Nice is Nice (4)

My train was at 11am, and I still had a couple of things I wanted to do in Nice, so I didn't waste time in the morning.

Off to Castle Hill, as recommended by yesterday's cool tourguide. He had warned me that, in the evenings, the guards shut the gates very promptly, and without checking whether anyone is still inside, adding that the gates were very tall and difficult to climb over. So, understandably, I had not been game to try it the previous evening!

Being me, I decided to set off in a slightly different direction, to see a different area of Nice. Which meant that I ended up going past where I wanted to go, and finding myself at the port. Which was ok, because it was a pleasant area.



However, time was marching on, so I started the ascent and eventually made it to the site where a castle stood until 1706. According to the sign, it was built in the time of the Earls of Provence (from what I can find here, I'm going to guess that was 10th-11th century, but could easily be wrong). Also according to the sign, I was now at a height of about 90m above sea-level!



Much as I could have spent longer contemplating this view, I still wanted to have a look at the Russian Orthodox Cathedral which, fortunately, was near the train station. So, down the other side of the hill, past an old cemetery, through Old Nice, back to the hostel to get my bags, and on to the church.

I'm glad I went, as it was pretty impressive... from the outside.



Given that I had to pay 3E to get in, and would have only had about 20 minutes to look around (for me, when it comes to looking around churches; that's not enough. Plus, I'd have spent the whole time fretting about being on time for the train), I decided to forgo this.

Got the station area with time to spare, so headed to a nearby shop which I had seen advertising Socca, a speciality of the area. Sadly, it wasn't going to be served until 11am which, of course, was when my train left.



So, I didn't get to taste this chickpea flour and olive oil mixture which saved the Nicois from starvation when they were under siege! Instead, I got what turned out to be a very tasty filled roll, with tuna, egg, and artichoke tapenade.

By this stage, it was time to head for the train, for a journey which I really enjoyed, spending much of my time trying to snap a decent photo through the train window.