Two Passports

Never go on trips with anyone you do not love

The Cours Saleya market, blocks of Marseille soap, an open-top bus, and a glass of rosé before noon. We are not sorry.

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Exploring Nice (and starting before noon)

Success! We started the day before noon and with a surprising breakfast at the hotel. When I first saw the scrambled eggs I thought “ugh, runny scrambled eggs,” then I remembered the recipe in the Julia Child’s cookbook & took a chance. Easily the best scrambled eggs ever but I got distracted, our day in Nice. 

A produce stall at the Cours Saleya market piled with yellow and red peppers, aubergines, carrots and cauliflower under a striped awning.
Cours Saleya

  The market. It’s really quite indescribable and magical. The sights, sounds, and colors. I’ve never seen anything like it. Flowers and plants, vibrant and fragrant. Produce of all colors of the rainbow. Meats, cheeses, stunning fresh seafood and lavender everywhere.

 

Trays of brightly coloured blocks of Marseille soap laid out in rows on a market stall.
Savon de Marseille, by the kilo

  Since it was still early and we weren’t hungry yet we decided why not do the hop on hop off double decker bus tour. Great idea! Other than the fact it was insanely hot out there we got to see the port, amazing vistas and parts of Nice we would have otherwise missed. One random tip to throw in here. When touring from the second deck of such buses, keep an eye out for low tree limbs. Fortunately no tourists whacked were on our watch, but it was close.

 

The open top deck of a sightseeing bus running down a broad avenue in Nice between plane trees and pale apartment blocks.
The hop-on bus, earning its keep again

  Hungry we hopped off back down on the promenade and found ourselves some lunch. We overheard an older couple beside us discussing their unfortunate encounter with the European showers and flooded their room. We got to talking and turns out they were headed for Avignon on Sunday for the same cruise. After the folks who were staying at our hotel, Lester & Peachy (yep, from Georgia too) were the breath of fresh air we were hoping to meet and gave us hope we weren’t going to be sailing with a bunch of misfits.

 

Two glasses of pale rosé on a white tablecloth, condensation on the bowls.
Yes, more rosé

  It was a great day capped off by an amazing meal, but that is a post unto itself! 

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