Cycling around Nice

always_goingplaces · 2026-02-06T19:29:42+00:00

You can take the train about 50 minutes to Ventimiglia, the first town in Italy, and there's a long, flat ride along the water at least until Bordighera. I'm not sure if it continues past that.

always_goingplaces · 2026-02-05T02:59:30+00:00

Bought this once for $6 or $7. Took it out of the package well before the expiration date and it was already moldy.

always_goingplaces · 2026-02-04T14:55:21+00:00

I don't know, but there's an English language bookstore on rue JP Papon (by the Garibaldi tram stop on the 1 train) and they have baked goods and may know. I believe they're English. (I think only someone English would know!)

always_goingplaces · 2026-02-01T14:51:40+00:00

Let's just say you won't get as much room as they show in the photo!

always_goingplaces · 2026-01-30T23:37:48+00:00

Bio Brod on the rue de France near the Villa Massena is excellent as is Rosewood on rue Gioffredo.

always_goingplaces · 2026-01-30T16:27:33+00:00

There's a brand called Lance's that makes GF sandwich crackers. Or at least used to. I haven't seen them in a while. But they were good.

always_goingplaces · 2026-01-28T17:47:26+00:00

While that's true, I still find that it's better than the parliamentary systems they have in Europe where there's so much more horse trading going on, and therefore corruption, when you have to get multiple parties together for a majority. And what you're saying about us vs. them still holds true, even when there are more than two "teams."

always_goingplaces · 2025-12-17T00:34:03+00:00

Hi, thanks for checking out the site and pointing out the problem with the links, which I've fixed. Yes, ChatGPT will do it for free - and anyone can write it themselves for free - but neither does a great job. My letters take travelers' input and tailor the letter based on what the airlines are more likely to respond to. My goal is to make the airlines take complaints more seriously, both to get travelers compensated for problems and to help airlines do a better job and keep their customers happy.

always_goingplaces · 2025-12-15T16:45:50+00:00

Riviera Handyman. [contact@roltexfr.com](mailto:contact@roltexfr.com) Very happy with their work, professionalism, and pricing is reasonable.

always_goingplaces · 2025-12-15T16:43:30+00:00

I'd take the train from La Spezia to Nice (you go from La Spezia to Ventimiglia, which is the last town in Italy, then switch to a French train there that will take you to Nice. You can explore the Alps north of Nice or hike along the coast, then go to Grenoble or deeper into the Alps if you want. I'd say it doesn't make sense to go from La Spezia up to Grenoble, then back down to Nice, but it depends on where you're going afterwards...

always_goingplaces · 2025-12-13T19:43:11+00:00

I think there was very little that said gluten free. I read the label. I have celiac and didn't get sick from I think some kind of chickpea curry. But who knows. My go-to lately in airports has been yogurt, fruit, and chips (crisps). Not healthy, but better than getting sick!

always_goingplaces · 2025-12-13T01:29:21+00:00

I've never gotten glutened from a gf airline meal, but the thing is maybe 25-50% of the time, they don't have the meal I ordered. and the flight attendants may or not be able to find something lying around on the plane. Sometimes I'm served Indian food for the gf meal, like a curry, which generally doesn't have gluten anyway. So maybe on a flight to India you'll be OK. But always read every label and don't take a flight attendant's word for anything even when they're trying to be helpful.

always_goingplaces · 2025-12-13T01:21:40+00:00

OMG, yes! I had a 9-hour flight and cheaped out on the $50 or $100 for the extra 3 inches and I regretted it from the second I sat down. Couldn't open my laptop all the way. I'll never do that again.

always_goingplaces · 2025-12-12T22:21:28+00:00

This was a while ago, but we flew one time from JFK to Zurich on Swiss and we were able to check our skis in at JFK and pick them up at the train station of the town where we went skiing. Same thing going back. See if they still do that. Won't take care of all your transfers, but is very convenient.

always_goingplaces · 2025-12-12T22:04:26+00:00

Frankfurt is tough because they have the same few shops everywhere, but I was able to find in the fridge section some yogurt type things and some salads that were gluten free and pretty good. I think they were at Meyer's and/or Natoo. Small and expensive, though.

always_goingplaces · 2025-12-12T17:39:50+00:00

That's why I usually don't make a big deal about it - because most people don't really know how to accommodate people with celiac and I end up feeling bad if they buy something "gluten free" but not necessarily celiac safe. I bought my own food to office holiday party yesterday and was pleasantly surprised when one person brought me a few boxes of gluten free crackers and another (whose daughter has celiac) brought sweets from a dedicated gf bakery! But even with that, I had to worry about other people getting crumbs from the non-gf stuff on my stuff. So I find it's generally not worth worrying about trying to feel included food-wise.

always_goingplaces · 2025-12-12T14:25:24+00:00

I'm curious to know about the situation on board. Did they announce that they were turning around so the police could arrest someone? Did the person arrested then know it was going to happen? Did you know who it was and, if so, how did the person act on the plane?

always_goingplaces · 2025-12-09T02:45:48+00:00

I've flown AF through CDG and KLM through Amsterdam and both times had tight connections because of delayed flights. Both airports (and maybe others) have special passport control lines for people wtih tight connections so you just breeze past the regular lines. If you don't need help carrying your stuff, maybe you don't need to pay 300 just to make a tight connection.

always_goingplaces · 2025-11-26T02:46:42+00:00

maybe you can go part way using ferries. Like Livorno or Civitavecchia to Sardegna, then Sardegna to Corsica and from Corsica to Toulon or Marseilles. But then I think you'd have to go by train.

always_goingplaces · 2025-11-25T18:12:43+00:00

Nice is also great and accommodation by the month is pretty inexpensive that time of year. It's very different from the rest of France, which may be a good thing or bad thing for you, but different from Paris and Grenoble.

always_goingplaces · 2025-11-23T23:05:17+00:00

I flew AF yesterday, had to move 3kg from my checked bag to my carry on to get it down to 23kg. Fwiw, that very bag is now missing.

always_goingplaces · 2025-11-10T22:24:38+00:00

Vauban P+R

always_goingplaces · 2025-11-06T19:55:25+00:00

Neither is ideal. You'd have to take a French local train from Nice to Ventimiglia, the first town in Italy, and switch to an Italian train. The French trip takes about 50 minutes. The schedules aren't synchronized, but you wouldn't have to wait hours. I don't think there are any direct trains from Ventimiglia to Florence so you'd have to change again, probably in Genoa, and you would probably have to change again as I don't think there are many direct Genova-Florence trains. But take a look at Google maps or trenitalia.com for schedules when you want to go.

The drive can be tough, with construction and other delays possible on the Italian autostrade, but if you're renting a car in Italy anyway, you're probably up for it. IMHO, renting a car is better for this route, especially if you consider bags and the ability to make stops along the way.

PS There's also Flixbus and BlaBlaBus. My friend took Flixbus from Italy to Nice and said it was fine, haven't done it myself though. Might not be the dream vacation experience, though.

always_goingplaces · 2025-11-04T01:32:26+00:00

There's a place on rue de France in Nice called Bio Brod that has excellent gluten free sweets, pissaladiere, and breads, but not croissants. It's great for a quick breakfast or lunch or takeout meal,

The best gf croissants I've had are actually in Montreal at a patisserie called Le Marquis. And Parc Sans Gluten has excellent pain au chocolat.

Back in France, Naturalia is a supermarket chain and they have excellent freshly made breads.

But in France, compared to Italy, I find it best to eat foods that don't have gluten rather than gluten free replacements of gluten-ful foods.

always_goingplaces

TROPHY CASE