Today after we finished our French tutoring and had lunch, we decided to go to Nice. We took the bus as usual, but this time we decided that we would walk along La Promenade des Anglais which is la grande promenade right along the ocean. It was started by the British aristocracy who vacationed in Nice in the early 19th century, and Nice has turned it into a wonderful promenade for both tourists and locals.
After walking about a mile or so along the beach, we decided that we needed to experience the Promenade des Anglais as the British aristocracy did, so we went to Le Negresco, a beautiful five star hotel on La Promenade des Anglais. The hotel opened in 1913 and was named after the architect.
We were only going to have un verre (a glass of wine) and some water so how much could it cost. We should have had a clue when the man at the front door ushered us personally all the way to the bar which looked like a very old conservative British bar.
We each ordered a glass of the least expensive wine they had. It was very good wine. We also had a small bottle of sparkling water. We thought the prices were extravagant even with the wonderful snacks that came with the drinks.
The bill was very straight forward. With a small tip, our little excursion into the past cost us 40 euros.
As a result we decided that we would not go out to dinner tonight but instead would have a simple meal at home. Before we could do that, however, we had to stop at the Nespresso store to get some more coffee and then at Les Galeries Lafayette, a huge French department store, for a little shopping as there were great sales going on after the holidays. We took the bus back to Villefranche, arriving at about 6:30 and quickly stopped at the Primeurs to get some potatoes and vegetables, then the boulongerie for a small dessert (a chocolate eclair to split) and then the butcher for a chicken breast. We were home by 7, and Jane had prepared a wonderful meal by 7:30.
This entire meal including the wine (which was twice as much as our normal 6 euro wine) was way less than half of our glass of wine at Le Negresco. But we had a great afternoon exploring Nice.
Thanks for reading and please comment,
The Unabashed Liberal
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