River Cruise Diary – Nice, France

Promenade Des Anglais, Nice (20 April 2006)

The dismal, dark month of February is behind us as I write this. What should be the last winter storm of the season is blowing outside. It seems a fine enough time to counter the seasonal doldrums and launch the next river cruise travelogue.

In May of 2020, as the Covid plague locked us down, I began the first River Cruise Diary series with a post that introduced this fine vacation option. After that preview, there were twelve posts on the 2019 trip down the Rhine River from Basel, Switzerland to Antwerp, Belgium.

This series will detail our inaugural river cruise which began on the Mediterranean coast of France, sailed up the Rhone River and ended in Paris. Beck’s parents were experienced river cruisers and this was our introduction to what is now my favorite kind of vacation.
   

Carousel, Nice, France (20 April 2006)

As with all flights to Europe from the east coast, there was a long overnight run to London followed by another flight to Nice on the French Riviera. We didn’t get settled until late afternoon. I’ve learned that the best way for me to acclimate to the six-time-zone shift, even if you didn’t sleep a wink on the overnight flight, is to tough it out that next day. Walk about. See what you can and go to bed in the evening. Apart from an evening introduction to the tour managers, we were on our own and just walked through neighborhoods close to the hotel.

River cruises tend to attract a more mature crowd. One benefit is a very attentive cruise staff. From the time you land they make sure to take care of you and your stuff. We were gathered at the airport and transported to the West End Hotel, a modest, slightly threadbare property but right on the waterfront. The ‘Promenade des Anglais’ is a grand boulevard of hotels, apartments, the occasional casino, and other features that define the beach scene that is part of the Riviera along the Côte d’Azur [the Blue Coast]. The Promenade is actually named for the upper crust Brits who started wintering there two hundred years ago and promoted development of the city’s waterfront.
   

Shingle Beach Beauties, Nice, France (20 April 2006)

Shingle beaches are named for the large pebbles and cobbles that replace the sand we normally see on beachfronts. Tough ladies here. I would want more than a towel between me and the rocks.
   

Palais de la Méditerranée, Nice (20 April 2006)

The original ‘Palais’ hotel was built in 1929 and closed in 1978. The historic art deco façade was saved while the rest of the building was torn out and replaced by a modern casino hotel. Ten years after our visit, a gruesome terrorist attack ended here after an Islamic State supporter drove a large truck through the Bastille Day holiday crowd, killing eighty-six and injuring another 450 celebrants.
  

Wisteria, Nice, France (20 April 2006)

We walked through Old Nice in the beautiful sunshine, sat for our first group briefing and wandered some more before a very easy night’s sleep. The following morning, we boarded a bus for the drive through Provence to the Rhone River and the boat that would be our home for the next seven days.