Nice, France, Oct 2024

Nice, France, Oct 2024

Two weeks on the road during the Syria trip with not enough sleep took the toll on me. I spent 3 weeks in Bulgaria recovering and getting ready for my next destination, Algeria. It was possible to fly from Bulgaria to Algiers on one ticket but this meant a long journey and sleepless nights again. I decided to take it easy and to do it in 2 stages. First, I would go to Nice and see the city, perhaps travel around it. I had not been to this part of France before. The second stage would be a short direct flight from Nice to Algiers. That way, I would not be exhausted when I arrived in Algeria.

The plan worked marvelously. Rather than staying at a hotel, I rented a studio apartment in Nice. It was tiny, however the owner somehow fitted into it everything that one would want for comfortable living from a king-size bed to a washing machine tucked into a window niche. The apartment had a kitchenette with all necessary appliances and a desk to do my freelance job in the evening after I was done with sightseeing.

An artist corner on Cours Saleya, the square in the center of old Nice
An artist corner on Cours Saleya, the square in the center of old Nice

Without any specifics what to see in Nice, I wandered during the day in the old Nice, along the Promenade des Anglais and in the port, sitting down for a coffee or a meal when I felt tired.

I climbed to Bellanda Tower for good views of the Promenade and the port
I climbed to Bellanda Tower for good views of the Promenade and the port

On the way back to old Nice, I stumbled upon an old Israelite Cemetery where statues and tombs look like the belong to a museum.

Some graves are over 100 years old, inscriptions on a good number of tombstones are in Russian. They are probably the graves of Jews who left Russia looking for a better life in France.
Some graves are over 100 years old, inscriptions on a good number of tombstones are in Russian. They are probably the graves of Jews who left Russia looking for a better life in France.
The Holocaust memorial at the cemetery
The Holocaust memorial at the cemetery

Another large community in Nice is Russian. it was fashionable for Russian nobility to spend months in Paris and on the French Riviera in the 19th century. Tsar Nicholas II built the St Nicholas Orthodox Cathedral in Nice to commemorate his son who died there. The Cathedral was open in 1912. It is the largest Eastern Orthodox cathedral in Western Europe. An interesting fact about it is that the Cathedral and the parcel of land on which it stands are the property of the Russian state.

The gates around the Cathedral were locked. Unfortunately, I did not see it inside and could only take a photo from a distance.
The gates around the Cathedral were locked. Unfortunately, I did not see it inside and could only take a photo from a distance.

About 30,000 Russian speakers live on the French Riviera today. They are descendants of the Russian aristocrats who fled the country after the Revolution of 1917 plus modern-day immigrants. While in Nice, I heard Russian speech on its streets all the time.

This building under construction is called The Square Head. It is a sculpture by the French artist Sacha Sosno and it is also a habitable building. The cells in the Head measure 15x15x5 meters.
This building under construction is called The Square Head. It is a sculpture by the French artist Sacha Sosno and it is also a habitable building. The cells in the Head measure 15x15x5 meters.

Monaco

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