La Favola Restaurant on the Cours Saleya

La Favola Restaurant, 13, Cours Saleya, Old Nice, France

Tel: 04 93 04 45 23

On the corner of the Cours and rue Louis Gassin:- Map or scroll to end of post

For more restaurants in Nice please visit my website AllaboutNice.com

La Favola is an Italian restaurant occupying the corner of the Cour Saleya and rue Louis Gassin, a couple of steps from its sister restaurant, La Voglia. Although it's new for 2009, it is already building a good reputation with several favourable mentions in the tripadvisor.com Nice forum.

La Voglia, a relative newcomer to the Cours, already has an established reputation for good food and large portions. La Favola seems to be headed the same way. It's a large restaurant with outdoor terrace which spreads across under the market awnings, freshened by a sea breeze funnelled through a nearby archway.

The day we went for lunch, there was no breeze and the temp was in the mid-30s, Nice is having a heat wave or canicule this summer and although it feels wrong to be inside on a sunny day we passed on the terrace and took the air-conditioned option. There are two levels, we went upstairs and took a seat by the window.

Seating in the dining rooms is mostly semi-booths - with white padded banquettes supplemented with a few chairs. The decor is a teen-boy bedroom palette of black, silver and red or maybe a tribute to the local footie team strip, not really my taste but it's all new and fresh, no expense spared etc. There was a reassuring glimpse of large open kitchens on the way to our table.

The menus don't give much away, I ordered La Belle Salade 'Favola' (13,50 euros) without much idea what it might contain. Turned out to be parma ham, Parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, melon and avocado plus usual salad-y stuff. My daughter who always wants fillet steak had La Tagliata de Boeuf sur lit Riquette (22 euros) - which sounds as though it might come with pasta but in fact turned out to be quite plain - just strips of rare-cooked steak on salad - a bit too Atkins for my taste but I guess the bread basket would bridge the carb deficit. My husband had 'Il Grande Fritto Misto di Pesce' (24 euros) - an assortment of battered fish - some whole, and ugly with it, plus salad.

My salad was enormous and perfect. Looking around at other diners, this Salade belle Favola and huge bowls of pasta seemed to be the popular choices.

At this point we knew it wasn't going to be a budget lunch so we had a rush of blood to the head and ordered a bottle of Bandol at 25 euros. Plus several carafes of free water.

It felt a bit pricey to us as we usually have a baguette on our balcony, the weak pound doesn't help either - pizzas averaging about 12,50 euros, salads around 14,50 euros and pasta dishes between 12 and 20 euros. Fish and Beef dishes were around 24 euros. However, the prices are very comparable with other restaurants on the Cours Saleya and the portions were huge, it's a prime location, service excellent and it's a good safe clean bet in the very heart of the tourist beaten track.

For pudding, we ordered Le Gros Pot. This dish actually came with a hint - Tout Chocolat - essayer de le finir!!! - all chocolate - try and finish it!!! My daughter accepted the challenge and failed but no matter as we had requested 3 spoons and helped her out when she faltered. It was three layers of chocolate mousse, dark, milk and white, decorated with chocolate sprinkles and chocolate spirals. It was 9 euros but we decided that 3 euros each for a shared pudding sounded better value. 8 euros was the average price of the puddings.

Bottles of wine started around 18 euros with many in the 23 euro range, large glasses of wine were 4,50 euros and a cup of espresso to finish was 2 euros. The bill came to just about 100 euros, quite high, but we had picked expensive dishes and wine.

A couple having pasta, a bottle of house wine and a coffee would pay around 54 euros or add an extra 9 euros to share the Gros Pot chocolate pudding.

View La Favola Restaurant, 13 Cours Saleya, Old Nice in a larger map

For more information about Nice and other restaurants, please visit my website AllaboutNice.com

Nice Cycle Tours - a new way to discover Nice, August 2008

Nice Cycle Tours - a new tour for 2008

I tried this new bike tour this morning and thoroughly recommend it. You cover a vast area of Nice effortlessly, generating a pleasant breeze en route and get to places inaccessible to the Open Top Tour Bus or Tourist train.


Starting off on the Prom by the sea in front of the Albert 1er Gardens

In the shade of a few trees, pausing for a coffee break on

the Chateau Hill, Dave and his partner Jimin from Nice Cycle Tours.

Nice Cycle Tours is brand new for 2008 run by David, a Brit who has lived in Nice for the last few years and has great knowledge and enthusiasm about Nice. His three hour tours cover about 10 km of Nice.

When I arranged to do the tour I had some trepidation; although I am reasonably fit, my cycling experience is limited to a leisurely family bike ride about three times a year. We do have our own bikes in Nice which had been languishing in the bike store the last three years so I even prepared for the tour by dusting them and going for an experimental peddle along the Prom. It's true once learned, never forgotten, thank goodness. My nerves were unnecessary though, the cycling tour was easy as the roads are so flat and smooth. I was worried about the Chateau Hill climb and this proved to be the only testing part of the whole tour however it was a short distance and the bike's gears were fabulous and I was able to make short work of the hill and it was over very quickly. The free-wheeling experience back down the Chateau Hill after a break was worth the effort, it was the best fun.

The statue of Nikea in the Albert 1er Gardens, overlooking the start of the cycle tour.


The tour started on the Promenade des Anglais by the Albert 1st Gardens, in common with the Open Top bus tour and the little tourist train tour so it is very easy to find. Look out for David in his orange top - a few bikes hanging around is a bit of a clue too.


David meets and greets, sorts out a cycle helmet and adjusts the bike to fit. A filled water bottle is provided or you can bring your own. There are several places en route passing water pumps for re-fills if necessary. There was no need for me to bring anything other than the keys to get back home and a camera - my camera neck strap proved useful and I was already sun-creamed and wearing sunglasses. If you are likely to burn, then a long-sleeved top perhaps, tied around your waist would be an idea.

Then it's on the bikes and off we go along the Promenade des Anglais' dedicated cycle lane. The breeze generated under your own effort is wonderful and David makes frequent stops to point out places of interest and a chance to sip some water, take a photo.

Dave's knowledge of Nice and about Nice is excellent and he will gear the tour to suit your tastes. A general tour of Nice will give you information about the history, architecture and culture of Nice plus great local knowledge about the best places to eat, great bars and clubs etc Whatever your interest, the tour can be modified.

Place Massena - with the latest installation 'Conversation Piece' and the new tram gliding through.

He guided me, with stops to show examples, through all the different types of architecture, from mediaeval and Baroque to Italianate, Belle Époque and Art Deco and he can tell you as much Niçoise history as you wish about each era from the Greek origins through the turbulent Savoy years right up to the German invasion in the second world war. He is also up to date with current information for Nice and future plans under the new Mayor of Nice, M. Estrosy.

A 16 century turkish cannon ball embedded in a building in Old Nice.


Nice is also full of art, sculpture, fountains and installations and the cycle tour will take you past some of Nice's finest - work by Venet, Sosno, Arman, Janniot, Spinnelli and even Gustav Eiffel to name a few - my head is reeling from all the information. The tour has certainly inspired me to re-read the history of Nice and I am viewing Nice with fresh eyes again, I think I had become complacent about the beauty of Nice over the last few years.


One of Sosno's many sculptures throughout Nice. This one is about life-size. There is a similar one on a huge scale - building-sized at the four-points Sheraton Hotel in Nice.


Back to the tour. In a nut shell, the tour turns off the Prom after the Negresco and using roads and cycle lanes, leads back towards Place Massena and from here across the Albert 1st Gardens and into Old Nice wending the way through the Old Town to Place Garibaldi before heading out past the Acropolis. Then it's back and up the Chateau Hill, a break for a coffee (free, all part of the tour) before exploring the Port area then finally back along the Prom to the complete the circular tour.

It's a well-thought out route, completely flat apart from one steep but thankfully brief climb up the far side of the Chateau Hill with no repetition of route and always something interesting around the next corner.


Monument to Niçoise heroine, Catherine Ségaurane.

The current cost for 2008 is 30 euros and this includes the use of a fully geared comfortable lightweight mountain bike, helmet, water bottle (or you can bring your own) even a cup of coffee plus all the information and tips you could wish. The tours are available Friday 9:00am and 4:00pm, Saturday 9:00am and Sunday 9:00am and 4:00pm










One of several views from the top of the Chateau Hill.















Lots more details on their website www.nicecycletours.com or by calling Dave directly on 06 19 99 95 22 (international: 00 33 (0)6 19 99 95 22)

You can book directly with David or I understand that in the near future cycle tours can be reserved and booked in person at the Nice Tourist Office on the Prom, by the Train Station and at the Airport branch of the Tourist Office.

One of the nicest parts about this tour was the large area covered so effortlessly and also the cool factor is high - as much as I rather like the Open Bus tours and even the cheesy little tourist train, they are a bit naff and everyone stares at the tourists. The cycle tour is very much under the tourist radar and a stylish way to get to know Nice. The groups are small, no more than five plus David on each tour.

If you can ride a bike and have reasonable fitness then you might like this tour whatever your age however it occurred to me that this would also be an ideal tour for older teens looking to lose their parents for a couple of hour; it's great fun and a chance suss out the best bars and clubs for later.

Short holiday break in Nice, May 2007

Sunday 27th May 2007

Next trip July 2007

website: allaboutNice.com

Very brief trip this time but the highlight was lunch at La Cambuse, more info below, a restaurant recommended in Rick Steves' Provence & the French Riviera 2006 which turned out to be very good. Here's the link to see this book, the 2007 edition is also now available: Rick Steves' Provence and the French Riviera

We left the rain in Liverpool to arrive in Nice around 10pm for a 2-day quick visit. In spite of two heavy suitcases, more presents for the studio, we caught the express 98 bus as we are on an economy drive. A taxi at this time of night with luggage is likely to be about 35 euros as opposed to 4 euros each for the bus.

The 98 express bus came on time 22:23 hours, handy to know they run so late. People needing the the train route, the 99 express bus also need the 98 at this time of night and to tell the driver who will go on to the train station after the Gare Routiere. As we are so used to the bus terminating at the Gare Routiere (bus station) we forgot to ding the dinger and we were on our way to the train station before we noticed. In our defence, we thought the driver was taking a long route around because of all the tramworks. The driver pulled over reluctantly on Felix Faures to turf us out and we had even further to lug our stuff.

Apartment still looking smart with its new paint job. Very late so we just faffed about a bit, unpacked a bit and played on the computer, connection is working this time, no word from the daughter who is away on a school trip in Normandy. The main reason to coming here for such a short stay is to keep an appointment on Tuesday morning to have awning installed on our balcony.

Monday 28th May 2007

Warm sunny day but felt cold due to unpleasant cold blustery wind all day. It was enough to make you seek out the sunny side of the street, the shadowed Old Town was very cold. Had a long-sleeved top, long skirt, but not enough, had to add a jacket later on. Unpacked all the goodies for the studio.

The bathroom looks much better with new towels, mat, shower curtain. We brought along a poster for the flat, it was meant to go in the main room but we decided it looked better in the loo. We have a large empty wall that need something pretty big to fill it, our little poster looked a bit lost there. I am considering buying this to fill the space.

We needed a frame, a simple clip frame, this proved hard to find but eventually hit the jackpot at Habitat in Nice Etoile. Bought a very smart frame, held together by magnets, paid about 30 euros, not too bad. Very heavy so we took the bus back to the Port.


Here's a close-up of the poster, it's appropriately Raoul Dufy's 'Nice in May'. The actual location is at the back of the Old Town in a building called La Treille. La treille means 'climbing vine' and the vine is still there.

Since about October 2006, La Treille has been a centre of information about historic Old Nice, with guides to the churches, walks based around the Old Town etc. It's open most afternoons and you can pop in and pick up a couple of leaflets for self-guided tours and to find out information about guided tours for example, there is a tour that concentrate on Baroque churches in Nice. I think many of these will be French commentary only. The staff are very friendly and enthusiastic and were giving out free cherries when we went by.

The opening times are Monday to Friday 14:00 hrs to 19:00 hrs. This spot appears to be a favourite place to sit and sketch. Another artist painted La Treille, in a naive style:





I couldn't quite make out her name, Elizabeth something. I think it's popular with artists because it's off the main street and there's a small square to sit and work in relative peace and quiet.

After five years use, we decided it might just be time to wash our quilted bed throw before packing it away in our cave for the summer. It's large and padded and didn't fit in our washing machine so we risked the local launderette, Laverie Bea, in rue Parolière where they had extra large washers and driers. The launderette was clean and fresh and the machines looked new. The large machines are 8 euros a wash and the regular sized ones are 3.50 euros. It was empty so we had time to suss it all out in peace. All the machines and dryers and even the detergent (0.8 euros) and conditioner (0.8 euros) were paid for in the same pay machine, the centrale de paiement that took coins and notes. You just key in the number for the machine you wanted to use and paid the total, change is given. The washing machine or whatever comes to life and you programme it as normal. Instructions are mostly French with a bit in English, it's all fairly starighforward though.

During the wash, we set off for a walk to the sea. The private beach Castel Plage at the foot of the Chateau Hill was already set up for the summer. The typical Niçoise style buildings you can see in the background are La Perouse Hotel and to the left is La Suisse hotel. As you can see, it's about the best location for a hotel in Nice, La Perouse is pricey with a pool but La Suisse next door is much better value and seems to get consistently great reviews on tripadvisor.com. The blustery strong wind kept most people off the beach, we walked along the Prom for a little while but quickly sought the shelter of the Old Town where we froze in the sunless shadow. Forgot it was Monday and went to wander through the fruit and flower market of the Cour Saleya, Mondays are Antiques and bric a brac in the Cours, not really my thing, I always forget it's on a Monday. It was also a Bank Holiday in the UK and although not an official French holiday, many businesses and restaurants were closed.

After the wash, we used the dryer, you get about 8 minutes per 0.80 cents pay, we needed about three goes. We hung it out to finish off on our balcony. It was really quite painless using the laundrette and we would be even quicker and slicker next time. I am tempted to use it for the weekly bedsheets and towels wash which are a pain to dry in the studio and small balcony. It could easily be combined with a cheap lunch at any of the places along rue Paroliere, Rene Socca, Chez Christian, Bar de la Bourse, La Mama, you could nip in to feed the dryer very easily. At the least, you can buy an English paper from the Tabac opposite rene Socca or maybe crack on with your postcards. My only warning is that there was no-one about should things go wrong although sign suggested that someone is usually hanging around to help. If you are in Nice for a couple of weeks, this is ideal to have a quick launder of beach towels etc.

Tuesday 29th May 2007

Awning installers arrived promptly and we had a sad moment as we threw out our yellow parasol that served us faithfully for the last 4 summers, seems such a long time since we brought it back from Ikea in Toulon. The awning is better though and makes the balcony feel bigger plus we must have been a source of irritation to our opposite neighbours; at least we now match everyone else.

To celebrate a good job done after five years, we went to La Cambuse restaurant in the Cours Saleya. The Cours Saleya is the heart of the Old Town and probably the most visited part of Nice. As a consequence of this the market is lined with restaurants either which spread out across the Cours once the market is over. This is a typical tourist hotspot and it's difficult to choose a restaurant that is good value, good service and good food. La Cambuse looks a little self conscious amongst the tourist trap restaurants who have to compete cheek by jowl for custom. We have hardly noticed it as we don't really ever eat on the Cours, it never seems like it would make good sense. However, the recommendation in Rick Steves' book describes La Cambuse as a "small island of refinement, with cuisine for those who want to eat on cours Saleya without sacrificing quality" is spot on and we had a great lunch. Husband chose 'brochette de magret de canard et gambas sauce aigre-douce' and I had the day's special; 'rougets à la provençale' which is red mullet. Specials and main courses are around 18 euros, a half litre pichet of red wine is 9 euros. Bottles of wine start around 19,50 euros and a Bandol was 26 euros. Puddings are around 8 euros. Our bill for 2 mains, a half pichet of wine, one pudding and a coffee came to about 56 euros, about twice what we usually pay so a bit of a treat. We would definitely come back and it's nice to have a decent restaurant on the Cours to recommend. We noticed Theresa, another institution of the cours, Chez Theresa's fast food store in the market has sold Socca for years, recommend La Cambuse to a group of people and she brought them to the manager to arrange an evening meal. La Cambuse is found at 5, Cours Saleya, tel number 04 93 80 82 40.

Later on in Hermès, the assistant said that La Cambuse was very popular among the locals. So, if you want the atmosphere of the cours combined with excellent food and good service, you know where to come. It was too windy to eat outside although we did try for a few minutes. Inside with banquette seating along one side, we could both people-watch to our hearts' content.

Simple lunch in Old Nice, great value

Tuesday 3rd April 2007

Chez Christiane, Old Nice



Chez Christiane is a tiny restaurant on rue Pairoliere in Old Nice, not far from Place Garibaldi and the Gare Routiere (bus station) You tend to miss it as there is a fragrant spice shop opposite which zaps the senses and draws your attention.

We've had several lunches here. It tends to be our default restaurant when our preferred Bar de la Bourse is full and Chez Rene Socca is too busy, it's located about half-way between these two. The concept is very simple. There's one price, 8,60 euros (April 2007) and for this you get a a plate of homemade pasta with a choice of sauce. Sometimes gnocchi or polenta is offered as an alternative to pasta. The pasta is spaghetti or tagliatelle and the sauces are bolognese (more a coating of sauce rather than a dollop of meat) or basilic (pistou) There may be another sauce/pasta combo too.

Included in the price is a generous glass of wine and a single scoop of icecream for pudding, vanilla and sometimes a choice of chocolate. You also get a basket of bread - handy to mop up the sauce. You can have any number of free glasses of water. It's 8,60 euros for everyone, including children even though they don't get the wine, if you don't order a free glass of water, you will have to pay extra for lemonade etc; there's no substituting a soft drink for the wine. If you don't want the icecream, tough, it's still 8,60 euros.

There is an additional menu if you want something different to drink, and coffee is about 2 euros. We've only ever had the menu, no extras. It's good value, the service is fast and the food is consistent and fine for a simple lunch. I always have the homemade pistou sauce with tagliatelle - the garlic in it makes my mouth burn, it's wonderful. Pistou or basilic is a mix of basil, garlic, olive oil. The wine is perfectly drinkable but probably wisely, the red is served cold.The decor is basic and mismatched, dark wood chairs and pale pine tables which irritates me. Don't expect air-conditioning in the summer or heating in the winter. The service is fine, we have only ever seen one chap here, a frenetic waiter, called Christian but he isn't the owner. He has a major panic if the restaurant is full, quite entertaining as he rushes around chuntering to himself. When we first came he only ever rattled off very fast French at us which didn't matter there's not a lot to understand at this restaurant, but this year he has relaxed, more confident in his role and will throw in the odd word of English. He's quick and attentive, you can be in and out as fast as you like but if you are in no hurry, that is fine too.

I don't know why we don't eat here as a first choice, it's consistent, cheap and the pasta fills you up for the rest of the day, can't really fault it. Mind you, you have to enjoy carb-loading although the portions are not overwhelming. Handy choice if you're starving, need to eat quickly and everywhere is full. It's not the sort of place to reserve, just bob in and sit down.

Please see my restaurant page on my website for other recommendations.

The week before Christmas in Nice, December 2006

Our week in Nice 17th - 22nd December 2006

Sunday 17th December 2006

Arrived in Nice airport about 1pm and immediately got trapped inside the airport due to a bomb scare. Let out at the far end so we jumped on the shuttle to Terminal 1 to catch a bus as the roads were cordoned off outside terminal 2. As we had large suitcases and a large tool kit – husband has plans for the studio this holiday, we gave up and took a taxi, 32 euros, Sunday price hike up, plus supplement for the airport, plus a bit for the cases no doubt. The temperature was mild about 12-13 degrees C and a bit cloudy.

We dumped our stuff, the studio was filthy so we turned tail quickly and went out for lunch. Warm enough to eat out and as the queue was small at Lou Phila Leva, had lunch there, Pan Bagnat for me, the day's special - ravioli daube for my husband and spaghetti bolognaise for my daughter. The staff automatically hand out a carafe of water and plastic tumblers and a waiter from the bar on the other side nips over for wine/beer/coffee orders, tip - the wine is much cheaper than the beer.

Joined at our communal table by nice French couple but we didn’t speak. On the taxi ride from the airport, we noticed pens of farm animals along the Prom by the Albert 1er gardens so we went along to investigate. En route we bought some riding gloves for my daughter and I bought some handmade traditional Camargue riding boots but for fashion, far too nice and expensive for riding. They are not the most comfortable things at first wearing but I have been assured that they will soften and mould to my feet and will last a lifeme. This shop, if you are at all horsey, is wonderful.We bought jods, boots and gaiters here in the summer. It’s called Tango and is next door to the L’Ecurie restaurant along rue du Marche. He is the only stockist in the region for this type of boot.

Went to gLove me on rue de Collet, bought some lovely tan gloves on about the third attempt with a different credit card. Turns out that our carte bleues (the French switch) expired in September.








On to the animals where the donkeys were popular with everyone. Plenty of other farm animals to gawp at - pigs, sheep, a mule, horses. There was a sheep dog demonstration, hand-forging and wheat threshing displays using a steam engine which unfathomably held all the men’s attention for many minutes.

Came home to find the phone line dead and internet not working. Husband and daughter still not hungry after lunch, the lightweights, so they had a snack instead of an evening meal in Alexanders bar on the Cours.

They had crepe each but I had Spaghetti au Pistou, a big lunch never puts me off my next meal. Very nice pasta but pricy at 12.50 euros. We ate outside but under a covered terrace with outdoor patio heaters. Most of the restaurants along the Cours have this arrangement for the winter.

Monday 18th December

To the Societe Generale bank where we discovered our new carte bleues had been destroyed as we had not collected them within 8 weeks of the old ones expiring. We think we have now arranged for the new ones to be sent to our Liverpool address. Various bits of shopping done, food from Ed in rue Cassini, the cheapest supermarket in France but it's the social equivalent of shopping in Netto back home.

On to Carrefour to buy the cheapest phone so we can see if the line is truly dead. We want to buy a shelving unit to insert in the partition wall on the kitchen side to increase storage area. Nothing suitable in Carrefour where we bought more inline skates for the daughter, the first pair bought in the summer having gone back to Liverpool. Lunch on the hoof, sandwiches from Brioche shop in Nice TNL commercial centre.

From Carrefour, a short walk to Fly by Riquier train station. Lots of good things in Fly like the tins shown in the photo and cute Christmas decorations including some tea light lanterns with reindeers, couldn’t persuade husband although he succumbed a hanging Santa for the balcony going half price in Carrefour. Back to the studio. New phone in which appeared to work so tried again with the internet and after some switching on and off and waggling of wires etc it all sprang back to life.

Quick evening meal on balcony (too cold really) then off to meet friends to help them move apartments later so we are saving the Christmas village and big wheel for another day. Husband disappeared to help hump furniture and daughter and I went home bumping into other friends on the way home, small world. It’s very quiet in Nice in the Old Town, I felt much safer in the summer crowds. Place Garibaldi and Felix Faures still a mess but there are proper walk ways across the road from the Old Town to the Gare Routiere. There appears to be no discernable progress with the tram route up rue de la Republique. Daughter jabbered until midnight, can’t wait for the partition wall to go up tomorrow.

Tuesday 19th December

Plan was to meet friends for reciprocal help getting stuff for partition at DIY shop. Phoned at appointed hour to put off until later. Wandered out after late breakfast around the front of the Chateau Hill and into the Cours Saleya via Agnes B where I saw a lovely dress but hanging on to money at moment as we are going to Paris sales in January. Through the Cours, not many stalls in the winter and then on to Bar de la Bourse for lunch . Our usual chap wasn’t there and although we were smiled at a lot by the woman, she left us standing for about 10 mins with no sign that we would ever be seated so we gave up, you need to get there for 12 noon not 12:30 to be sure of a table, even in the winter. Went for a cheap option which we’ve done before. Chez Christiane, very simple a bowl of fresh pasta, with a sauce, generous glass of wine and a pudding all for 8,00 euros. (April 2007, price hike to 8,60 euros, review here) Husband disgruntled at first as he thought he was getting soupe au pistou but really enjoyed the garlicky sauce in the end and mopped the lot up with bread. Pudding was a small boule of ice cream, chocolate or vanilla; last summer it was thin slices of pineapple. The pasta is always spaghetti, home made and the sauces are bolognaise, pistou or just butter with cheese. Husband disappeared off to DIY by train station with friend in a van. Daughter and I shot off to Sephora where she bought herself some makeup and a present for dad. Waited 20 mins in the queue for wrapping.

Called in at La Drogeurie on rue Hotel des Postes, very tempted by the felt and purse fasteners but decided to hang on.







Came home to find husband back in flat and on with job, uprights up and in place plus first layer of plaster board, but didn’t block daughter's chattering that night.







Wednesday 20th December

Up and on with the job. In spite of a comprehensive list and only one opportunity of a van run, husband forgot skirting board. Cracked on with nailing on the plaster board and putting in some shelves.

Made sure we got to Bar de la Bourse at 12 on dot, empty today and only half full by 12:30. We are out with friends tonight so had one course each, rabbit and ratatouille for about 6-7 euros, salad for me and steak au poivre for daughter, the dearest at 12.50, great value.









Back to studio to carry on with wall. I decided to rearrange the furniture a bit and swapped the book case for the sofa. It looks better I think. Took daughter ice-skating this afternoon – the 3pm session. Happily, we picked the best day for it, sunshine and blue skies, the sun was very low in the sky though.



The Christmas Village is back in Place Massena, last year it had moved to Albert 1er gardens. The chalets are all very pretty but we are never tempted to buy anything. There are very similar ones now in Liverool and Manchester. There were a few seats by the ice-skating rink with hot wine, beer and coffee for sale. Daughter skated for about 45 minutes then recovered with a gauffre au Nutella – a chocolate waffle.





We went for our annual turn on the 50m big wheel which terrifies me a little bit more each time. There was an exhibition at the top of Jean Medicin with one of the new trams to examine. Jean Medicin still looks very bleak without trees. I hope some will be planted to replace the felled plane trees. The wheel was fine but a bit hairy with husband leaping all over the place to take photos and making the seat swing. Walked past Hermes afterwards, I already have had my present this year so it was window-shopping only or as the French say, leche de la vitrine - window-licking, which was about right for Hermes. On to Galleries Lafayette for the loos to discover they are only on the third floor now, but luckily there was no queue.

Walked home passing Father Christmas in the Old Town who was handing out sweets to good girls and boys. Had a quick tidy up before meeting our friends at Au Vieux Four at 1 rue emmanuel Philbert for pizza. It was excellent, I had the Provencale – aubergine, peppers etc but I understand it is the Paysanne pizza which has won awards here. Nice buzzy place – great atmosphere. Threw caution and diet to the wind and had several bottles of house red, very good wine, an unbelievable 6.50 euros a bottle and totally lost my head and had a Tiramsu for pudding, another of their specialities. Try and get here if you are staying near the Port but I would reserve first, it was full tonight, glad I phoned in the morning. All piled over to our studio where we had more wine and the partition meant daughter could ‘disappear' off to bed and it was secluded enough for her to crash out while we stayed up past midnight, we are normally asleep by 10pm.


Thursday 21st December

Felt surprising fine but have had a low-level viral thing all week so it masked whatever hangover I should have been feeling. Went to Fly for some baskets to hide loo rolls on open shelf in the bathroom and it does look much smarter. Had lunch at Renee Socca - a slice of ratatouille pizza which should have been enough but had guilty portion of socca too. Daughter had sausage and chips, husband, cabillard (cod) and chips, came to about 10 euros the lot. No queue and we ate inside the bar opposite, you have to buy a drink, so I had a coffe for 1,50 euros. Daughter had a lemonade, there’s a variety charmingly named Pschitt (the p is silent) which causes mirth every time. Husband had a beer which explained his determined effort to enter Schlecker – a general food/hardware shop opposite Renee Socca through the exit rather than the entry door. Bought bucket for mixing plaster but resorted to my mixing spoon for mixing the plaster. We needed a water spray but have improvised with Magicool, hope it works.

Friday, 22nd December, last day

Strolled down to Cours Saleya to say goodbye. Shopped for some Medjool dates, I’m addicted. Had the sense to check a few prices, these varied over several stalls between 16 and 29 euros per kg. Went back to the 16 euros/kg stall and bought half a kilo, they were enormous, plump, soft and sweet, great chocolate substitute. We had a party to go to that night in Liverpool so bought a bag of chocolate-covered almonds from the long-establishes Auer, 8 euros for a tiny bag, they are good though. Spent the morning reluctantly tidying up and packing for home. Decided to order a taxi to the aiport but ended up as usual with a last minute phone call from my mobile in the road, to check they are coming. The taxi was so quick, it had arrived and left but was in the wrong place, up past place du Pin.

At the airport Hermes, there was the most beautiful scarf and a cute keyring but no money so stroked it all and left with nothing. The scarf was a plisse in the design 'Tapis Volant', colours perfect for me – blacks and golds/tans, would go with everything. The airport was packed with many flights delayed, every time husband got up to read the flight information board, someone tried to grab his seat. Magically, the Liverpool flight was perfect so home ahead of eta. Overall one of our best weeks, as always entirely due to the weather, it makes such a difference and out of season, we know to our cost it could have been dull, wet and windy. Everyday was sunny with blue skies, up to 19 degrees C one day although it was always crisp enough to need a coat.

9th - 10th January 2007

An extra day and night in Nice...

Emergency trip back back to Nice by myself to collect all the stuff we left here by accident in December, nothing desperately urgent but camera, glasses etc. I used the opportunity to try out the daughter's new 'bedroom' very cosy it is too, much better than the open-plan arrangement before and easier for me to use her bed rather than fold out the sofabed.

The highlights of this short trip were three-fold. First of all I was asked out to dinner on the flight by a lovely chap - 'Monaco Man' to preserve his identity. Sorry I declined MM, but I'm married. Still it was nice to be asked. Secondly, I spent a blissful two hours in the Nice Hermes store and learned about the different leathers, colours and agendas. They are a shocking price though, I'm hoping to bag a bargain in the Jan sales in Paris next week. They don't have the beautiful Tapis Volant scarf in this branch, I'm hoping it might still be at the airport, although it is nearly 3 weeks later...

Fate and luck were on my side, the plisse was still there so I treated myself. Looking foward to returning to the studio in February to top and tail a weeks skiing in Meribel.

The partition wall was just about finished, still needs skirting board and the whole place is in dire need of decorating. No time to do this before or after our ski trip so we are back in April to finish the job, this time minus the daughter who will be away on a school ski trip, yes she gets two ski trips this year. My April report is written up here.