In Nice: day one

May 6, 2025

There were several ideas about how today might be spent, none of which involved fitting either of our bikes into the elevator or carrying them down six flights of steep stairs and then back up again. Maybe tomorrow, but the memory of yesterday's Type 3 Fun is still too fresh in the mind, back and knees.

In any case, my day begins with a trip to the nearest blood test lab. This will be my third blood draw, and in some ways it's starting to feel routine once I've managed to find a facility. This one, at a Pacalab facility, was the easiest yet. Pacalab is a regional organization that runs labs exclusively in the French Riviera. I've made an appointment for 9:00, and since the lab is about a mile and a half from our place and I plan to get there by using the Nice tram system, I allow plenty of time in case I have trouble figuring out the tram system or it doesn't run timely and I end up walking.

We'll come back to the tram in a minute, but let's stick with the test first. Everything goes smoothly and I arrive at the lab an hour early. When I check in I explain that I have an appointment but am early, but I'm told (in English!) that no appointment is necessary anyway. It takes a few minutes to work through my documentation, and it takes the French translations of the test referrals that I've brought along for her to understand which tests I need, but I'm accepted within five minutes, and barely a minute later I'm called in for a quick jab. It's probably only 8:15 by the time I'm done.

So that's impressive. Also impressive is that I get an email around lunch time with my test results in a password protected PDF attachment, with the user name and password described so I can open it. Excellent!

This contrasts nicely with my experience last week in Sanremo at a different regional testing lab. They sent me away with instructions on how to obtain my test results: download their app, and register myself on it with the user name and password they provided - basically the same system as Pacalab uses. Unfortunately though, theirs has a catch - I can only sign in after receiving a verification code on our phone. But it never comes, because at intake my phone number was misrecorded. I send an email to the lab asking them to correct the situation, but nothing happens. I try again the next day, but nothing happens. After that it's the weekend, so I wait - but on Monday I sent a third email with Please Help in both English and Italian, and wait.

Until today, when I get an email informing me that the error has been corrected. The net result is that I have two sets of results to submit to my rheumatologist today. And how are those results, anyway? They're good! I know what I'm looking for now and it's clear that the readings are good and there's no evidence that the disease is rallying for a second siege, even though I'm dropped down to 20 mg/day. It feels like real progress.

First though, I had to get there. It's a short walk to the nearest tram stop, and I've read up on how to access it - you have to get tickets before you board, but there are ticketing kiosks at all stops. If you're familiar with Portland's streetcar and Max system, it's a lot like the Hop Card, except that it gets dispensed at the kiosk. You purchase whatever number of trips you want, and they're loaded to a card that's dispensed and you pay €2 for. I think in the future you just insert the card and pay to have additional trips loaded.

Walking through Old Nice to the tram line. It's a pleasant time to be here, before the crowds arrive.

I'm a little uncertain about navigating the kiosk, which is only in French, but a friendly woman waiting to board walks me through it. And the train arrives within two minutes, I get on and tap my card to register the trip, and we're off. And five minutes later I get off at Gare de Sud, very impressed with Nice's modern, excellent tram system.

On board. The woman on the left with the short blond hair is the one who helped me at the kiosk.

A shot of The Place Masséna from the tram.

Gare de Sud, a former train station that has been converted into a library and food court. The lab is in one of the offices along the side.

The market is just setting up when I arrive.

When I step out of the lab I see that my tram is just departing, too far away for me to rush to get to, even if I could still run. I know they come fairly often throughout the day though so I'm not concerned. By the time I get to the platform there's a crowd developed, and they all cram in to the next train that arrives after only about five minutes. It doesn't make sense to me to try to crowd in also, so I wait for the next train - which also comes after just five minutes. It really is quite impressive.

I get off at The Place Masséna, the main public square of the city. It's a very attractive, warm spot at a real crossroads of the city at the boundary between old and new Nice. At its center is a huge statue of Apollo at the center of a fountain, with merited-like bronze figures surrounding him representing the innermost five planets. There's a very funny story about the scandal of this sculpture in this article. I won't spoil it for you by pointing out any of the highlights. You should read it yourself, and prepare to be shocked.

On the Place Masséna. The seven pole-sitters represent the seven continents, contemplating the night sky. I think they're illuminated after dark, so maybe we should walk out and have a look some evening.

The figure in the left is Venus and to her right is Earth.

Things have livened up by the time I make it back to Old Nice and work my way through its narrow alleys back to our apartment. Once I'm there Rachael takes off (we only have one key, another annoyance about this place we don't much care for) and walks to the Decathalon to pick up her new Garmin, and after she's back we hang around until lunchtime, with her setting up her new device and me wrapping up the telling of yesterday's very uneven day, a blend of Types 1, 2 and 3 Fun - a Fun Trifecta!

Plenty of room, if you're petite and not bringing your bike along.

We were lucky to get a reservation at Restaurant Acchiardo, highly recommended place only a block from our room. It's quite appealing - a third generation family enterprise with an appealing menu, and energetic, welcoming and attentive staff.

We arrive five minutes before it opens and are the first seated.

It's pretty empty now but will be fully booked soon.

They have an NA beer, which I appreciate. Rachael's trying to decide whether to take a chance on the plat de jour.

She bit and was glad she did: dorade, zucchini, mashed sweet potatoes.

Mine: Duck with fig sauce and a mesclun salad.

So there's a little more that could be said about the day, but maybe nothing too newsworthy to report at this time. Let's stop here and see what tomorrow brings.

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