Ultimate Europe Trip 2016 Day 22: Nice to be in Nice
As we approached and passed twenty days on our Ultimate Europe Trip I know both Jenn and I have started to wind down. Our bodies are more tired and our energy levels aren't nearly what they were in Amsterdam. It didn't help that we had to wake up at 6:30AM this morning to make our train. We got ready and went down for our last breakfast at the Hotel Regency. We both went light and had toast and eggs.
After breakfast we finished our packing, made sure everything was cleared out of our room, and took a taxi to the train station. We boarded a train a half hour later that would take us from Florence to Milan. The journey lasted a little under two hours and was glorious. This was the second nicest train we were on. We were in business class again and the seats were luxurious and to my delight they had a suitcase compartment which meant I didn't have to lift our suitcases above my head and onto a platform. This was also the fastest train we were on, it hit speeds right above 300km (186mph) an hour. The train was flying.
We made it to Milan a little before 11AM, grabbed Burger King to go and got on our Thello train which took us from Milan to Nice. This train was as standard as they come, no high frills even in first class. Luckily we got two seats sitting across from each other and enjoyed by far the most beautiful views of any train we've taken the entire journey. Our train ride to Nice was five hours long and we spent at least half of it talking about not only our trip so far but our future.
We got into Nice a little after 4PM and grabbed a taxi to our hotel, Hyatt Palais de la Méditerranée. The taxi ride took about ten minutes and we went straight up to the Hyatt Platinum member line, got an upgraded ocean-view room and were off to record our last room tour of the trip. The room is fantastic, it's one of the biggest we've had all trip, with a giant balcony, big bed, a tub and shower, and just a really comfortable style.
Once we were done with the room tour it was off to explore as much of Nice as possible. We walked up and down the boardwalk overlooking the gorgeous French Riviera. I would be remiss if I didn't mention the recent Nice tragedy and it's hard to miss it walking the streets of Nice. Along with a massive police presence (which we've seen almost everywhere in Europe) there are memorials up and down the boardwalk for the victims. It gave both Jenn and I major chills to see all the stuffed animals, photos of children and families that are spread throughout Nice in remembrance.
After walking up and down the beach we went to Jenn's recommendation for dinner, Melodynice Restaurant. I cannot even begin to describe how glad I am we did. We both started with a glass of Bordeaux wine. We started with the chef's amouse bouche a vegetable puff which told both of us we were in the right place. We then split an appetizer that I cannot even begin to describe other then to say it was so good we were both using our bread to take as much sauce as we could.
For Jenn's entree she went with the lamb shank with mashed potatoes that was out of this world. They didn't go short on the portion sizes either, her plate was massive. I went with shark also served with mashed potatoes. Neither of us have ever had shark before and when I saw it on the menu I knew I had to give it a go. It was incredible. I don't love fish but the cream sauce that came with it made it a really spectacular dish.
We loved the food so much we couldn't pass up dessert so we had a lava cake with caramel inside of it. Right as you put your fork through the cake a hot stream of warm caramel came bursting out. It was served with fresh vanilla ice cream. The entire meal was out of this world. When (see I didn't say if) we are back in Nice again, we will be back to have another meal at Melodynice.
We left dinner a little before 8PM and walked around the beachfront of Nice, taking in a beautiful sunset. We got back to our room at 9PM which overlooks the hotels restaurant and pool. There a piano player played until nearly 10PM and we sat outside taking in both the gorgeous evening and the great music. The highlight was when he played both the Jurassic Park theme and the Game of Thrones theme. We cheered.
And so our first day in Nice concluded. We woke up this morning feeling like we were ready for the trip to end and for us to go home, and we ended today wishing we had more time. It sure is nice to be in Nice.
