French Riviera Travel News

Archive for the ‘Nice’ Category

Perhaps thinking of the last storm on May 4 that left that littoral in tatters, authorities are taking no chances this time. As of yesterday afternoon Nice beaches were closed all up and down the Promenade des Anglais. A stroll by the sea this afternoon left no doubt why. The sound of the  wind was deafening as it ripped across the sea.  Waves reared  back and crashed against the rocks sending up geysers of foam. Although the wind speed is officially clocked at 54km/hour with gusts up to 95km/hour, it felt much windier and seems to be getting stronger. The plagistes that took such a hit last month have already stowed their tables, chairs and parasols but so far the water hasn’t reached the walls of the Prom’. Let’s hope they’re spared this time. If not, it’s the customers who will pay. Menu and bar prices have jumped up this season on Nice beach restaurants, probably to reimburse the owners for their storm-related expenses.

Do you want to keep track of conditions along the Prom’? See this link for a live webcam of the Promenade des Anglais.

Trying to get back to normal

The cleanup continues on Nice beaches as plagistes try to salvage their livelihoods after the devastating storm a few days ago. A tour of the Promenade des Anglais this morning revealed furious efforts to remove the debris, sand and stones that blight Nice’s most beloved beach restaurants. The upcoming holiday weekend that typically marks the start of the beach season adds urgency to the situation. Plagistes already suffered from poor weather that delayed the start of their season before the storm swept through.

Florida beach under 20cm of sand

Now, it seems as though only five beach restaurants will be fit to open this weekend: Miami, Blue Beach, le Sporting, le Ruhl and le Galion. For whatever reason, these restaurants seemed to have suffered less damage than the others. Castel, Opera, Hi Beach, le Voilier, Bambou, Neptune and others are still digging out. A newly-announced government grant of €200,000 earmarked for the plagistes should help kickstart the season for them. Let’s hope so.

Castel beach; the work continues

Meanwhile, the Prom’ was an obstacle course of trucks, pumps, municipal vehicules and tools this morning. Adding to the chaos was a huge section of pavement torn-up for drainage repairs, not to mention the scaffolding obscuring the facade of the Negresco that’s undergoing renovation. Neither has to do with the storm but the overall effect is to remind Nicois that the easy days of summer are far away.

Read more about Nice beaches and the storm of 2010.

Azuriens awoke to a steady drumbeat of radio, tv and newspaper reports this morning assessing the damage wreaked by yesterday’s furious storm. It isn’t pretty. The 10-meter waves that pummelled the coast from Menton to Theole-sur-Mer swept away rows of beach restaurants as though they were children’s sand castles. The plagistes in charge of maintaining the establishments were devastated. Most were just in the process of readying the lounge chairs, parasols, tables, beverage services and kitchens in preparation for the summer season only to find nothing but sand and rocks where their livelihood had been.

The damage on Nice beaches was terrible but the situation in Cannes is desperate. The Cannes Film Festival opens in only a week and festival-goers depend on the luxuriously-appointed Cannes beaches for everything from afternoon cocktails to exclusive midnight parties. OK, maybe’s it’s not as desperate as fishermen in the Gulf of Mexico, but still. Our beautiful Cote d’Azur has little going on economically except tourism. Tarnish our sun ‘n sea reputation and what do we have? Shopping? Yes. Fine dining? That too. Culture? Sometimes. But our main selling point is the beaches. If they go, you might as well stay in Moscow.

Nice Airport is far away from the volcanic ash from Iceland–at least for now. I visited a few hours ago and found it crowded, of course, with travellers waiting for news of their flights. Flights to the south–Madrid, Dubai etc.–were taking off but the many flights a day between Nice and northern airports like London, Dublin, Brussels were all cancelled. The regular roar of planes taking off became no more than  occasional background noise to the sound of anxious travellers milling around. Let’s face it: there are far worse places to be stranded than on the Cote d’Azur on a beautiful spring day!