Padraig Breathnach

City breaks generally involve a lot of walking, for the most part on
paved surfaces. It's pretty well inevitable that one becomes footsore.
By day 3, sparing the feet had become an important consideration.

We adjusted our programme. The fine art (Chagall) could wait until we
next visited Nice; we were taking the morning off, and the afternoon
programme had to be built around the idea of sitting down.

Fortunately, the gare for the Nice-Digne narrow-guage railway was only
a short hobble from our hotel. We got there, studied the timetable,
and figured that we might go about half the length of the line and
then return. We sought the advice of the young man at the billeterie,
and he suggested that we visit Entrevaux. We bought our tickets and
boarded the train (which was a single railcar).

The train rattled out of the station, through the streets of Nice, and
then started to climb bravely. We passed through a series of tunnels
and after a short while we found ourselves travelling alongside the
Var river, heading into the mountains. A blue river, suggestive of
melted snow, a jumble of rocky mountains, houses and villages in
improbable places, terracing which looked ancient, the occasional
vineyard, all lit by springtime sun under a blue sky -- this was
seriously WOW! stuff, and a striking contrast to the previous day's
trip to Monaco.

We arrived at Entrevaux, and disembarked. More magic: a fully-walled
small town below a hilltop fortress (it was, apparently, once a border
defence for France).

Our battered feet were conscripted into service once more, and we did
the circuit of the town -- cobbled streets, ancient buildings, a
mini-cathedral (very dark, as it's a bad idea to have big windows in a
place which might be attacked), steps and slopes (oh, our aching
feet!), no traffic (impossible terrain for cars). The train schedule
did not allow us enough time to climb up to the fortress some hundreds
of feet above (a great excuse, don't you think?), and I'm sure we
missed out on stunning views.

There was just time to have beer and sandwiches before catching the
train back.

This trip was a highlight -- probably the highlight -- of our visit to
Nice, and I recommend it to all. Advice: get an early train, to allow
more time for stops or to travel the full length of the line (150 km.,
a little over 3 hours); try to get seats on the left of the train from
Nice for the better views; board the train early, as it can fill up
and leave you standing.

Back in Nice, we sought dinner. Our feet were not up to our customary
approach of exploring and making on-the-spot assessments of
restaurants; we settled on the first half-decent looking place we
found. This was the Coté Grill, Avenue Jean Médecin. It is one of a
chain, and inexpensive. But for a formula restaurant, it was very
good. I was brave (or foolhardy) enough to order scallops, even though
it was a fair bet that they would come out of the freezer. They were
good, and fairly tender. The selection of cheeses was limited, but the
quality was high. The dessert buffet was a gourmand's dream. Very good
cheap eating.

And then we limped back to the hotel, and bed.

Denise Bradshaw

I have wanted to try the Nice-Digne railway for years, but haven't quite
figured out the train schedule, as it looks like it is sporadic, at best in
low/shoulder season. Can I ask what day of the week you went?
Thanks, Denise

--------------
Fortunately, the gare for the Nice-Digne narrow-guage railway was only
a short hobble from our hotel. We got there, studied the timetable,
and figured that we might go about half the length of the line and
then return.

Padraig Breathnach

"Denise Bradshaw" <> wrote:

    >I have wanted to try the Nice-Digne railway for years, but haven't quite
    >figured out the train schedule, as it looks like it is sporadic, at best in
    >low/shoulder season. Can I ask what day of the week you went?
    >
Tuesday.

Services are daily all the year -- four trains each way, and an extra
one on Friday and on Sunday. It's not solely a tourist service.

The sporadic bit might be the steam train, which is a summer service
only.

Denise Bradshaw

Thanks - this has now made my "to do" list in May!
Denise

"Padraig Breathnach" <> wrote in message
news:...
    > "Denise Bradshaw" <> wrote:
    > >I have wanted to try the Nice-Digne railway for years, but haven't quite
    > >figured out the train schedule, as it looks like it is sporadic, at best
in
    > >low/shoulder season. Can I ask what day of the week you went?
    > >
    > >
    > Tuesday.
    > Services are daily all the year -- four trains each way, and an extra
    > one on Friday and on Sunday. It's not solely a tourist service.
    > The sporadic bit might be the steam train, which is a summer service
    > only.
    > --
    > PB
    > The return address has been MUNGED

Szozu

"Padraig Breathnach" <> wrote in message
news:...
    > "Denise Bradshaw" <> wrote:
    > >I have wanted to try the Nice-Digne railway for years, but haven't quite
    > >figured out the train schedule, as it looks like it is sporadic, at best
in
    > >low/shoulder season. Can I ask what day of the week you went?
    > >
    > >
    > Tuesday.
    > Services are daily all the year -- four trains each way, and an extra
    > one on Friday and on Sunday. .

When they're not on strike!

Lana

Padraig Breathnach

"szozu" <hoppbunny at hotmail com> wrote:

    >"Padraig Breathnach" <> wrote in message
    >news:...
    >> "Denise Bradshaw" <> wrote:
    >> >I have wanted to try the Nice-Digne railway for years, but haven't quite
    >> >figured out the train schedule, as it looks like it is sporadic, at best
    >in
    >> >low/shoulder season. Can I ask what day of the week you went?
    >> >
    >> >
    >> Tuesday.
    >> Services are daily all the year -- four trains each way, and an extra
    >> one on Friday and on Sunday. .
    >When they're not on strike!
I read it that Denise has been to France before. Your clarification is
probably unnecessary.

Szozu

"Padraig Breathnach" <> wrote in message
news:...
    > "szozu" <hoppbunny at hotmail com> wrote:
    > >
    > >"Padraig Breathnach" <> wrote in message
    > >news:...
    > >> "Denise Bradshaw" <> wrote:
    > >>
    > >> >I have wanted to try the Nice-Digne railway for years, but haven't
quite
    > >> >figured out the train schedule, as it looks like it is sporadic, at
best
    > >in
    > >> >low/shoulder season. Can I ask what day of the week you went?
    > >> >
    > >> >
    > >> Tuesday.
    > >>
    > >> Services are daily all the year -- four trains each way, and an extra
    > >> one on Friday and on Sunday. .
    > >
    > >When they're not on strike!
    > >
    > I read it that Denise has been to France before. Your clarification is
    > probably unnecessary.

Perhaps not--unless you consider that here in the land where strikes are
just a ho-hum affair, the Petit Train des Pignes has outperformed.

Lana

Denise Bradshaw

    > > >
    > > >When they're not on strike!
    > > >
    > > I read it that Denise has been to France before. Your clarification is
    > > probably unnecessary.
    > Perhaps not--unless you consider that here in the land where strikes are
    > just a ho-hum affair, the Petit Train des Pignes has outperformed.
    > Lana
I'm all too familiar with the strikes - we've vacationed in France for the
past 15 years. Last year, we were "stuck" in Monaco for an additional
day...but I can think of worse places in which to be stranded! Somehow, we
always get to our destination...eventually.

Denise

Mike O'sullivan

"Denise Bradshaw" <> wrote in message
news:Avm2c.64482$...
    > I have wanted to try the Nice-Digne railway for years, but haven't quite
    > figured out the train schedule, as it looks like it is sporadic, at best
in
    > low/shoulder season. Can I ask what day of the week you went?
    > Thanks, Denise

Check http://www.beyond.fr/sites/pignes.html for a really excellent website
devoted to all things Provencal, including the "Train of the Pines"

Padraig Breathnach

"szozu" <hoppbunny at hotmail com> wrote:

    >"Padraig Breathnach" <> wrote in message
    >news:...

    >> I read it that Denise has been to France before. Your clarification is
    >> probably unnecessary.
    >Perhaps not--unless you consider that here in the land where strikes are
    >just a ho-hum affair, the Petit Train des Pignes has outperformed.
I happily concede that you probably know more about it than I do. My
assumptions are made on the basis that all transport systems/networks
are more affected by strikes than just about any other strand of
French life.