Getting to Nice was a nightmare. (Sorry Nathan but I never found out if Nice biscuits (cookies) were actually from there. The people I asked didn't know what they were.
I followed the signs to the auto route (freeway) then finally realized I was on it. I never saw where the road became the auto route. Of course, nobody would pick me up there though I kept my thumb up but after a few miles a road crew picked me up telling me (I imagine) that I can’t walk on the auto route. They took me to the roundabout from hell (for old male hitch hikers). I had my thumb out for over an hour with nobody even looking at me, when a car dropped off two young girls who put their thumbs out on the entrance just before mine and were picked up in less than 5 minutes. I continued waiting another hour then decided to try the side road but still nobody would pick me up. I ran out of water and held my empty water bottle upside down so they could see I was out of water but still nobody would stop. It was near dark so I wandered to the first house I could find to ask for some water and they lady filled up my bottle and gave me a large bottle as well.
I followed the signs to the auto route (freeway) then finally realized I was on it. I never saw where the road became the auto route. Of course, nobody would pick me up there though I kept my thumb up but after a few miles a road crew picked me up telling me (I imagine) that I can’t walk on the auto route. They took me to the roundabout from hell (for old male hitch hikers). I had my thumb out for over an hour with nobody even looking at me, when a car dropped off two young girls who put their thumbs out on the entrance just before mine and were picked up in less than 5 minutes. I continued waiting another hour then decided to try the side road but still nobody would pick me up. I ran out of water and held my empty water bottle upside down so they could see I was out of water but still nobody would stop. It was near dark so I wandered to the first house I could find to ask for some water and they lady filled up my bottle and gave me a large bottle as well.
The next day I waited another hour before continuing to walk. I received only two lifts, one when about a mile and a half and the other about 6 miles but later found that I had covered over 20 miles in the wrong direction before being picked up by a woman who couldn’t speak English but because she couldn’t, she took me all the way to Nice, which was about 10 miles past her destination just so I wouldn’t struggle any longer getting there.
Nice beach is not sand but rocks of all sizes. I heard more English in this city than any other because of all the tourists. The old town was nice especially at night. So many restaurants and they were all filled to capacity with tourist. At night I ran into a group of Canadian students and we had a bit of fun chatting. It was quite enjoyable to speak English normally again.
Unfortunately, My camera did not capture the beauty of Nice at night.
I did find a small patch of mostly sand so I laid my pack down and put my arm through one of the straps so if someone tried to steal it, it would wake me. Because of the rock I woke up in pain and moved them but had to sleep on my other side so instead of putting my arm through a strap I just leaned against my pack so I could feel it if it were moved. About 3:00 am my bag moved and it woke me up. A man scurried about 10 yards from where I was sleeping and acted like he was taking a leak. I looked over my bag and found that he opened the pocket with my water bottle then opened the bottom where I kept my rain gear and shoes while I slept. He took out one shoe and woke me when trying to get the second out. I hollered at him, “Hey, what did you take?” He turned and hollered something back but it was in French so I don’t know what said but he then hurried off so I didn’t worry about it as he left empty handed. It’s great having nothing anybody would want to steal (okay, I do have my computer but it is in a locked area of my bag.
I did find a small patch of mostly sand so I laid my pack down and put my arm through one of the straps so if someone tried to steal it, it would wake me. Because of the rock I woke up in pain and moved them but had to sleep on my other side so instead of putting my arm through a strap I just leaned against my pack so I could feel it if it were moved. About 3:00 am my bag moved and it woke me up. A man scurried about 10 yards from where I was sleeping and acted like he was taking a leak. I looked over my bag and found that he opened the pocket with my water bottle then opened the bottom where I kept my rain gear and shoes while I slept. He took out one shoe and woke me when trying to get the second out. I hollered at him, “Hey, what did you take?” He turned and hollered something back but it was in French so I don’t know what said but he then hurried off so I didn’t worry about it as he left empty handed. It’s great having nothing anybody would want to steal (okay, I do have my computer but it is in a locked area of my bag.
I think every city in the French Riviera has an old town and this one is from Nice. It was very beautiful. I love the colors of the buildings.
Another view of Nice's old town but under those canapes are thousands of people eating as nearly all the buildings are restaurants.
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