I had never heard of this place prior to the visit, but our tour guide told us that it’s a wonderful place, that there’s a saying which if Jesus is to be born onto earth again, it will be at St Paul.

The statement might be over-exaggerating, but St Paul was a lovely place indeed. The fortified village structure was something that I had never seen before; and its environment, the narrow streets and stony buildings were simply mesmerising.

The only regret I had, was that we were not able to spend much time there to fully appreciate the place. Back then, I had vowed to visit the place again… I am not so sure about the feeling now, but at that moment, I think I was in love with St Paul de Vence.

Photo of Saint Paul de Vence

Photos at Saint Paul de Vence

Me and my sister decided to take the elevator to go up the hill and walk down the stairs on our way back. We just didn’t have the energy to walk up hundreds of steps for the view… walking downwards offered just about the same experience, probably.

Some remains of the castle (I guess)

Panoramic view of Nice from Le Château…

The town, beach and ocean… from Le Château

Harbour and some buildings

Canon of Sir Thomas Coventry

We were told by our tour guide to expect a loud bang at noon time, from the Canon of Sir Thomas Coventry. The British army colonel in 1860 requested the municipality of Nice to fire a canon ball everyday at noon to remind his forgetful wife to serve his lunch.

We were on our way back to our hotel from Le Château when we heard a loud bang; we thought it was a car accident or something but found no clue about the bang. It was later at night that we somehow managed to link the bang to the cannon.

I never know where the cannon is located though.

We had to be careful though, there were lots of dog poo on the pavements.

The streets and colourful buildings in Nice

A small market selling fresh fruits, veges, flowers, mushrooms etc.

Promenade des Anglais

Promenade des Anglais (Promenade of the English) got its name in 18th century as the coastline in Nice was a hot spot for winter vacation for the English. It was first named Camin dei Anglès (The English Way) before changing its name to Promenade des Anglais in mid-19th century.

At Promenade des Anglais; the Castle Hill is clearly visible at the bottom pic

The experience wasn’t bad though, sunrise is always beautiful. Besides, it was still a nice feeling spending the early morning on the quiet pebble beach… it was peaceful and tranquil.

Promenade des Anglais was quiet in early morning

Not the usual sandy beaches

Sun started rising

The other side of the beach was still dark when the sun was rising

Sunrise, sunrise…

Côte d’Azur International Airport (Aéroport Nice Côte d’Azur)

We arrived at the city after a day long journey from Lyon. Most of my tour mates preferred to take some rest at the hotel, but I decided to have a closer glance at the beach, which was just 10-minutes of walking distance from my hotel.

There were benches along the Promenade des Anglais, facing the sea. I sat there for half an hour, just sitting there, feeling the breeze from the Mediterranean Sea, and people watching… it was a wonderful and peaceful feeling.

I would love to wait for the sunset, but I had to go back to the hotel for dinner, and to prepare for a night trip to Monaco.

Beach of Nice and the Mediterranean Sea