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No, blue is the colour of the sea at Nice. The Côte d’Azur could not be more fittingly named. Park yourself on one of the many benches along the Promenade des Anglais and just gaze out at the ocean. It is seriously blue and in a stunning variety of shades: azure, lapis lazuli, turquoise, indigo…(pause while writer surreptitiously consults Dulux colour chart)…Deep Ultramarine, Paradise Blue, Sea Blue [Sea Blue? Nah!].

Anyway – you get the picture. As, indeed, did Matisse. It is little wonder that the great painter – born in damp, grey, Picardy in the north – responded to his move to the Riviera by unleashing on the world his wild, splashy yellows, reds, lavenders and, yes, above all, blues. (Visit the Matisse Museum which stands in the Cimiez park a little way out of the city centre).

And, surveying the vista from your woody vantage point, you may be moved to something in the poetic line yourself. “It’s bluer than Paul Newman’s eyes!”, the star-struck may sigh. “It’s bluer than a Bernard Manning gag”, the vulgar may retort. “It’s bluer than Billie Holliday singing a, um, sad song about something, er, sad”, the game but analogically-challenged might utter.

A possible drawback of the Promenade des Anglais for some may be the number of roller-skaters/bladers. In scenes oddly reminiscent of an English suburban street on Christmas morning an (un)steady stream of knee- and elbow-padded kids trundle by – often accompanied, wobbling alarmingly, by those old enough to know better.

But, if you can bear your bench’s status as a miniature traffic island, there is the potential pleasure of seeing some middle-aged bloke, all wealth and wraparound shades, tan and teeth, come a Bambi-esque cropper.

What’s the French for schadenfreude?]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/5986 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/5976 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/5976 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/5975
Mamac is closed on Mondays and certain bank holidays. Entrance prices are €4, discount prices €2.50.

There are guided tours: Wednesdays at 4pm in French, and English tours by appointment. Price €3 and €1.50.

Tip: museums are free on the first Sunday in every month.

Shop available, selling catalogues for all exhibitions and a selection of products.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/5975 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/5951
The park at the top of the hill (just after the statue of Queen Victoria) houses a nice olive grove, Roman ruins (with the associated archaeological museum), the Matisse Museum and the monastery with its phenomenal gardens (and nice views).

All in all, a great place to chill out for an afternoon, mingle with the locals on a weekend and wander around.

The park is also where the jazz festival takes place every summer - www.nicejazzfest.com - which is why the alleys are named after the jazz musicians who have performed there (Miles Davis and Dizzy Gillespie among others).]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/5951 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/2091
Buy a beer from the guys strolling along with coolboxes ... they sell more than just beer. Chill out and watch the skinny-dippers taking on the sea.

This became a nightly thing to do for us. And the highlight of the night: the ferry coming into port every 11pm. Watch, smile and say nothing as the big waves clear the front of the beach quick-smart. Classy.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/2091