A Nice to Remember

I arrived at 5 am on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice to a memorial of the July attacks, finding a collage of candles, stuffed animals, beach stones and handmade drawings by children with heart symbols to show their love of the city. As I looked out over the darkness of the water, I felt a profound sadness for what was becoming a regular occurrence—terrorism. And why were the French being targeted so profusely, when they were clearly known around the world as lovers, not fighters?

I came back again at 7 am, stopping at the Delmora Bakery for breakfast and WIFI, to start my day. I love the French breakfast of pain au raisin, the French version of the cinnamon roll, but with pastry cream instead of the sweet American frosting. This bakery was clearly a local establishment, as everyone knew their name and conversations struck up randomly. I asked the owner of the bakery, Mr. Zaatout, his opinion of the aftermath of the attacks. “Actually, for September, we’re seeing a much better month than usual,” he commented. He went on to say he felt the other nearby communities, like Marseille, the Italian Riveria and even Corsica were showing their solidarity by coming to visit in September. But he also commented that the weather was unseasonably warm, so this was also helping. He was saddened by what happened, especially the fact that children had been struck down—just down the street was the childcare center with several families losing children to terrorism.

He also mentioned that this year he was seeing a lot fewer Americans and Australians, a result of not only Nice but also the Paris attacks late last year. He was also very emphatic that other explanations existed for lower hotel occupancy than terrorism, like the trend of apartment rentals rather than expensive hotels; he felt some were just exploiting the situation to further their own needs.

After breakfast, I walked back over to the Promenade des Anglais, watching Nice wake up. Rollerbladers whizzed by, skateboarders wove in and out between couples walking hand in hand. Moms with strollers chatted in Italian or French, discussing everything from politics to the latest fashion, oblivious to the stunning natural beauty of the ocean. People of all ages were riding the Velo Bleu, Nice’s bike rentals to get around the city.

The Promenade des Anglais (English Promenade) was named after Reverend Lewis Way, an ordained minister of the Church of England, who had discovered Nice on his way to Lebanon. He raised funds to construct the promenade in 1821, creating jobs for the unemployed Niçoise. The locals named it Promenade des Anglais in his honor. Soon thereafter, it became the fashionable place to be seen during the Victorian Era. In the 1950s, the famous blue lounge chairs were added, immortalising Nice in the process

I stopped by the Florida Beach Restaurant & Private Beach as I couldn’t resist asking about the name. Turns out, it is a family-owned restaurant, for the last 20+ years by the Oursa family. The restaurant consisted of an open terrace with several rows of 15th-century wooden beds, looking like a scene out of Lawrence of Arabia. Sheer cream canopies billowed in the breeze like clipper ships tossed on the rocky seas. I jokingly asked the waitress if only queens were allowed on the beds—she smiled and said I would become a queen if I were to rent one.

In front of the beds, the trademark royal blue and white striped lounge chairs with parasols lined the beachfront. This was the ultimate luxury, lounging in the sun with a parasol, a chilled Mohito, salade Niçoise, and an attentive waiter to tend to my needs.

I asked the owner’s daughter how the attacks had impacted them personally, and she was suddenly very quiet. I didn’t realize it at the time, but the Florida Beach Restaurant was where the terrorist's truck had entered the promenade. On Bastille Day, the Oursa family too had enjoyed the fireworks display from the restaurant terrace, and were just getting ready to leave. She had to make a quick stop in the bathroom, while her husband waited upstairs with their 2-year old daughter. Her husband watched in disbelief as the large white truck start to plow into the crowds. At first, he thought it was a maintenance truck, but then saw that it wasn’t slowing down, but speeding up.

Instictively, he yelled “It’s an attack, get out of the way,”, and pushed his daughter’s baby carriage to safety. Sadly, though, it happened so fast that the truck was already moving further into the more densely crowded part of the promenade, where the fireworks display had just finished. The promenade transformed into a war zone with screams of pain and wounded people stumbling around in shock. The Oursas tended to whatever wounded they could, shocked and shaken by what had happened. They were especially angry that families with children were specifically targeted, as their location where the families started to head home. At one point in August, they left town and rented a mountain cabin for two weeks just to get away. “I’ll never think of the promenade the same way again. I still see flashes of that night when I walk the promenade.”

“What should be done to prevent this from happening again”, I asked? “They need to have much more security, like they do at all the sports events or every other public event. It was so strange that they didn’t think that Bastille Day would be a target for terrorism”, she replied emphatically. “I’m just so glad to be alive,” her husband Pierre interjected. “I was in the military, so I reacted immediately," saving both his and his daughter’s lives in the process. I left the restaurant, comparing it to the days after the Boston Marathon attack, when everyone was afraid to venture outdoors and trying to fathom how anyone could do such a horrific thing to innocent people!

I headed towards the Place Messena, Nice's main plaza. Constructed as an extension of Vieux Nice, the Place Messena quickly became one of the most popular places to visit, especially with the addition of the statue of Apollo, which over the years has become a point of contention as to whether or not it denotes a moral dilemma. Apollo is surrounded by 5 bronze statues symbolizing Mars, Mercury, Earth, Saturn and Venus. The world-renowned sculptor, Janniot, commissioned to create this sun fountain, had just finished all of the bronze sculptures when World War II broke out. The bronze sculptures were buried to prevent theft and the Apollo statue was finally finished in 1956.

However, at its unveiling, the local Niçois weren’t happy with the statue, saying that Apollo’s family jewels were disproportionate according to the size of the statue. The nudity more than anything else embarrassed them to the point of removing Apollo to the Charles Ehrmann Stadium until 2007. In 2011, Apollo was finally returned to his Place d’Honneur in the center of the Sun Fountain, where it is a shining example of Nice’s Italian Renaissance Architecture.

It is also the informal entrance to Vieux Nice, my next stop in my tour of Nice. The narrow cobblestone alleyways remind me of Quebec City, except with a more Italian Renaissance flair. One can find everything from typical Provence terra cotta pottery, to antiques to perfume. I happened upon an accessories shop called Depot Vente de Luxe where I bought a summer straw hat, then discovered I could actually buy a re-conditioned Coco Chanel clutch purse! I asked for a recommendation of a restaurant where they would eat regularly, as I was looking for non-touristy food. They recommended La Rossettisserie a rotisserie grill close by with a massive brick oven once used to make bread, now the cornerstone for their rotisserie meats.

On arrival at La Rossettisserie, I knew this was exactly the type of place I was looking for. I was led downstairs to a caveau, with white-washed stone walls and sturdy wood furniture. A wrought iron locked gateway hid the contents of their cave à vin. The menu was hand-written on a chalkboard listing the menu items. The waitress, Morgan, explained that they only served French or Italian meats, so I smacked my lips in anticpation. In France, you can order a glass of decent wine at a restaurant for 2€, so I eagerly ordered a Rosé from nearby Cote de Provence.

First course was a house-made duck paté, country-style with thick chunks of meat, served with a hearty country-style bread. Then came a roasted pork loin with ratatouille, served with a bordelaise sauce. I couldn’t help overhearing the neighboring table, an American couple slightly older than myself reminiscing about their trip through France. I struck up a conversation, as they had clearly enjoyed their trip and I was interested in their feedback about Nice.

Darrell and Carrie, from upstate New York, had spent the last two weeks in France, organizing tours recommended by Rick Steves, a well-known TV travel guide. Starting in Paris, they had visited the Normandy coast, then headed through the Burgundy wine region on their way to Nice. By far they had enjoyed Beaune the most, as they had taken a bike tour through Beaune with Bourgogne Evasion , sipping their way along as they worked off the calories of the gourmet meals provided by the tour. They were semi-retired and had actually grown grapes on their property, so they knew about the wine business, making the Burgundy trip that much more memorable.

“Did you organize your trip before the Nice attacks, and how did they impact you?” I asked. “Actually, we had organized our trip in February, so when the attacks happened, we risked losing much of the money already invested in our trip, especially with the organised tours.” She went on to say that most of her friends pushed very hard to get them to cancel, but they were less than a month from their trip, and they were really looking forward to it. “I was surprised not to see more police in and around Nice, like in Paris, where their presence was very obvious. I saw a few, but would have felt safer if I had seen more police in plain view.” I explained that I thought they were just still in shock as it was so soon after it had happened, but that would probably be the next step. I, too, had expected to see a lot more police, but knew it was just a matter of time.

I asked their impression of the Niçois, they said everyone had been very friendly to them, although the language barrier sometimes posed a problem. The reaction I always received was “Are you English, your French is very good!” So the old stereotype of Americans who spoke no French was still the norm.” Overall, I really enjoyed my preliminary visit to Nice. The Italian Renaissance Architecture was amazing, not to mention the art deco buildings and tropical setting. Old Nice was very charming, a step back in time to my favorite period, the Renaissance. Next time, I would get a French Riviera Pass, visit the museums like the famous Museum of Modern Art (MAMAC) and the Musée Marc Chagall, and take a tour of the harbor with the Trans Côte d'Azur tour. I also hoped they would create a compelling memorial for the Nice victims, for example, commissioning artists from around the world to create a statue of each of the victims.