Marseille-Nice Day 2
I awoke after an interrupted nights sleep.It was a very typical european city centre soundscape of music and bonhomie continuing until a few minutes before the industrial strength street cleaning begins. As it was a Sunday this noise soon gives way to the relentless bell ringing. I’ll soon get used to it.
I had a mooch round the immediate area, located a petit déjeuner, and returned to the apartment to prepare for a 24 hours in Nice. I packed a small bag with essentials and set off for la gare. The weather was perfect and showed Marseille in a very good light.
I got the train to Nice. The journey is very good in fine weather with the sea on one side and the hills on the other as the train rolls from Marseille to Toulon, inland to Draguignan, then through Cannes, Antibes, and into Nice.
Nice is pretty but it feels like the glory is fading if not faded. It’s not exactly down at heel, but it feels much less vibrant than Marseille. This atmosphere is I’m sure partly because it is Sunday afternoon (and nearly everything is fermé) and partly because it is a long way from peak season. The weather is nice though and I have a bit of a potter, and a lunch from Intermarché, the only open establishment between the train station and where I am staying. I’ve barely sat still for an hour since Friday afternoon so I elect to siesta rather than explore Nice.
In the evening I get ready to go the football match. It is OGC Nice vs Olympique de Marseille. Fierce local rivals, with Nice solidly the underdogs in this arrangement. I take a walk up aptly named Promenade des Anglais by the sea and to the nearest tram stop. The Nice stadium is a good bit out of town but there are frequent trams on game days. The tram ride is busy but quiet, it’s not like taking public transport to a game in England. No drinking or songs. We disembark at the Stade and I try to figure out in broken French how to get to my seat. This process is interrupted as I inadvertently join a group of enthusiastic fans chucking fireworks and flares at a line of riot police. This part of the evening was worth the price of admission alone.
Once the group had negotiated passage of the cops (who it has to be said were extremely placid and unmoved by the display) we were quickly frisked and then on into the stadium where I soon found my seat.
The game and atmosphere was great. The crowd was really hostile** to Marseille and Nice scored early in each half and went on to win 2-0. I had a terrific evening all in all. The tram back into town was uneventful.
** It should be noted I read this in L’Equipe the next day:
