A moment of stepping back… A moment of serenity where everything seems peaceful. In Nice, this serenity, this retreat, this breath is felt by rising up, by gaining elevation. The Niçois nirvana is suspended above the nauseating smells of the inevitable pollution of a large city, just a few alleys away from the bustling, noisy Old Nice and its hyper-active Cours Saleya, buzzing with busy trading bees. Tourists, workers, women and men of Nice, come take refuge on the hill of the Château. The calm. The greenery. And in the distance, lowering your eyes, the azure blue that is dreamlike.
The summery Nice and its “Niçocentrism” causes tension…
People everywhere: beaches, restaurants, shops, buses… A difficult photo to take: the top of a head, an unwanted arm. In short, long live holidays, long live stereotypes!
Do as Edith and Anton, a young couple from Groningen in the Netherlands. A Monday morning market on the Cours Saleya. They play the tourists, but at the end of their stay, they long for calm. Following the advice of an antique dealer, they delve into Old Nice, climb one step, then another, and at the end of a hundred land on the hill of the Château.
“It’s magnificent here, we overlook Nice, we can make out the alleys we walked through over the week in search of souvenirs.” Edith breathes. “Our stay was very pleasant, the city is really beautiful. But we came here to rest. Impossible on the beach. Impossible in the shops.” Anton takes photos, trying to recognize the places they visited. “I did my studies in Clermont-Ferrand. It was the only French city I knew. It was much calmer,” Edith shares. Francophone and Francophile, Edith wants to travel in France. She has convinced her future husband (wedding planned in November): “Anton would have preferred Spain. I insisted on France, leaving him the choice between Paris and Nice. He chose Nice.”
The Château of Nice is less known compared to the Promenade des Anglais, Place Masséna, Old Nice, Avenue Jean Médecin. It offers a panorama of the entire city from the port to the airport, from Cimiez to the Promenade. Lots of shade, water streams, a waterfall to fight the heatwave, a bit of history.
The Château of Nice is the most beautiful place in Nice, and also the least frequented… Thus it’s the place where you can breathe the best, the place that gives time to admire the bay…
Vincent Trinquat
