Today, it is a bustling place, where again due to the pleasant climate, tourists gather to frequent the pebble beaches for some swimming and a lot of sunbathing, to view the many architectural wonders found in churches and other public buildings and the visit its great restaurants and museums.
After a bus tour overview of the city, we were led on a walking tour of the older parts of the city, with a huge outdoor market featuring flowers, fruits and vegetables and fresh fish, and winding streets dotted with restaurants of every kind. With some new-found friends we enjoyed a lunch of savory crepes, before heading out with them on our own to find the Marc Chagall Museum. Chagall, the Russian painter, emigrated to Nice to avoid persecution from the Germans and the Russians. in Nice he created some of his greatest masterpieces - a series of large paintings with his vision of Old Testament stories. The paintings were donated to France who decided to erect the Nice museam for their display. The photo is his depiction of Creation. Adam rises from the primordial waters.
The walk was a long one but worth every step. The display at the museum and especially the audio guide that accompanied the paintings were great. Chagall included many religious insights in the execution of the series which made the whole presentation come alive.
Tomorrow we take another field trip -- this time of some of the towns and villages that are close by to Nice. And the weather continues to be great. For sure there will be more to come.
