Day 2 Nice

Slept late and felt good after seeing pictures in the morning paper showing the mess at the Nice airport--we were very lucky to arrive early yesterday morning. We had Crepes and Croissants for breakfast before heading for a walk up Castle Hill, which was the original Nice in the 12th Century. It must have been a well defended city because there were 352 steps on the stairway portions of the walk; all's well though because there was a beer shack at the top. It's really a beautiful place and from it you can see Nice proper on one side and the Port of Nice on the other. It's was definitely worth going. Then we walked down the hill to Old Nice to the Cours Saleya market. It's a very nice ourdoor market, especially the flower stands. There must have been a dozen olive vendors. We stopped for a mid afternoon break at one of the outdoor cafes and had a nice bottle of Rose. A little more walking and sighseeing ensued before heading back to the hotel around six. We had picked up an international phone card for $7 that allowed for 300 minutes of international calls. Called home and everything was fine. Around 8 we walked over to Old Nice and had dinner at Oliviera, a small 7 table restaurant run by an ex husband and wife team. Their speciality is olive oil and they pair it with every dish, including Tiramissou. The owner, Nadim is a fun guy who is absolutely in love with olive oil and food; he never stopped talking about it. Nadim had jugs of 15 or 20 olive oils. It was a fantastic experience as we met most of the other customers; one of which was the man who grows all Olivieras' vegetables. Among other things, we had Raviolis Nicois and Lapin sur pates (rabbit). Everything was very, very good. It was after eleven when we walked the mile or so back to the hotel and we were amazed at how active the city was with street shows, open shops, and people dining and drinking. Nice has everything: beach, weather, good food, night life, and stuff to see. The lesson for the day was that Nicoise is not just a salad with olives, tomatoes, and tuna fish, but means "in the style of Nice" and it's basic ingredients are olives, tomatoes, garlic, and anchovies.