Nice, France

[Steve Goldstein]

I'll be in Nice for a few days starting from this Saturday. I've been told about the old town of Eze, and there are some good museums to take in as well. Can anyone suggest anything else of particular beauty or interest? Things to avoid? How about shops selling used camera gear? The weather forecast is typical spring - mild temperatures, cloudy, chance of rain daily, but it's better than below freezing and snow on the ground. We'll probably do a day trip to Monaco as the wife wants to see how the glitterati live.

[Greg Lockrey]

It was a great port visit town when I was in the Navy but that was thirty years ago. Bringing the wife? Too bad. ;)

[Steve Goldstein]

Well, I can't complain too much - the wife is bringing me! She's the one who owns the travel agency, and occasionally gets an opportunity that's too good to pass up, like this trip.

[Michael Gordon]

I found Menton (east of Nice) to be particularly beautiful and photogenic. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menton. The nude beaches of Nice might also be a decent place to shoot :)

[Kuzano]

I was wondering what they did now?

Try your best not to look like a tourist.... AND ABOVE ALL, disavow any knowledge of the United States.

[Nathan Potter]

Hey Greg, that's interesting. I was in navy intelligence (an oxymoron?) years ago and would fly Navy P2Vs' out of Halfar Malta and Port Lyauty sp. Morocco. I did aerial photography and stereo pair analysis looking for errant Russian objects. But one of the crucial tasks, per CNO, (Chief of Naval Operations) was to look out for Douglas Fairbanks Jr. yacht when anchored in Nice harbor. We would do fly-overs looking for naked women. But much of the coastline in the vicinity is truly beautiful country - now I'm guessing considerably changed.

Nate Potter, Austin TX.

[Greg Lockrey]

Hey Greg, that's interesting. I was in navy intelligence (an oxymoron?) years ago and would fly Navy P2Vs' out of Halfar Malta and Port Lyauty sp. Morocco. I did aerial photography and stereo pair analysis looking for errant Russian objects. But one of the crucial tasks, per CNO, (Chief of Naval Operations) was to look out for Douglas Fairbanks Jr. yacht when anchored in Nice harbor. We would do fly-overs looking for naked women. But much of the coastline in the vicinity is truly beautiful country - now I'm guessing considerably changed.

Nate Potter, Austin TX.

When was this.... in the 70's most of the women (and men) on the beach were naked as I recall. How would you be able to tell if they were DF jr's girlfriends based on that criteria? ;) ;)

Sounds like you had an interesting rate. I wanted to get into photo analysis when I was in but they made me into an electrician's mate instead. Couldn't get out of my "critical" rate into one of my choice for reenlistment purposes. :(

[G Benaim]

Nice was relatively uninteresting, as I remember it, but the hill towns above it were spectacular. St Paul de Vance, if I remember the name correctly, was just gorgeous. On the other hand, Nietzsche spent some time there, so you could try and retrace his steps.

[Nathan Potter]

When was this.... in the 70's most of the women (and men) on the beach were naked as I recall. How would you be able to tell if they were DF jr's girlfriends based on that criteria? ;) ;)

Sounds like you had an interesting rate. I wanted to get into photo analysis when I was in but they made me into an electrician's mate instead. Couldn't get out of my "critical" rate into one of my choice for reenlistment purposes. :(

Wow! This would have been about 1959. The objective was to check that DF boat was OK (whatever the hell that meant) and not to study the beach. BTW the island of Malta was a great place for photography at that time but I was not using LF equipment then, although I thought about using the aerial cameras but never got around to it. :)

Nate Potter, Austin TX.

[Steve Goldstein]

Thanks for the tips guys!

It's always fun to see where a thread goes once it's been pushed out into the ether :)

[Emmanuel BIGLER]

How about shops selling used camera gear?
(better late than never !)

Rebours Photo
18 rue de Lépante
F-06000 Nice
phone (+33) (0) 493 807 170

[Per Madsen]

Unfortunately Rebours Photo is closed.

When I was in Nice in january 2008 the shop had a
sign in the window "Tempoarily closed" (in french) and
when I was in Nice in january 2009 the shop was gone.

[mortuus]

I second visiting St. Paul-de-Vence - beautiful medieval hilltown with gorgeous surroundings. A little bit on the touristified side, but plenty of interesting art galleries, and at this time of the year, it shouldn't be too crowded.
Also, if you are up for shooting some gorgeous scenery as well being open to another daytrip (with rented car), I can wholeheartedly recommend the Grand Canyon of Europe - Gorges du Verdon. You won't regret it.

[QT Luong]

The coast is quite developed, but there are two sections of interest, one between Nice and Monaco with spectacular views, and one in the Esterel, East of Cannes. On the other hand, the hills in the interior are still rural and filled up with hill towns. St Paul de Vence is just one of them, there are dozens that are less "touristic".

If you are from the US, forget about shopping for photo gear in France. Prices are simply higher.

[Raymond Bleesz]

Salut--Besides what has been mentioned there is the Maison de la premiere Photograhie--the House of Niepce as Nice was the area of his primary work. There is one other museum/research photo central in Nice but I cann't recall at this time--worth the asking. The Director is Monsieur Pierre Yves Mahe.

I have given thought to doing photo research/sabbatical in Nice if the wish list came true.

If you are driving a rental, be prepared for tolls on the major highways--not complex but be advised.

Other communes of note: Biot, Valbronne, Roquefort (cheese), Grasse (frangrance center of France), Gourdon (Gorges Verdon), the Grand Canyon of France, Tourrettes, Vence & St Paul--a grand tour by car.

If you go towards Monti Carlo (East) for sure Eze & Peillon, however, expect more conjestion. If you go towards Antibes (West), it's less, however, you need to go into the interior either way for "solitude et tranquilitte"--Bonne chance--Raymond in Vail

[Emmanuel BIGLER]

I have confirmation by Thierry Rebours that his street shop is definitely closed.
However he is still in the photographic retail business, by mail-order only.

One of the last photo shops in Nice, according to T. Rebours is :
Arta Photo, 8 rue de France (in the pedestrian zone)

[Steve Goldstein]

Yes, we happened upon Arta-Photo. They had a modest selection of used Nikon, Canon, and Leica equipment amongst the predictable new stuff. They also sold film, not a huge selection, but it was there. I did not inquire about prices as there was nothing there I needed, especially with my wife present. :D

Micro-trip-summary: Beautiful locales, great weather, expensive but wonderful food, not really crowded in early March. Very walkable. Cheap and plentiful public transport.

If anyone is interested in further details, please send an email.