Bonjour mes amis,
This weekend, CEA took us on an overnight adventure. First stop: Nice, France for the Carnaval and the famous Bataille de Fleurs.
The weather wasn't gorgeous - 55º and foggy. The beach looked even more unreal without a clear horizon line to divide the sea and sky. Doesn't it look peculiar?
We found some cover under the canopies of the market stalls erected again the mist. Many vendors sold tiny fruit trees, including kumquats and mandarins.
Others sold impressive looking fruits, vegetables, and other typical fare.
When the weather let up, we headed to the shoreline.
I fell in love with the chunky pebbles that make up the beach. Naturally, I picked though them for a while, attaching myself to some smaller ones. My rock collection is reaching dangerous levels!
I can't get over how classically gorgeous my friend Melina looks here protecting her hair from the wind and rain. There is a certain type of woman that can pull off pin-up, and she is definitely it!
The colors here were a photographer's dream, I tell you...
Before heading off, I found this gem: a simple "hey you" from a clever stranger. Thanks for making my day, random writer!
Commemorating 100 since the first world war, this Statue of Liberty replica stands just near the same beach on the Quai des États-Unis.
Guilty pleasure time! Mcdo to give us the greasy energy needed to......
....take the elevator up to the top of Castle Hill. How awful are we! To be fair, we were on a cramped schedule...
The views were just beautiful.
For some reason, the colors of the building and the sea look so much more brilliant from an aerial perspective.
The main attraction, the Carnaval parade and Bataille de Fleurs, started as soon as we came down. It featured 20 floats covered in flowers, most of which are grown locally in the French Riviera.
The costumed actors jet bouquets out into the crowd. Getting ahold of one is quite (difficult read: dangerous) as zealous spectators trample each other to hoard even the most common branches of mimosa. I was really disappointed with the spirit of the crowd. Even children were being elbowed out of the way by adults carrying huge bouquets.
Otherwise, the festivity was quite interesting.
Us gals had a blast! Check out some of the floats and attractions:
Though I'm sure how he ties in to the "King of Gastronomy" theme, there was this massive botanical beast floating around.
A hula troop,
samba girls,
and space princesses?
Even a smoke-spitting dragon!
With a few crushed toes, we even walked away with a few flowers.
Thanks for the unique experience, CEA!
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