Carnaval de Roi de la Musique Nice (Carnival of King of Music Nice 2015)

Last evening, I heard that Nice was home to one of the largest carnivals in the world and it just happens to run from February 13 to March 1. The lovely receptionist at the hotel gave me a couple of brochures and because I am a lover of flowers, she convinced me to buy a ticket for the "Bataille de Fleurs" (literally translated it means battle of flowers). 

In reality, it is a flower parade which dates back to 1876. Today, the event showcases the large variety and quality of flowers grown here in the Riviera. I had no idea what to expect so I wandered down early and stood with the crowds of thousands to watch the festivities. Luckily for me, I was able to get a great viewing spot. Now this was a parade like no other I have ever seen! I took a lot of photos, but I will try to be selective and give you just a taste of what I saw. 

There were 18 floats (les chars fleuris) decorated with the most stunning floral displays. Each float had a musical name such as trombone, cymbale, métronome etc. Here are a few examples:

These are a couple of closer shots of some of the floral arrangements on the floats. Très belle n'est-ce pas?

There were beautifully costumed characters and models atop each float that threw out flowers to the crowd. 

The parade snaked along a strip of the Promenade Des Anglais between the Casino and the Port. Interspersed among the floats were over a 1000 musicians and dancers from all over the world.

There were acrobats, mechanical insects and large air balloons that especially delighted the kids.

Horses rounded out the show followed by the Queen of the Carnival on the last float.

Initially, mimosas were tossed to the crowd from the floats. When they ran out of those, the models began to dismantle their floats and threw out lilies, gerberas, roses, daisies, carnations and palm fronds until the floats were pretty much stripped bare. Many people I saw at the end of the parade had magnificent bouquets in their arms worth far more than the 10 euro entry fee. Even I came back to the hotel with a spray of mimosa. 

Besides the flowers, there was a real carnival feel to the parade. Quite a few kids were dressed in costumes...

People threw confetti and sprayed one another with that coloured string from cans and a troop in the parade released miles of paper over the crowd and into the street. 

This is only one of the many events held during Carnaval de Nice. Tonight, is the Parade of Lights which I am sure would also be magnificent, but I am going to have to give it a miss because of an early start tomorrow. Last night there was the Lou Queernaval which was the 1st Gay Carnival in France. I wish I had known about it, because I would definitely would have gone. At any rate, if you ever happen to be in Nice during Carnaval, be sure to attend. It was a first rate spectacle!

 

Back in France...again

Once again, I am in beautiful southern France. As before, I have decided to write a blog to record my journey. Unfortunately my dad Dusty Titheridge, who was one of my faithful readers, is no longer here to enjoy and comment on my experiences. He passed away February 12. He used to read every post and would get out his atlas to look up the different places I visited. He would also call or send me emails asking questions about some of the foods or customs I had written about. I will miss him very much, but I know that he was proud of my efforts to learn French.

Right now, I am in Nice. I flew from Edmonton to Calgary, Calgary to Frankfurt, Frankfurt to Geneva and finally, Geneva to Nice. It was a long, but uneventful trip. Although it was dark when we flew into Nice, the coast line was beautiful and lit up as I remembered it. From the airport, it was an easy bus trip into the heart of the city. 

For a couple of days, I am staying at the Hotel Villa Rivoli which is only a block away from La Belle Epoque where we lived last November and December. It is a charming, boutique hotel with very friendly and accommodating staff. 

Hotel Villa Rivoli

The entryway

My traditional room is on le premier étage (first floor). Ci-dessous (below): L'escalier menant au premier étage (the staircase leading to the Ist floor).

Ma chambre (my room) is small, but immaculate and has everything I need.

Mon lit 

Ma salle de bain 

Shortly after my arrival to the hotel, I wandered up to La Rue de France to grab a light bite for dinner. I found a small bistro to my liking and enjoyed a salad and a glass of wine. 

After a much needed shower, I headed to bed and slept almost 12 hours! As a matter of fact, I missed le petit-déjeuner (breakfast) which is served from 7-10 a.m. Luckily, the staff was kind enough to give me a glass of juice, coffee and a croissant despite my tardiness. Once I got myself organized, I decided to take a walk around le quartier (the neighbourhood). It felt like an old blanket - warm, comforting and familiar. First, I walked by some of the gardens at the Musée Masséna. Here is what I saw on February 27! Wouldn't it be something to have flowers, bushes and trees like these in Edmonton at this time of year?

Then I crossed Promenade Des Anglais to sit and gaze at the Mediterranean Sea and do a little people watching. From there I meandered through some of the streets and shops and landed up at Les Jardins du Capitole for le déjeuner (lunch). We had eaten there a number of times before and the food had been consistently good. Today I chose le plat du jour which included:

La Salade de Coeurs à Artichaut à Italienne (artichoke hearts with sun dried tomatoes, parmesan etc.)

et Les Raviolis à la Truffe aux Champignons (ravioli with mushrooms topped with shaved parmesan). Of course that was accompanied by a lovely glass of red.

For the rest of the afternoon, I just walked and shopped and enjoyed the lovely weather. On my travels, I even saw Charles, the gent who owns one of the stalls at La Marché de la Buffa where we used to shop for some of our produce. It feels good to be back!