Today we started at a small cafe and had quiche lorraine and croque monsieur for ‘brunch’ along with a coffee. The quiche was very good with a nice flaky, buttery crust.
Frankie had helped me (actually he did it) make my train reservation to Florence earlier so they took me to the train station to pick it up. It helped orient me to where and what to do when I get there next week.
Next, we took a bus to St. Jean-Cap Ferrat to the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild and Gardens. The gardens were beautifully done. You followed a meandering path through different gardens – Sevres, Spanish, French, Florentine, Stone, Japanese, Provencal, Exotic (mostly cacti), and Rose (no roses in bloom yet, darn.)
The Villa itself is gorgeous outside and had rooms with some of the original furnishings and other treasures displayed. Looking out from the upstairs terrace you could see the musical fountains which display every 20 minutes.
The rear of the Villa
Musical Fountains – Jeux d’eaux musicaux
We didn’t get back to the apartment until around 5:30 and we were all rather tired from lots of walking and bumping around on the bus. The buses don’t have many seats so we stood both ways and had to really hang onto the rails on the way back because the driver was very aggressive with her braking!
Dinner was at il Vicolletto. There are a lot of ‘Italian’ restaurants in Nice since it was part of Italy until about 150 years ago.
I had the Orecchietti Con Salccicia e Porcini (pasta with mushrooms, sausage, and red sauce), Don had Suprema di Pollo all Parmigiana (chicken parmesan), and Frankie had Linguine alle Vongole (linguine with clams.) It was all very good, but I didn’t think the service was a good as we have had.
After dinner we headed over to the very first Lou Queernaval. It was a gay, family-friendly parade and party. Confetti and streamers were shot into the air looking like colorful fireworks. Loud music playing. Not that many floats since it was the first year. It was lots of fun!
Float
We walked back to the apartment and sat around talking and laughing until about 1:00 AM. It was a really interesting and fun-filled day.
Millers' Time 
Any chance Don and Frankie would accept another ‘friend’?? What a great time! So happy for you!
It appears you are being seduced by the wonderful food, wine and atmosphere of Nice. That is what I loved so much about living in the middle of Naples, IT so many years ago. It also sounds like you’ve been eating some wonderful dishes. If you have the opportunity, I strongly suggest you try Bouillabaisse and Escargot. I had Escargot in Paris that was served directly from the stove in a small copper/tin saute pan. It was cooked in garlic butter w/herbs and served with crusty bread. Delicious. The Bouillabaisse was wonderful because everything in the stew came out of the sea that day. You’re on the coast so the seafood should be that fresh.