Arriving in Nice, France

We leave Paris for Nice, on the Mediterranean coast, taking the express train from Gare de Lyon straight to Nice.

Gare de Lyon

Views from the train along the coast

We arrive in Nice and stroll through town to Place Masséna, the historic and vibrant heart of the city (known for its red facades and checker pavement) on our way to the Old Town, looking for dinner.

Place Masséna

Old Town restaurants

We read a few menus and stop at La Favola, where we dine on le poulpe a le Ligurienne (with pommes de terre grenaille), filet de loup aux artichauts (with purée de pomme de terre), and rigatoni al forno.

Poulpe

Filet de loup

Rigatoni

After dinner, we wander back though Old Town past the Palais de Justice and through the now colorfully illuminated Place Masséna.

Old town at night

Palais de Justice

Place Masséna

The next morning, we stroll back through Place Masséna to the Old Town and find that the outdoor restaurant seating transforms into a market for the daytime hours.

Place Masséna

Promenade du Paillon (between Place Masséna and the Old Town)

Palais de Justice plaza during the day

Old Town during the day

Now to wander and explore more of this great city.

Dining in Paris

We always look forward to our dinners in Paris (who wouldn't) and this trip we return to some old favorites for our evening meals.  Our first dinner (no pictures) is at Pizza Vesuvio in its new location just off the Champs Élysées.  We're tired and hungry and rapidly consume our pizzas before the thought "pictures for the blog" even arises.

Our next dinner is at an old favorite on Rue du Fauburg Saint-Honeré, La Mascotte.  We start with six escargot and an onion soup, followed by confit de canard (with mashed potatoes) and salad with ham, olives, tomatoes, and camembert cheese.

Table setting

Starters

Mains

The next evening, we return to another old favorite several blocks from the Louvre:  Le Passage Saint Honeré.  We have our regular starter, the hanging charcuterie platter,and that fills us up (our last trip, we asked the server if anyone ever orders another dish after this and he replied, "Only very large people").

Hanging charcuterie

One lunch, we have another favorite, croque monsieur, a classic hot sandwich made with ham and gruyère cheese, then baked or broiled until golden.

Croque monsieur

One evening at Le President, we have French onion soup and escargot, followed by chicken all around.

Soup, escargot

Chicken

Our final dinner in Paris brings us back to the dining district near Place Saint-Michele, where, at Le Latin, we have French onion soup and two fondues: savoyarde (several cheeses from the French Alps with bread for dipping) and Latin (with a platter of meats for cooking in boiling oil).

Soup

Preparing for Fondou Latin

Two foudues

It's great to be back in Paris, enjoying the dining (and everything else).

Luxembourg Gardens

A trip to Paris is not complete without a visit to Jardin du Luxembourg, the Luxembourg Gardens.   The gardens started in 1612 when Marie de' Medici, the widow of King Henry IV, constructed the Luxembourg Palace as her new residence.  The palace is now the meeting place of the French Senate which owns the park.  Covering 23 hectares (56.8 acres), the park is known for its lawns, tree-lined promenades, tennis courts, flowerbeds, and model sailboats floating in the Grand Bassin.  We're looking forward to spring flowers in the park and walk up Boulevard Saint-Michel from Place Saint-Michel (across from Notre Dame).

Boulevard Saint-Michel is lined with market stalls on this beautiful weekend day and we stop to admire the products available as we proceed up the street.

Street market

We reach the park and enter at a gate by the Palais du Luxembourg, home to the French Senate 

Entering the park

Map of the park

At a bandstand just inside the park, a group is singing for all of us passing by.

Music in the park

We listen to the music for a bit and then head over to the octagonal Grand Bassin which is packed with people relaxing, walking, and sailing small rental boats.

Relaxing at the Grand Bassin

Palais du Luxembourg in the background

We continue walking through the park, viewing the gardens, the people playing tennis, and the pony rides next to the tennis courts.

Beautiful gardens

Tennis and pony rides in the park

Leaving the park and walking back through the city toward the Seine, we find more street markets in the neighborhoods along the way.

Neighborhood street markets

The Luxembourg Gardens are spectacular any time of year, but particularly beautiful in the spring when the new flowers are in full bloom and the park is packed with people enjoying the day.