Jill and Jose's RV Lifestyle travel blog

The game of Petanque is played in parks throughout France

We enjoy the pool at Hippodrome Camping in town of Villenueve near...

Jill takes a dip

Homey touches at Hippodrome Camping

Beautiful Bougainvillea near entrance to campground

Famous hotel along Baie des Anges in Nice

Umbrellas and beach along Baie des Anges in Nice

Whimsical statue atop beachside hotel in Nice

Sundeck ready to start another sunny day in Nice

Another whimsical touch along the seafront

At the Cours Saleya market in Nice

Olives in abundance at the market

Fried Squash flowers are a local specialty

Little hugging salt and pepper shakers are seen in market stalls throughout...

At the flower market in Nice

Spice grinders and colorful pottery are common items for sale

Figs at the market

Colorful soaps join lavendar scents in market stalls

View of port as we depart on our boat trip around Nice...

Jill is ready for the boat trip

View of lovely homes in Villefranche

Villefranche harbor

View of Nice coastline from the boat

View near port of memorial to the 4000 Nice residents who died...

Same yacht we saw in Cannes. On our boat cruise, we learned...

View of Nice beach, city and promenade from top of Castle Hill

Jose goofs around at waterfall in park on Castle Hill

View of Nice port from Castle Hill

And another view of the Nice port from the hilltop


We decided to stop for a couple nights at Hippodrome Camping, located about 10 Kilometers from Nice in the town of Villeneuve Loubet. After a brief stroll into town for lunch, we hung out in the campground pool for a change of pace and some down time from sightseeing. We walked back to town for Chinese food for dinner.

The following day we rode our bicycles into Nice, about 6 miles each way. The bicycle path paralleled the road along the sea in several small communities just outside Nice, then past the Nice Cote D'Azur Airport and along the Promenade runs along the beach and the Baie des Anges in Nice. So we got a great view of the pebble beach as we rode along.

We visited the morning flower and produce Cours Saleya Market with its colorful stalls selling fruits, vegetables, soaps, spices, olives and flowers. Then we took an hour-long boat trip along the bay, which gave us a different perspective on the lovely view of shore and rooftops on Nice and nearby Villefranche. The tour pointed out some of the homes of the rich and famous, such as Sean Connery and Mick Jagger.

Then we had lunch, sampling local specialties including Socca (a very thin crepe made from chick pea flour and olive oil); Farcis (small stuffed zucchini, red pepper, eggplant, tomato each with their own stuffing); Pissaladiere (sort of a onion tart - simiar to a thin pizza - topped with onions, anchovies and olives); gnocchi and a local sausage.

Then we went to the top of the Castle Hill, the site of the first town founded by the ancient Greeks and later a medieval town. Today nothing remains of the castle but a few foundations. However, the hill has a lovely park and fantastic views over the port, beach and town of Nice. We took in the vistas and then headed back down to ride our bicycles back to the campground.

Nice is a lovely city and has many museums, cathedrals, historice monuments, galleries and shopping. We were content to take in the sights and ambiance of the markets, narrow streets, impressive Promenade and beautiful shoreline and port.

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