Life’s a Beach

The whole family trained down to Nice for a brief “séjour”—a chance to let Little Leeds romp in the Mediterranean, sample socca and see a bit of the glorious Riviera. Traveling with an 8-month-old in tow is no easy task…the equipment one needs is overwhelming. And then there is the conundrum of how to manage everyone in a one-bedroom apartment not designed for babies, with cacti, sharp corners, and limited space! We knew it would be a challenge, but we were all willing to face it head-on.

There was one letter in the mailbox—from the mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi—to me, personally. I had written him last April in response to his announcement that rue Masséna and the pedestrian zone would be getting a facelift in the coming years. I offered up several ideas for improvements based on a resident’s point of view, rather than a merchant’s: smooth paving (so rolling suitcases wouldn’t sound so loud), adding vegetation, creating an open-air market a couple times a week on Place Magenta, attending to the rat and mice population, removing the not-so-pretty electronic advertising panels and prohibiting the Capoéira dancers from performing late at night. It was sent registered mail so that it couldn’t be ignored, but I didn’t expect to get such a thoughtful letter in response.

He addressed each and every one of my suggestions, then assured me that he “want[s] to transform the area into a more vegetal and less mineral environment to create a calmer setting, conducive to relaxation and social interaction, while making it easier for users to get around.”(Translation by DEEPL)

“Please be assured that all your comments will be studied by the Working Group in charge of this large-scale project,” he went on to say. And “With regard to the presence of vermin, and in response to your request, the public hygiene department carried out a pest control program in the rue Masséna, Place Magenta and related alleyways on June 4.”

Mayor Christian Estrosi, center

“As for the inconvenience caused by the ‘Capoiera dancers,’ and to respond fully to your request, on May 19th I issued municipal decree no. 2025-02069 to cover the summer period until September 30, 2025, regulating public martial arts demonstrations.”

“Please be assured that the municipal police will remain vigilant in your area. However, in the event of any new nuisance, and in particular any disturbance to public peace and quiet, I invite you to contact the Centre Opérationnel de Commandement directly on XXX, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, or the Police Nationale on 17. Finally, please note that Mrs. XXX XXX. The deputy delegate for the “Cour de Nice” district and her local team, located at XXX, Nice, are available to assist you at XXX or by email at XXX to improve the quality of life in your area.”

(Note: XXX means I’ve removed this information so as not to compromise the information in a personal letter.)

I was impressed. How often does this happen when you write to one of your city officials? Do they send you a polite “Thank you for your letter,” but that’s about it? Whether he wrote this himself or an aide (likely), doesn’t matter. Clearly, it did the job it was intended to do.

A baby in tow means restricting what’s possible to do, as our lives revolve around Little Leeds’ nap times and traveling has put a wrench into the works for anything being normal. The one day we set aside to go to the beach by renting “matelas” (mattresses, aka “transats,” deck chairs) and lunch at one of the private beach clubs on Saturday, the weather turned cloudy…all day with a bit of rain.

I don’t normally book lounge chairs since I keep a stash of lightweight folding aluminum chairs to take to the beach, but we planned to have one special very relaxing day and made it a treat. Reserving the chairs was no easy task. Not all the beach clubs use online reservation systems, so you must call. Some won’t reserve them at all, meaning it’s first-come, first-served. Plus, I wanted a beach fairly close to home so we wouldn’t be trekking too far out of the way.

Nice Uncovered author, Jeanne Oliver, posted an article on July 2nd all about the beach clubs that helped a lot in our quest for the best beach chairs at the best prices and how to acquire them.

Most beaches were already booked up for Saturday (not surprising), but we scored well at the Beau Rivage for chairs, parasols and lunch. The matelas aren’t cheap in Nice. Thanks to Jeanne Oliver’s chart, you can get an idea of what the day will cost you. We opted for three matelas at €30 each. On their website it says the parasols are included but when we arrived at the desk, we were informed that wasn’t correct—they were €5 each. The maître d’ apologized for the confusion and gave us the parasols complimentary. He did the right thing.

Beau Rivage beach club

The weather report predicted a solidly cloudy day (but no rain) which might have deterred us, but we didn’t let it—thinking it actually better to be cloudy than blazingly hot. And it was.

A few rays snuck-in during the afternoon, but mostly the sky was gray and the water silvery. The parasols were useless and at one point when the wind picked up, so did a few of the parasols, so the staff scrambled to take them down. Lunch in the Beau Rivage restaurant was pleasant enough, but not anything to write home about.

We were on the second row, so we couldn’t see the water’s edge. We saw the backs of the other sun-bathers’ chairs. To get to the water, we had to walk down a long aisle made up of a kind of sea grass or ropey fiber past all the chairs to go down to the water. While it was more pleasant than the “galets” (the big pebbles), it made it feel so artificial.

What I realized while lying comfortably on the transat—able to order anything I wanted to be delivered to my side table—was that the sterile atmosphere didn’t hold a candle to being in an aluminum folding chair on the water’s edge on the public beach. I felt removed from everything and in all honesty…not worth doing. The people watching, and the fun everyone is having in the water on the public beaches, is what being on a beach is all about. It’s one of my favorite pastimes and as a result, have many fascinating stories to tell.

For the price of the three matelas, one can easily afford to buy chairs and parasols that can be used over and over again, just as mine have these last many years. Or if on vacation, used for just a couple of days and then give them away at the end…a better bargain.

A la prochaine…