Nice, France

For a moment, we thought we’re landing on water. How were we to know that the runway at Nice airport is right by the Mediterranean sea! On a sunny day, the landing sight will be beautiful with the blue-green sea shimmering under the sun. We arrived on a rather gloomy evening and were welcomed by a drizzle. Sunny or cloudy, the French Riviera is charming — and very different from Paris and Bordeaux

It was pretty dark by the time we exited the airport, but the ride to the hotel built up our expectations from the city. The lights were up. Grand hotels on one side of the road and a long, streetlight-lit walkway along the Mediterranean shoreline on the other, it was the best shuttle ride from the airport to our hotel. Everything in Nice exudes poshness. We could totally understand why all celebrities rush here for their free-spirited getaways.

Incessant rain made sure we stayed indoors for half of the second day. We stood by the window in our hotel room for what seemed forever for the heavy rain to stop. It poured cats and dogs for almost 3 hours and drizzled until lunch time. Armed with an umbrella, we could manage to go out in the drizzle!

The grey-black sky in perfect contrast to the turquoise Mediterranean Sea

Nice was in preparation for its annual carnival, which was scheduled to take place three days after we left. How sad! Check out the giant wheel in the slideshow at the end of this post. It's is a part of that preparation. We continued our streak of walkathons and clocked an average of 15+ km daily to sum up the city. Dilip had a tough time resisting not running what was perhaps one of the best courses for a long distance runner. He tried doing some sprints in his boots and clocked his best timing for a 50 metre!

The promenade, with a walking and a cycling lane, by the Mediterranean Sea

View from Castle Hill (no fee to climb up): the crescent shore and the setting sun in the French Riviera

We had a daily budget for food, drinks, and local transport. Even with that we didn’t compromise on what we ate and where we ate. If our lunch got a little too lavish, we made it up at dinner with McDonald’s. Remember the meal hack? A burger each, plus fries, a quick visit to a Carrefour store (or a supermarket) for a bottle of iced tea or juice and dessert, and voila! That’s a meal for two within €15 in a very expensive city.

Dinner at Femme du Boulanger on day 1: