Nice, France

When we were Prague in the winter of 2010, we met a couple of London-inhabiting Canadians at (what quickly became for us) a local watering hole, the U Medvidku Brewery. We all got talking about traveling and recommendations, and one of the guys described Nice as one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Needless to say, after this point (and a little wikipedia related research) our interest was sparked.

We eventually made it to Nice at the end of July 2010, flying there directly from Brussels. Landing late on a warm summer night we immediately took to the city. The labyrinth-like streets of the Old Town (Vieux Nice) are a melange of pastel coloured buildings holding gastronomic pleasures on every hidden square. The food was (oddly) equal parts French as it was Italian-fare. The local specialty socca is a rich chickpea flat bread eaten as a snack, and is a great accompaniment to a cold drink.

Nice itself is a great place to spend the better part of a week. Whether losing yourself in the Old Town, spending time lazying on the pebbled beaches or people watching past sundown on the Promenade des Anglais, there is surprisingly a lot to do. Plus, the ridiculously opulent principality of Monaco is less than an hour away by train, and is perhaps the best day trip you could ever take. The photo above was taken from the patio area of an Irish pub called The Snug during the golden hour. It showcases typical Vieux Nice architecture and you can see half of the 17th century Cathédrale Sainte Réparate in the background. I once read that Richard Harris, notorious troublemaker and boozer, would only ever drink at Irish-style pubs wherever he was in the world. I've long argued that you can probably find an Irish pub anywhere you are in the world - whether it's Siem Reap, Granada or Dubrovnik (yes, I've sadly been to Irish pubs in all these locations) - but I don't generally promote frequenting these establishments if there is a local option that will do the trick. That being said, the south of France is sadly short on beerhalls, so The Snug turned out to be the next best option.