Arles – Nice
On Wednesday we headed off to Nice. This involved taking the train from Arles to Marseille and then changing trains in Marseille to get to Nice. Guess what….. the Marseille Train Station is HUGE…… that’s right at least 12 platforms and over 2 dozen trains coming and going at any time. Coming into Marseille our train from Arles was a little late getting stopped; we coasted into the station and coasted and coasted and it felt like we were never going to stop. Once off the train the next challenge was to find directions for our train to Nice. Well that turned to be out the easy part, you just had to look up at one of the monitors and there it was; the train to Nice leaves from platform #5. One small problem………. ALL THE FRIGGIN PLATFORMS ARE ALPHABETICAL!!!! So we immediately put on our “Bionic Man Steve Austin” eyeglasses and way in the distance I see a number for a platform. So, that’s a good start and then Brenda figures out where we need to go. Oh! Our train leaves Marseilles at 12:19…… it’s now 12:17…… so we pick up the pace to somewhere between a Boston Marathon and the 4 minute mile and we get on the train to Nice. The doors close and exactly at 12:19.Once aboard the ride was great, lots of vineyards and finally the Mediterranean Sea. The prettiest and most spectacular part of the ride was between Saint Raphael through Cannes (where the yearly film festival is held) to Antibes and right through to Nice where we got off. A lot of people on the train were standing taking in the sights; beautiful beaches, palm trees, mega yachts, etc…. we even saw the amazing sailing ship the “Malteses Falcon; obviously in town for the Cannes Film Festival? Once off the train we headed for the Hotel Gounod, it’s a great hotel in a great location, not far from the main beach in Nice and the French Riviera. So once checked in we headed off on walk. Well it’s like Waikiki only bigger…… much bigger. The main walk along the beach is called The Promenade D’Anglais, it’s at least 40’wide with a walking area and separate bike path. However the “Shock of the Day” was that the beach is not at all what we expected; it’s covered in small rocks/pebbles and looks uncomfortable to spend the day on as there is not a bit of sand in sight, it is so unlike the Caribbean, Hawaii, Canadian Beaches, etc. that we are used to.
2 comments
Wow, those pictures sure look Nice!
Loving the updates- keep them coming.
No Sill elbows to get on the train? Suck it up Grampa. Any beach is a good beach!
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