thing I've always done is to visit churches and sit there in solitude, keeping our cameras away for the while, staring high into the ceiling, or admiring the organ.

We walked on to the huge baroque castle at the edge of the city. Located on a hill, it served to defend the French empire against invasions from the Mediterranean, but once consolidated; it was dismantled as a fortification, instead being used as a cemetery now.

It was unlike most castles I’ve seen, with silvery walls circumscribed by trees. It was a long (and rather arduous, with backpacks et al.) walk up to the top of the hill. The top gave us a sweeping view of the town below. Nice was huge, and the sea came into the city in a sweeping arc that ended in the airport strip.

The promenade around the beach was beautiful, lined with palm trees and exotic restaurants. We stayed on there until evening fall, watching the sun set behind the countless red roofed buildings, as the waves lapped against the rocks. We could still see people lying on the beach from high above, beginning to move away as the sun set.

Having to go to our friend’s house for the night, and the backpacks becoming too heavy to continue carrying them, we decided to start walking to their place that was right across the promenade.

Imagine our shock to find the castle entry gate locked when we came down. It was 7 and the castle was not to close before then. Scared (actually, I was excited. Not everyone else though) at the thought of staying in the largely open and quite spooky castle for the night, we tried hurriedly rushed back up and tried another gate, at least a mile's climb away to find that locked too.

Frustrated, extremely tired and almost giving up to the thought of being trapped there until morn, we tried yet another gate, far across on the other side of the hill to find that locked as well. With no one in sight anywhere inside, we found a group of men playing a guitar right outside one of the gates. On enquiry, one chap, with a nasty grin on his face tells us that the castle will open tomorrow morning again, we can get out then.

We discovered there was one more gate in, and a long long walk away, far across on a distant side of the castle. Walking there, heaving and trudging along, we found to our delight that this gate was in fact open. Phew.

Breathing a huge sigh of relief, we walked some 4km across to our friend's apartment, almost facing the sea.

Dumping our bags there, we left again, this time to see Nice by night.

The city was beautiful, with scores of locals and tourists hanging out in the innumerable cafes. Nice also has some of the most attractive street lamps I’ve seen so far!

Dead tired, and letting go of the option of spending the night on the beach chatting away, the four of us asked for leave, settling into bed and tucking ourselves fast into sleep.