An Evening Stroll

Place Masséna and Vieux Nice

Today, we set off to Place Masséna for Eva to play in the water fountains located there. The water alternates between sending up a mist and spouts of water. It was a great place for a rest and people watching.

Next, we had lunch in Vieux Nice. I had the traditional dish, Salade Niçoise, which is a composed salad of tomatoes, tuna, hard-boiled eggs, Niçoise olives, and anchovies, dressed with a vinaigrette.

Check out this video from today’s journey through the Mediterranean heat!

More About These Locations:

Place Masséna

Nice’s main square offers opportunities for shopping, delightful cafés dotted around the edge and some of the best people-watching in the city. Place Massena is the main square in Nice. The large plaza lies between the Old and New Towns, and is lined with shops and restaurants. It sits at a crossroads of several main boulevards, including the grand Avenue Jean Médecin. Locals flock here on their way to school and work. Stop for a coffee at one of the cafés dotted around the edge of the square and take in the action. The tramway runs through the centre of the plaza, but otherwise it’s pedestrian only. The old buildings surrounding the square have all been painted red with blue shutters, which are typical of the area. Large stone archways lead to shops and restaurants, including Galeries Lafayette.  A fountain in one corner of the square depicts several stories in Greek mythology, with a 7-metre statue of Apollo at the centre. Sit on the edge of the fountain for another prime people-watching spot.

Vieux Nice

Nice’s old town has scarcely changed since the 1700s, and getting lost in it is a highlight. Vieux Nice’s narrow lanes are crammed with delis, small food shops, boutiques and crammed bars. A fish market fills place St-François. Baroque aficionados will adore architectural gems Cathédrale Ste-Réparate, honouring the city’s patron saint; exuberant Chapelle de la Miséricorde (1740); and 17th-century Palais Lascaris , a frescoed orgy of Flemish tapestries, faience (tin-glazed earthenware), gloomy religious paintings and 18th-century pharmacy.