Mont Boron is 2 km east of Nice and at 191 metres (573 feet) above sea level the 140-acre park offers incredible views of Nice, Villefranche-sur-Mer and the Cap Ferrat peninsula. It's possible to walk from the port, but as it's all uphill we opted to take the bus and walk back into town.
The bus, however, does not go all the way to the top so we still had a bit of a climb once we got off at our stop. The pathway (shown above) is on the west side and offered us spectacular views of Nice - a sight I never tire of!
Mount Baron has the remains of a battery built in 1886-1887.
The park also has a number of benches strategically placed to provide lovely vistas of the surrounding area and when we took advantage of one or two we wished we'd brought along a picnic lunch (as a number of other visitors had).
Looking east to the peninsula of Cap Ferrat.
Close by, but further north and another 30 metres above sea level is Fort du Mont Alban. Built between 1557 and 1560 to defend Nice, it was declared a historical monument in 1909.
The interior of the fort is not open to the public, but just walking around the exterior walls was a treat.
On the walk back down into town we passed a number of residences and buildings converted into apartment complexes that are so typical of the French Riviera - grand, opulent and yet subdued all at the same time.
The vivid blue of this detailing caught our attention and we just could not get enough! So typically azul (Mediterranean blue)!
We visited Mont Boron and Fort Alban on two separate days to savour each on their own. One day we decided to take the road back into town and enjoyed the narrow alleyways and scenic views. The second day we opted to take the stairs that meandered down (down, down!) the hills and crossed over streets and roads. It was far from the tourist route and when we encountered one or two of the locals climbing the steep staircase while carrying a baguette we knew we'd glimpsed a part of Nice few tourists ever encounter. Great days. Wonderful memories.
When we returned home we spent some quality time with the boys. Jake was content to munch on his beloved crackers while John and Petra watched Youtube. This luxury is just one of many reasons we love housesitting!
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