Patricia Sands

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Nice

Nice Jazz Festival 2012

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If it’s Friday, it must be France …

Excusez-moi, I’m slacking a little today and watching the men’s semi-final tennis matches at Wimbledon. SO good!

And then my DH and I are slipping out to an afternoon movie. After reading all the fabulous posts author Barbara Conelli left on my blog this week and last, she put us in the mood for something Italian. We’re going to see the new Woody Allen movie, To Rome With Love. Va bene!

As a result, this post won’t be too long. Was that a sigh of relief I heard …?

The next four weeks on the Côte D’Azur will be filled with the most fantastic music. S’wonderful, s’marvelous … as the song goes. The Nice Jazz Festival begins this weekend  (July 8 – 12) and, as well as ticketed concerts, there will be music in the air wherever you go. Musicians wander the heart of this beautiful city, playing on street corners and offering free concerts to fortunate passersby. It’s simply great fun!

Click here to see all the details and watch some videos. Enjoy!

Are there jazz festivals where you live? The Toronto Jazz Festival just ended on July 1st and was a huge success once again. Next year I will try to have my act together and talk about it before it is on instead of after the fact. Tell me what happens in your town!  Bon weekend, tout le monde!

P.S.

I had a few photos I took last year during the Nice Jazz Festival but they seem to have vanished from my iPhoto files. HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN??? Never mind,  just because I can’t help myself, here are a few random photos of this city I love so very much …

To market, to market …

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If it’s Friday, it must be France…

Bonjour mes amis! Let’s go to the daily market in Nice. Whatever you want, they have! If you are a photo junkie like me, go crazy!  We can hang out and browse, conduct a little retail therapy, and then chill with a beverage of choice at one of the cool cafés bordering both sides of the market while we watch the action.

Speaking of beverages, you might want to take a minute to have one while you watch this slideshow. I hope you enjoy the trip.

First we’ll take the train into Nice and hop onto a quick and quiet tram down to Place Massena. Then we simply dive into one of the enticing laneways leading to the Cours Saleya in the old town and voila! When we’ re finished there, it’s simply a walk across the Boulevard Des Anglais to the Promenade so we can park ourselves beachside. You’ll be glad you came with me!

Did you notice the action at the mushroom stall? The customer chooses a mushroom and the vendor slices it open to show the quality. Those were some serious champignons!

Are your speakers on?

Do you like to spend time at the fresh markets where you live? Have you taken way too many photos of vegetables like I have? Where was the best market you visited? 

Chagall in the a.m./moules-frites in the p.m.

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It’s an easy walk from the main train station in Nice (Gare SNCF Nice-Ville) to the Musee Chagall (also known as Le Musée National du Message Biblique Marc Chagall) with just a slight uphill section before you arrive. Honest, it’s not like Grasse where we had to climb 200 stairs to reach the old town … but that’s another story and we could have taken a shuttle so I’m not complaining.

The artist Marc Chagall lived in France for most of his life and in the south of France for the latter half. He died in Saint-Paul de Vence, just north of Nice, in 1985 at the age of 97. He is buried in the beautiful village cemetery.

If you haven’t been to see this breathtaking Chagall collection, please put it on your list. You won’t be disappointed. The ambiance of the exhibition areas is calm with superb lighting and  opportunities to sit in order to appreciate the beauty of his work. The audioguide is excellent. A small outdoor cafe set amid olive trees and mounds of lavender serves superb coffee and light local fare.

Like everything else you may visit the museum online to whet your appetite.

 

 

And with that non-too-subtle segue, let me add a few words about lunch. As planned, we went to le vieux port (old port)

and were excited about finally going to a restaurant we have had on our list for years. Typical of us, we hadn’t checked first and it was … yup, you guessed it … closed on Wednesdays! It never fails. But I always say these things happen for a reason.

We walked down a block to sit right by the moorings in one of several old portside restaurants and had some of the best moules-frites ever. They were in a simple sauce of olive oil, LOTS of garlic and sauteed tomatoes. On the side, to dip in the sauce once the mussels were enjoyed to the very last one, were simple boiled shrimp to just peel and dip.

Magnifique!