Beaulieu, Nice, Antibes April 15-17

  The weather is steadily improving! Yay!

  On the 15th, Sunday, we all went into Nice via bus. We waited quite a while for the bus as there is less service on Sundays.
  We got out at the old port and walked to the bus ticket office near Place Garibaldi, but it was closed. So, we walked through old Nice and then along the Promenade Anglaise, Nice's 4-mile promenade. The promenade was started in 1820 in a particularly harsh winter in the north brought beggars into the city. Some of the English suggested a useful project for them  - to construct a walkway. It was later expanded by the city. Legend has it that the original promenade was build in marble to keep the ladies' long skirts from getting dirty in the sand and mud.

   We chose a few benches to sit and people watch. Only a few people were swimming, but the promenade was busy. Jane put her toes and hands in the water.  
    We tried to bluff our way into the famous Hotel Negresco, built in 1912 to see the famous chandelier, but...we were caught. The Baccarat chandelier has 16,309 crystals and was commissioned by Czar Nicholas II. He could not take delivery because of the October Revolution.  The staff wear costumes based on the 18th century and it was one of those who escorted us out. Oh well....can't let the riff raff in!

     From there, we strolled back along the Promenade and back into Old Nice. We had ice cream in a lovely square and did more people watching. Jane bought some beautiful hand made soaps as presents. From there, we hopped back on the bus. I think we did about 8 miles of walking that day. Whew.
    On the 16th, we decided to stick around Beaulieu. Jane and Norman met with their real estate agent as they had issues with their apartment not having wifi. Mark and I printed tickets for the train to Monte Carlo and hope that the strike will not prevent us taking it. We had to go to a little stationery stop in the neighborhood.

    Afterwards, we met Jane and Norman and walked into St Jean Cap Ferrat and then around Cap Ferrat. It was quite a walk and beautiful. We stopped into the church at the top, the Chapelle de Saint-Hospice. It was built in the 11th Century on the ruins of a previous sanctuary. It was dedicated to a saint, Hospitius, who was a hermit in an ancient tower there. According to legend, he foretold an invasion of the Lombards in 575. He was seized, but his life was spared for working a miracle for a wounded warrior who gave up war and became a monk himself.
     Outside the church is a HUGE bronze statue of Mary and Jesus, constructed in 1904.

     Another 8+ mile day. We walked for almost 4 hours. Afterwards, we had a nice salad with chicken meal at Jane and Norman's. We were all pooped!