Twelve euros, holding out his hand. He dropped us outside the apartment. Jumped back in the taxi and disappeared before we had dropped the various suitcases. Our apartment was part of an old house on the Rue Buenos Ayres (That is the way it is spelt). The owner, in his contained English, showed us around. He disappeared with the same ease. We were left standing looking out into the garden and surrounding neighbourhood. He was counting our £400/week out on his kitchen table.

Clothes out of the suitcase, hung up, toiletries sitting on the shelf of the shower. What to do for the next two weeks. First the food, Me Tarzan, the wife and kids to tired to join the food hunting. Guide books on the floor, planning routes to the nearest supermarkets. I walk for two hours trying to find the nearest shop, Monoprix, on the Avenue Jean Medicin. Then there is the two kilometre hike back. Dripping with sweat, bus loads of French stare from the window. It is only then I realise that Nice has a bus service.

The tourist information directs me to the bus service shops. From that point onwards it was easy. They gave me maps, bus timetables and even showed a seven day pass, not bad at 15 euros. Finally armed with our passes we had the freedom of the town.

The number four bus was out friend and savior. It past the main train station, onto the main shopping area and dropped near to the old town in Nice. At the moment the journey is hampered by the installation of the new tramway (hopefully finished in 2006/7). On the bus our children heard their first French expletives.

Living close to the Gambetta, I soon realised that I did not have to travel to far for food any longer, there was the daily market, supermarket, bakers and bars, we were lucky with our choice. They soon got to know my face, as the English man who spoke better Italian than French.

Being centrally placed in Nice, we had the choice of various places. Cannes, Monaco, and San Remo. Cannes was a beach packed with designer shops for over generous Americans walking film star miniature dogs that looked like over grown rats with fur. Cannes was dull, we left after three hours. Visited the film place, photos on the red carpet, ate a MacDonald’s as most of the cafes offered food at the price of a return flight to Japan.

Monaco is roughly 25 minutes from Nice. Two ways of getting there. First by boat, 24 euros/person, it takes about 45 minutes. Or the train. Once there I was interested in the formula one course, my wife the castle on the hill. Monaco, although a tax haven for the playful rich, had nothing of the pretensions offered by Cannes. The small train found outside the Musee de oceangrafique, pulled us around the principality. Eating in Monaco depends on your budget, there is the over priced and the cafes the normal punter. Well worth the visit. Oh and should you want to go back take a swim suit, you can always spend some time in the Lido on the Harbour. Trains returning to Nice run quite late in the evening.

San Remo, small Italian town. Lovely, perfect to spend a Saturday walking about. There is the market, and a thriving shopping area to walk around. Food is reasonable. Don't forget the Italians do lunch. That is shops close roughly for a couple of hours, join them the food was lovely and the Ice cream, makes ours taste like sand.

Nice, itself has a number of museums, shopping centres and stores of the Main Avenue Jean Medicin to offer. Restaurants vary from the expensive to moderately priced. There are art galleries such as the Mamac. In Nice on the first and third Sunday entrance to some places are free. For the real hard liners, there is the small train taking you around the old town and the Colline du Chateau. Also the old deck bus, the grand tour this last one and half hours 13euros/person. The old town offers shops and markets during the day, bars restaurant and night clubs during the night. It is the focus of Nice during the long summer evenings, with a range of spoken languages. It tends to be taken over by the young in the early hours, but still enjoyable for the whole family.

Finally, the beach, the Bay of Angels. The beach has both public and private section. Regardless of this it is a pebbled beach, there is no sand. Otherwise, the sea is pure blue, warm and inviting for a sun burned body.
In the early evening the Promenade de Anglais, become a 4 km route march for slouths, admiring the physical specimens coming in the opposite direction. On the other hand there are the famous hotels such as the Negresco.

Two weeks in Nice easy, as long as you know about the seven day bus pass.