…clashed patterns with leopard print and stripes…
…photographed appalling parking…
…congratulated myself on my new Asda jeans
…sported heart shaped sunglasses…
…looked at the most delicate bluebells…
…drunk vodka and tonics in the pub…
…and adorned my feet with more leopard print
Mondays can be pretty good, if you make them so.
Tattoos can, and do, get a bad rep. Potentially even more so on women. To judge a woman as a slut or stupid because she chooses to have ink on her body is ridiculous, but I have seen evidence of such accusations online. Recently a Facebook group called “Your Tattoos Make you a Horrible Mother” was received very badly – and rightly so. How physical appearance affects your ability to care and nurture is beyond me. Anyway, I digress.
One of the ways I love to see tattooed women is dressed up and glamorous. The contrast of the highly polished look with the edginess and often unexpectedness of inked skin is such a beguiling juxtaposition.
Although only temporary, Cara Delavigne embodied the look at the Met Gala this week.
She’s received some criticism because they’re only temporary, but she does have real permanent tattoos as well so I think that’s perfectly fine. While I’m not a fan of hers, I do love that she’s strong willed enough to go down the permanent route, in spite of the fact her appearance is her job. It’s two fingers to convention, and doesn’t seem to have done her any harm. Plus, anyone who is promoting visible tattoos as completely ok is doing a good thing.
Here are some great images of glamorous ladies in all their inked glory.
Tattoos obviously go with the territory when you’re a tattoo artist yourself.
Hannah Aitchison
Kat von D
Megan Massacre
And of course the odd few celebs (using that term loosely when it comes to Jodie Marsh, obvs)
Generated by IJG JPEG Library
And I adore these retro pin up styles
Retro glamour is just cool full stop though – tattoos or not!
It’s important when booking a hotel to have done your research so you know what to expect and aren’t disappointed. I knew, therefore, that many of the rooms in this hotel are overlooking the railway lines.
Was it a problem? Not at all! We used our room purely for getting ready and sleeping. The windows are extremely efficient in keeping out the traffic noise and the trains don’t run through the night anyway. The room itself was ideal for our needs – spacious enough for a two night stay, clean, with an incredibly comfortable bed and pillows. The walls are covered in fabric rather than standard wallpaper, which gives a nice touch, and the dark wooden furniture and black out curtains make the room feel comfortable and higher end than a basic chain hotel. The bathroom is bright and well equipped with a strong shower which always had plenty of warm water. Small things like plug sockets near to the dressing table, a full length mirror and a powerful hairdryer made our stay ideal for a city break.
The staff, without exception, were very helpful. All spoke excellent English. On arrival and departure our bags were stored away securely so we could enjoy our day before and after check in without having to lug them around with us. When I asked for extra teabags they were brought to our room within minutes.
Location, for us, was ideal. Just 20 minutes from the airport in a pre-booked transfer, 5 minutes walk from Nice Ville train station so we could quickly and easily get about (we went to Cannes and Antibes) and literally right at the beginning of a Metro line (although we didn’t use it). There’s a good size cheap supermarket next door and it’s around a 10-15 minute walk down the main shopping street and down to Place Massena and Jardin Albert 1er.
The only slight blight on the stay was the fact that the hotel doesn’t switch the air conditioning on until mid May, so both our bedroom and the hallways were very warm. However, the French windows open on to a Juliet balcony so we were able to get some air circulating.
I’d have no hesitation in staying there again.
Our last day in Nice was all about seeing every last bit of the city – revisiting parts we’d already seen and enjoyed as well as discovering more nooks and crannies. We hadn’t been to Castle Hill, and the steps looked steeper than ever after 2 days of walking, so we went touristy and got the little train from the seafront.
It covered a fair bit of the Old Town that we were already familiar with, before going back out to the port and ascending the hill up to get views across the city roofs and the coast line.
Back at sea level, the gardens run through the middle of the city. The Jardin Albert 1er – the oldest gardens in Nice are a green oasis and very well used by residents and tourists alike. Fountains, mist coming through the floor, a sculpture and beautiful flowers and trees combine to make a perfect escape space.
On the Promenade du Paillon sit the fountains – I was rather taken with this as shown by the number of photos (and this is the cut down version!)
After all that that walking it was time for an ice cream! Pamplemousse (grapefruit) and menthe (mint). The grapefruit was refreshingly sorbet like.
Look at the colours and flavours!
After the hard work of an ice cream, it was time for a cocktail – frozen daiquiri for me and an old fashioned for husband.
Quite a pleasant view!
Some more piccies of the stunning architecture before we left
Place Massena underwent a 13 million euro refurbishment in 2007. The buddhas on the lampposts light up at night. There are 7 of them, each representing one of the continents,
The windows and balconies on the side of tis building are painted on – not real. The attention to detail is fantastic.
Some last minute pics of the coast, taken from the pebbly beach
And so it was Au Revoir to Nice!
While researching Nice and all the nice things to do, I read that it was easy to get out and about for the day by train. Blessed with almost 3 full days and being located about 5 minutes walk from the train station, we set off for Cannes.
Just half an hour along the coast, we arrived there at around 10.45 and found our way to the seafront. It’s evidently an area with money, noticeable by the proliferation of designer shops. 
Luckily, with it being Sunday, everything was closed, or I’d have gone on a shopping spree (ha, ha, RIGHT!!! £1500 for a bag? Never! Although the window display at D&G was very pretty.
Unlike Nice, the beach in Cannes is soft white sand, and there were lots of people sunbathing and children playing. The sea is just as blue as in Nice, and the waves lapped gently at the shore as we meandered along.
I’m very partial to Birds of Paradise flowers – I had them in my wedding bouquet.
The most imposing hotel we saw was the Carlton – a drinks menu showed 11 euros for a Coke!
The town is gearing up for the film festival, and there was evidence of staging being built in preparation for the town coming to life. I’m sure there’ll be more and more yachts arriving this week, but those that were already in the harbour were pretty impressive.
Not being overly enamoured with Cannes (I know it has an old town but we had already walked miles) and wanting to squeeze in Antibes on the way back, we headed back to the station for the 3 short stops to our next destination, where we had promised ourselves lunch. The graffitied trains were something to behold!
Antibes is much prettier, more French and less touristy, but still with the same blue sea and another well stocked port.
A small and pretty cathedral is at the centre.
I couldn’t resist a picture of this well lived in decorated van at the street market
After a lunch of chorizo and ratatouille crepe with copious amounts of rose wine it was time to catch the train back to Nice. Double decker trains – such a novelty!
Nice Ville station is very ornate.
We walked around 10 miles over the course of the day, but everything was so pretty we hadn’t even noticed. My feet certainly felt it once I took my sandals off though.
A 4 o’clock alarm is a wicked wicked thing. Although it is slightly easier to get out of bed when you know you have a flight to catch!
It’s been an age since we flew from Birmingham airport. Considering Birmingham is the UK’s second city (supposedly) we seem to get less choice, higher costs, and general short changed-ness when it comes to air travel.
Unusually, Nice was an exception. A 7.45am Saturday morning departure and an 8pm Monday night return meant making the most of pretty much every moment of the long awaited bank holiday weekend.
The day started (of course) with a holiday breakfast (yes, a 2 night break counts as a holiday)…a sausage, egg and bacon bagel and a glass of rose. Tea drinkers were definitely in the minority, even at 6.30am.
Uneventful check in, boarding, flight, arrival and transfer meant that we arrived in Nice Ville (town) feeling stress free and ready to go by 11am. 5 hours door to door (accounting for the 1 hour time difference) is pretty good going, especially when you consider the contrast between home and away.
Too early to check into our hotel room, we stored our bags in the lobby and set off on foot to explore. Our driver from the airport had told us that Nice was an easy city to get your bearings in and get around, and he was right. It’s large enough to feel cosmopolitan and spread out, but not so much that you fear never finding your hotel again. There’s a good vibe about it.
Nice is the fifth most populous city in France after Paris, Marseilles, Lyon and Toulouse.
Heree come the photographs…
Stunning architecture, fountains and wide open squares
Churches
A bright, clean and spacious promenade
Boutique shops, along with some UK high street flashbacks
Wonder why the region is called the Cote D’Azur? Wonder no more! These are the views from the Promenade de Anglais. The sea is bluer than a camera can capture. It’s definitely one for the most developed lens in the world – the human eye.
As planned we decided to get our bearings by taking an open top bus tour. At 22 euros each and lasting 90 minutes, the tour started on the seafront and meandered along the coast, out to the port and then back up into the hills. Fabulous buildings were everywhere – from neoclassical styles and colours through to the modern art museum and the very quirky blockhead; La Tête Carrée (the first habitable sculpture in the world).
Considering we had such an early start, at an ungodly hour, we more than did justice to the city on our first day. We were left tired, but looking forward to more…
