#1 Random Thought
Nice is white. No, I don't mean it in a racist way, I just mean that everywhere you look you see white. More specifically in the clothes. It seems that everyone, including the Locals wear white - from the standard vacation wear floaty Egyptian cotton white ensembles, to white polo shirts and white khaki pants, to full blown white suits. I guess that nobody's grandmother told them about the rule about not wearing white after Labour Day. Hey, maybe it's because they didn't have a Labour Day weekend, or maybe they just don't care because it is STILL summer hot here!
I've seen more Men From Glad around here than you would see in the psych wing at 99 Queen Street East (really old reference). Most of them really should not wear white, but I guess they think it enhances the look of their tan - it does, but only to accentuate the resemblance to Corinthian leather (another really old reference). They should also not wear patterned underwear (gentlemen, please take note) under very thin linen pants, I don't care if you are coming out of Hugo Boss for a smoke - not cool.
Another place you are blinded by the whiteness is on the beach, usually Monday afternoon or definitely on Tuesday morning. That's when the new crop of sunbathers arrive. They come in all sizes and from all Northern countries, pasty-white (Mom calls them sun virgins), sporting Speedos or the smallest bikinis imaginable, and hunker down for a good sunburn. Every once and a while, they'll roll over and groan as the stones dig into their tenderized flesh. And Then they decide to go in for a swim. Woefully unprepared for the shifting stones and the rolling waves, they quite often slip in knee-deep water and fall on their keesters, once again eliciting incomprehensible utterances. You don't often see them the next day.
We've decided that September must be "Be Nice. Send a Russian to Nice" month. (Couldn't help it, sorry.) Russians seem to outnumber all other nationalities, including Aussies and Japanese. And they love it! Russians are very exuberant about seeing the sun. Get two together and it's like having Big Dave at the Canada Day celebration - nonstop. They also, at times, remind me of Winnie the Pooh when he was eating honey; some are even just as hairy.
The ultimate 'White Russian' gentleman arrived at our little beach complete with his beach mat, beach towel and his special Speedo. It was more-or-less black (more less than more) except for a band down the centre front that looked like a ribbon on a present. Both Mom and I were NOT going to open that little bag of goodies! Except he kept swimming toward Mom, even as she was trying to get out of his way. I guess he was attracted to her big pink worm. Anyways, I managed to shove her to one side, and he trolled by. We quickly exited the water, more because Mom was laughing so hard, she was swallowing water, than from a chill. Don't think I'll ever order a White Russian drink again.
So many other white stories to tell, including the woman from Finland who didn't bring her water shoes that she used for winter swimming (?????!!!!! Yikes) to pinky young newlyweds, but that is enough for now.
#2 Random Thought
They say the traffic in Nice is terrible. all travel guides and personnel keep emphasizing that fact. As a result, all visitors constantly watch the cars expecting them to suddenly jump the curb and run them down. The "newbies" will wait patiently for 5 minutes for the light to change even though there long gaps in traffic; when it is their turn, they quickly run across the road and stand on the other side gasping, trying to catch their breath. That's when they are most at risk.
When you are warned about the traffic, it's not the cars, you have to be careful of, it is the BIKES (who have a dedicated lane just on the other side of the road) that will mow you down. And what is even more confusing is that while the roads in Nice are usually one way, the bike lanes are both ways. So you still have to do your gopher twist look before you step on the opposite side of the road. Running a light is not always a good idea.
Nice is where I have had the dubious honor of being cursed at by an elderly lady on an old fashioned bike. All because I didn't want her to run Mom over as we were trying to cross the road. Bikers can be quite aggressive here. Claire, I'm sure you saw that in Denmark.
In any case, enough of the thinking, I am beginning to get a headache.
I leave you with a lovely picture of a Bird of Paradise bush in full bloom.
Also, I've posted more pictures. You can ignore the first couple of pics, you have sen them before.
Check out the pic of the ferry from Corsica/Sardinia (toward the bottom). That huge ass ferry came into the port, did a 180 degree turn in that small enclosed area, and then backed into the spot with nary a chopped tire or squeak. Shortly after that, it disgorged a load full of camper vans and cars.
No comments:
Post a Comment