Day 18: 14 July 2010

We were definitely dragging our feet today.  Neither of us really wanted to leave Erba Persa or the Cinque Terre.  It was by far one of our favorite stops on the trip.  There is something about the slow pace of this area, beautiful water, small towns, and fantastic cuisine that has nearly hypnotized us.  Even the Erba Persa has grown on us!  It has been such a neat experience to have keys to our own farmhouse in a quaint town, a cozy room, great stargazing overhead and tons of pets that are magically taken care of for us.  There were a few other couples and a Norwegian family staying here, but we rarely saw them, or Grazia.  However, we did find her easily for check-out. 

Today we actually had a chance to talk to Grazia.  She was much more relaxed and less busy today.  We made sure to ask what the weather is like throughout the year in hopes of finding some time to squeeze in a return trip here.  Apparently this hot, humid weather is unusual for the summer.  Normally it is hot, but comfortable through October, and people even go to the beach until then.  November is the beginning of Fall here, winter is January and February, and although it gets cool, it rarely snows (except for this past winter when snow and ice shut down the town for three days).  Spring is usually pleasant until summer rolls around again.  Finally it was time to leave.  We were shocked to learn that our cost for the three-night stay with breakfast was 150E total…an unheard of price for a clean budget room with food and parking!  We thanked Grazia over and over and vowed to return someday. 

Before leaving, we stopped in Levanto to pick up some of our favorite Ligurian treats…focaccia, pesto and trofie!  Wednesday is Market Day here, so we walked through a sidewalk sale with tons of vendors selling clothes, houseware, bedding, and other cheap stuff.  But I’m not into shopping, so we kept moving…still dragging our feet.

Next we were off to Nice.  The three hour drive flew by for the most part minus the series of unending tunnels and winding roads through the mountains that caused some serious ear popping.  Made it to Nice by about 2PM and quickly discovered that our hotel was perfectly located a block or two outside of Vieux Nice.  Seemed like business as usual here today…you would barely notice it was even a holiday.  People don’t wear patriotic outfits here, like they do at home.  Either that, or there are lots of tourists from other places…not sure which.

Obsessed with the Mediterranean, I actually suggested that we go to the beach!  Nice has approximately a 4mile long promenade and beach.  It’s huge…much bigger than I pictured!  Just about every spot on the beach is rocky, but at least it’s free.  Found a spot on the Quai Des Etats-Unis and went right in.  The aqua water was clean and almost as warm as the Cinque Terre, just a little rougher because there were more waves here.  The only problem was having to walk on the rocks on the way out.  Today is Bastille Day so there were lots of police on motorcycles and several tanks lined up on the promenade.  We tried to see if there was some kind of parade happening, but there wasn’t much more at this end of the beach.  Decided to head back to the hotel to change and go out for the night.  Made a pit stop at Fennochio’s for gelato.  The cappuccino and cacao definitely tie for first place for the best gelato!

For dinner tonight, we decided to take a break from pizza and pasta.  Got chicken and ham crepes in the Old Town instead, with a chocolate crepe for dessert.  Not the best crepes we’ve ever had, but they were tasty enough.  After dinner, we followed the crowds down to the beach for fireworks.  The four mile stretch was closed to traffic and packed with people.  Picture Wollaston Beach (but bigger) lined with people, and lots of boats anchored offshore.  We found a spot on the rocks for the 20-25min. show.  The fireworks were not the best display we’ve ever seen, but it was a neat spot to watch the show. 

Afterwards, we walked down Promenade des Anglais.  Lots of people were out, and there were six different stages where various music groups played.  Some older folks really tore up the street with their ballroom dancing skills!  Although it was a lively scene, nothing about it screamed Bastille Day…it was more just a festival on a warm summer evening. We ended the night at Fennochio’s again, although the straciatella just wasn’t as good as the flavors earlier!