7th January 2008

After breakfast we head out to explore Old Nice and our first stop is Molinard, a shop exploding with delicious perfumes made from natural plants of the Cote D’Azur.  Unable to resist this treasure trove both Gordy and I select various products including miniature bottles of a perfume which was their original scent made in the 1920s and containing over 600 ingredients.  The shop assistant, Laura, seems to warm to us during our visit and by the time we are completing our purchases she is chatting away keen to learn all she can about Australia and throwing samples into our bag. 

We continue down to the Cours Saleya which is normally a huge flower and vegetable market, but today, being Monday, it is an enormous brocante – selling antiques of all descriptions.It is not hard to spend a couple of hours wandering through the many tables stacked with antique laces, clothes, silver cutlery, porcelain, watches, handbags and jewellery. None of it really a bargain for a weary traveller!  We are amused to see some stall holders sitting down to a table set with baguettes, red wine, salad…..all the trimmings for what looked to be a delicious lunch.  Hard to imagine Aussies treating themselves to much more than a meat pie from a paper bag under the same situation!

 A friendly local!

Once more we stop at one of the many cafes for lunch before setting off again for more sightseeing down the many tiny lanes lined with shops and cafes. Nice is an interesting mix of French and Italian with many leather shops, gelaterias and pizza cafes.  We stop by the Palais Lascaris, a baroque 17^th century aristocratic mansion now a period museum and quite beautiful.  

On our walk I stumble upon a gorgeous dress shop stocking “Save the Queen” (one of my favourite labels) along with other fabulous gear.  I can’t resist trying on a couple of outfits and instantly regret all the French pastries I have been stuffing down my throat!  I’ve narrowed it down to two dresses, with a promise to myself that I will seriously diet on my return, but knowing the sales will start on Wednesday I decide to take my chances and be back on the doorstep at 10am when the store opens and if they are still there, then they are meant to be mine!  I also visit the little shop our waitress from the night before works at and discover they have some great gear for the girls, but again, I will wait till Wednesday. 

Gordy and I are both feeling slightly off-colour – DO NOT drink water unless bottled! Tonight we are playing it low key with a bottle of delicious burgundy, for medicinal purposes only, and tomorrow we are picking up our hire car and are off to Monaco.