Long day of travelling today. Nice to Ventimiglia, Ventimiglia to Milan, Milan to Florence. Short distance in theory but will take us until 4:30 to even arrive in Florence. Leaving Nice now.

Quick trip down to the sea this evening for a swim. The sea is impossibly blue. The waves were quite big and the pebbles made it hard to stand up, so we didn't stay too long. We went back through the old town and got ice creams, then back to the guesthouse for dinner. The cat 'helped' - he was stood on the side trying to test the food.

Nice by day is much nicer. We walked up a hill by the old town to Parc de la Colline du Château, the site of an old ruined castle, which overlooks Nice town on one side and the harbour on the other. In the middle is a stunning view of the sea. Got some great photos there, and a good one of both of us standing by the waterfall there. After this we walked down the other side of the hill to Place Garibaldi, a big town square with trees and cafés, and had a drink...

First impressions of Nice - by day not too hot, very touristy but quite pleasant. By night - like any other Mediterranean town in the summer - full of young people and restaurants. This afternoon we went for a walk around the town. Tried the beach first but found it to be a pebble beach. We're going back for a swim tomorrow. Went round the old town, which is a network of narrow streets full of boutiques, ice cream shops and churches. Went to the Monop' (like a ...

Arrived in Nice after a 5 and a half hour train journey straight down the middle of France. B&B was fairly easy to find; admittedly, it doesn't look like paradise on the outside - far from it. It's right next to the train line and the main highway to Monaco. Once inside though, we were greeted by a very friendly owner and her cat, who immediately set about sniffing our bags and being a very friendly cat. The B&B is fantastic - very clean, spacious, well e...