Boss's Solo Trip

 Boy, oh boy - do I have a treat for y'all!

We have a guest writer for this blog entry... none other than "The Boss," "The Family Accountant," and all of the other nicknames I've given her over the years... while I was in the states, she took a weekend trip to... you know what? I'll let her tell you about it in her own (black) words! I was responsible for putting the pictures in the right places, so if you see any inconsistencies, please direct all blame in my direction! And now, without further ado.......

What do you do when you have a couple extra solo weekends before your husband gets back to Germany?

You do something that he likely wouldn't ever agree to try. In my case this was book a Lufthansa Surprise flight. It is what it sounds like, you put in a time period and select which option you'd like. Options are categorized by things like shopping, must see places, outdoor adventures or what I picked "Follow the Sun". This category listed 12 places, most in France, Spain and Italy.

After a very long pause I clicked the purchase button for a €119 round trip ticket and moments later I learned I was going to Nice, France for the weekend!

The flight time for the departure could have been  better (departure time around 9pm on Saturday), but you give that up with these surprise flights. Then I checked the weather forecast and it called for rain my two days there. Oh boy, maybe this wasn't the best idea after all.

Since I was only staying two nights I wanted my hotel to be close to the water and easy to go exploring. I picked the Le Meridien right on the main waterfront walkway, the Prominade. I booked the cheapest room hoping to score an upgrade with my Marriott status. I submitted my upgrade request and a couple days later I squealed louder than I care to admit when I got the email saying I was upgraded to a panoramic water view with a balcony. At this point I stopped caring about the rain in the forecast knowing I'd enjoy myself just sitting and looking out at the water.

I arrive in Nice Saturday night at 11:00pm, and took a local bus from the airport to the hotel. For only €1,70 it was a great option and the prepaid ticket I purchased worked like a charm.

Once in my room, I made straight to the balcony and took some pictures. It was beautiful even at night. Listening to the water was just what had been waiting for. I called Rick and walked him around the room and balcony. I checked the weather forecast for the next day and it showed a clear morning, so I went to bed knowing I'd need to start early to walk around before the rain.

I woke up to lots of sun and a cool 60 degrees. I quickly made it to the balcony to check out the view in the daylight. It was beautiful, but I knew I needed to start my exploring before the rain.

I got ready, had a quick breakfast in the hotel restaurant and was out around 8:00. Since it was Sunday morning there weren't very many people out. I had all the cute little streets to myself. I walked for hours, stopping to take pictures regularly.

My exploring took me all around, to include old churches, the port and then the road along the coast. More people were coming out now and it was time for a break. I took the bus back to the hotel and recharged my phone before heading back out in a different direction.

I finally stopped for a nice lunch and timed it to finish in time to take a little tourist trip around town by train. When I say train, it was more like the parking lot shuttles at an amusement park.

The tour had me and a family of three generations. I wore my little headphones and listened to the "on the left is..." type of guide. It got a little more eventful when the train side-swiped a car we passed.

We got back to the starting point just as it started to rain. It was a full day and the glass of wine I had on my balcony while I listened to the rain was the perfect ending. I called it an early night as I listened to the rain and waves.

The next morning I happened to be up at what was supposed to be sunrise. I checked the balcony and it was clouds all around. I guess no beautiful sunrise pictures for me. I did stay up for a while as it got brighter, but not what I had hoped for. 

A little while longer I decided to face the cloudy morning with my umbrella in tow. It didn't take long before it was pouring. Being Monday morning, the normal Farmer's Market was an Antique Market. I felt bad as most of the merchants were trying to keep their goods dry, some more successful than others.

I didn't find anything I couldn't live without, at least for items that would fit in my carry on luggage. I went searching for my normal souvenirs: a magnet, Christmas ornament and post cards. I picked up some lavender scented items and then headed back to the hotel.

Once I dried off I packed since my flight was later that afternoon. I had arranged for a late checkout, so I had time to go exploring one last time. I headed out in another direction and found a lot of the restaurants I'd read about before the trip. I guess I'll have to go back to try those as I didn't get to this time.

I bussed back to the airport, check in was very fast so I had plenty of time to browse the few shops. I also got to try the "socca" I had heard about. It is like a crepe, but made with chickpea flour. I didn't mind it, but probably would have enjoyed a traditional crepe more as my last treat in Nice.

The views of the coast from the plane were spectacular. Then a little while longer, I could see the Alps poking through the clouds below us.

Overall, it was a great trip and now I have unlocked a new retirement goal. I think it would be amazing to come here in the shoulder season for a month, renting a cute place to stay, and take day trips in every direction.