"Nice Côte d'Azur, France" a Nice Travel Page by longsanborn

I have always wanted to see Nice - just because I've seen it on TV. When my best friend suggested we go to Nice for the summer, I was really excited. I was expecting a glamourous and beautiful city, with lots of beautiful people parading in beautiful summer clothes or just sunbathing topless and playing on golden sand beaches and in the blue-green ocean (yeah, I was very naive to imagine all these!!).

Yet when I got there, I was a bit dissappointed with the place. I wasn't sure whether it's because I was staying near the train station that time but I found Nice to be kind of dirty. OK, at first, me & my friend tried to be positive about Nice; we thought that the scenery would improve if we made it to the city centre. So we walked towards the sea, hoping & expecting to see some glamourous buildings or sights or whatever that made Nice to be so famous.

We reached the Promenade des Anglais ("Promenade of the English") which was a promenade built along the Mediterranean sea. I read that few spots epitomize Nice than the Promenade des Anglais. It was supposed to be bustling with people. We saw a few tourists relaxing in the royal blue chairs lining the shore. There were locals roller blading, biking and jogging along it. A few vendors sold crepes and drinks. There were a few over-priced seaside restaurants.

Yes, I admit that the Mediterranean sea was beautiful, with its blue-green brilliant colors just dazzling to my eyes. But I was disappointed when I saw the beaches. There was no golden sand. There was no "bay-watch" kind of bikini-clad babes and speedo-covered hunks lying around (Yes, I was hoping to see these!!). There were no children in cute swimsuits running around or playing in the sands.

There was just handful of sunbathers, just sprinkled here and there along the far stretch of boring beaches. There were not many people as I expected, and this was in summer! Where were the people?

It just made me wonder what is so great about Nice. Hmmmm...???

After visiting the Promenade, we went to the St.Nicolas' Russian Orthodox Cathedral.

We saw a traditional Russian onion towers in the background and tropical palm trees in the foreground. I read that the Russian Cathedral is one of many Russian attractions in the city. The Russian aristocracy used Nice as a getaway, and left their mark on the Riviera city. The cathedral is the finest example of an orthodox church and provides a rare opportunity to experience the former U.S.S.R. on the Cote d'Azur.

Old Nice had a certain atmosphere. Its narrow streets are a one-stop shop for take-home souvenirs, such as Provençal wares, household items, wine, gourmet gifts, hip clothing and more. There are numerous restaurants in the area, as well as several bars and nightclubs.