Returning the campervan this morning went smoothly. Mr. Brunel was happy to see his campervan and us in one piece. He informed us that the entire island was out of diesel. For the past 4 days there has been a gas strike. This happened to me in 1997 when I drove through France. I guess they still go on strike every year. Mr. Brunel gave us a pass on the gas. We had about half a tank and from our last filling, that was 70euro, so that’s what we paid him.
Landing in Nice started out easy. The shuttle bus to Terminal 1 was exactly where it should be. Bus #98 was waiting there to take us into town and was only 4 euro each. I had the bus stop name to get off at for the hotel. Other than some bad smells from fellow travelers, we were zipping right along. Then all of a sudden, the bus stopped and the driver said, “Last stop, everybody out!” There were many confused faces and a lot of elderly travelers. Some people got off and others refused to move. I showed the driver my map and the bus stop I needed and he motioned that it was 20-minute walk up the Promenade. He reiterated to everyone to get off the bus and to start walking. All the busses were dumping people off in the same spot. I thought perhaps they were on a gas strike to and the busses were trying to conserve fuel. Turns out the entire transportation system is on strike today. No taxis. Not trams. No trolleys and limited bus routes. The transportation department chose to strike on Saturday because there would be more people affected on a weekend. The strike is suppose to be over on Monday. We have a cab reserved to pick us up at the hotel at 5am Monday morning.
After getting settled into Hotel Helvetica, we got some lunch and wondered the streets. This evening will explore more of the area, but tomorrow is the big exploration day. It’s time to rest now and Matt is already napping.
--------- 6 hours later -----------
After a power nap, we were ready to head out and explore. We headed to the old town of Nice, which is all things European that I love…pedestrian streets, narrow cobblestone alleys, church bells ringing, cafes, cool little shops, a dog peering into the butcher’s window dreaming of a big steak and of course a courtyard with the farmers selling their produce. Ahead, was the Coline du Chateau and our hope was to capture sunset from there. The Coline du Chateau/Castle Hill is the site of the old citadel that was destroyed in 1706. We climbed the 302 steps to reach the top and the panoramic view was worth it. The area has been turned into a park with a waterfall, but the waterfall was closed. We were all set up for our sunset light show, when a little man with a very loud whistle stopped everything to aggressively herd us down the castle steps. There were some really cranky tourists. It actually was a bit much. I guess he wanted to go home early. The area was suppose to be open until 7pm and at 6:50, he was doing his roundup. After that, it we wandered some pedestrian streets, found a spot for a simple dinner and then made our way home. It will be nice to have a hot shower tonight. First one in 13 days! (Campground showers don’t have hot water. It’s either cold or slightly cold.)
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