Feeling the pulse of Nice as the stage gets set for France’s largest Carnival (1/8)

By Stephanie Sommer

Before I moved to Nice to study French and look for work, I had been warned by friends in nearby Provence that this was a city of little old ladies and small dogs and that I should always look down at the pavement while walking in order to avoid the ubiquitous “ca ca.” Apparently the locals easily distinguish the tourists from the true Niçois since the former look up while the latter look down.

Those little old ladies are usually widows. It’s not unusual to see their wrinkly but svelte bodies lying around the beaches below the Promenade des Anglais in groups of two or three. Some of the wealthy ones are said to be war widows who were given apartments after WWII to compensate for losing their husbands. I may be cynical, but I wonder if now, in old age, they’d be willing to exchange their well-appointed flats for their lost spouses.

I arrived in Nice just after the New Year. This wasn’t my first time in the city of widows, but I had only ever spent the odd weekend here. I chose the Cote d’Azur for the mild winter weather and Nice in particular for its language schools. As a bonus, I’ve arrived just in time to witness the Carnival, one of the most famous winter events in Europe. I’ll be writing about it on this space over the next two weeks.

It begins Friday evening, Feb. 13, but already there is a buzz in the air. Nice is one of the larger cities on the Cote d’Azur so there’s activity in the streets all year, but I’ve noticed the last few days that tourists were trickling in. I recognize them because they’re all looking up. And despite the cold weather, the widows have been out in force, bronzing themselves in preparation for the upcoming festivities.

The fabulous Promenade des Anglais – think the Champs Elysées of Paris, only along the sea – is never really empty unless it’s raining, but now it’s gotten increasingly busy. Bleachers have been in place for a few weeks already, and on Monday a massive TV screen was installed in historic Place Massena on which the various parades will be shown.

The Tourist Office was the first to decorate, putting a giant colorful lizard head up on the roof, and I’ve been told that there’s much more to come in the form of giant murals and other visual shows.

Nice’s Carnival, France’s largest, has been around for 125 years. Among the major events are the Flower Parades, which will take place the next two Saturdays and Wednesdays. Carnival runs for two weeks, with some sort of festivity every day. This year’s theme is “King of Masquerades” and will be staged in a parade with 20 monumental floats, accompanied by over 200 big ‘heads’ much like the above-mentioned lizard.

The school where I’m studying French is hosting a socca party at a local restaurant on Friday afternoon to commemorate the first day. Socca is a Nice specialty, a crepe made of chickpeas, delicious with a glass of rosé. Then at 9pm the King “arrives” and the festivities begin. I can’t wait. Stay tuned to this blog for more. The party’s just getting started!