The Hop On Hop Off, HoHo, is a great way to see a city and get your bearings. We liked it so much we rode around two entire times. It took us past the Negreseo, seen above, made famous by its many celebrity visitors, Louis Armstrong, Michael Jackson, Grace Kelly, James Dean, James Brown, Richard Burton, Salvador Dali, Marlene Dietrich, Catherine Deavere, Leny Blicher and many others. We then continued through the city, past the train station and then along the coast to the town if Villefranche su Mer where we got off and toured the town a bit. We had to duck under some low hanging branches but still great fun on a nice sunny day.
The Negreseo housed so many celebrities that over time the stories piled up. James Brown chased his wife up and down the halls one night in a fit of jealousy. Richard Burton left a jewelry box with an expensive diamond necklace in it. Michael Jackson dressed up as a prostitute to avoid the paparazzi.
At the post office
Very deco
A huge clock on the face of the building
Post, Telegraph and Telephone! That is how old this building is
A modern hotel by the train station
The train station
The top is like a mini temple
Along the promenade are many grand buildings
This on is now a casino
More art deco decorations
A big blue lion
This harbor is man made and it took 150 years to complete
Now Nice has a commercial harbor
A sculpture of a ship in various orientations
Heading back uphill
The fortified walls were brought down and the stones used for various bulwarks and supports
A fine jetty built by convicts
These cypress trees are everywhere
The harbor in Villafranche du Mer
The walls were taken down but in the center you can see the citadel that we visited
A huge fault in the cliff face
An old fortification
We have arrived at the citadel
Low bridges
Fortified gates
Stone bridges
The HoHo stop here is very popular
More stone bridges across the bay
After visiting the town we are back on the bus
Fancy stonework
Some of the nicest houses were on the top of the ridge between the towns
A unique set of shutters
This appeared to be a hotel
Fancy yachts in the harbor
This is called the Englishman's castle. Built by an English colonel who spent time in India and wanted to emulate that style
A latticework pumkin
Heading back into Nice
A big defensive tower Bellanda
Flags all along the water Sweden and USA
Norway all the flags are whipping in the wind
A little lady liberty
A diver sculpture
Another big sporting event is going up with tents and other structures
Round two through the town
The colors of the buildings is something special
What time is it?
A Greek revival building
When building on the side of a cliff...
These places have the best views
Stacked up on the cliff
Another convict facilitated structure
Around the Nice harbor
Eglise' Notre Dame
Oh, Mr. Big Boat, invite us on
A WW1 memorial with the names of over 3000 Nice natives
Knocker and knob together
Back on the balcony
We saw the cutest of little dogs
We saw the worst swimmer, slammed by wave after wave
Sunset!
