On Saturday, June 21st,  four of us  took  France's TGV (France's high speed rail service ) to Nice  where we would be joining a Provence Photo Workshop Adventure led by Michael Chinnici  and Roman Martin.   It was very  nice to relax all day on the train after our hectic pace in Paris.  The double decker train we took (not fun carrying the luggage up the stairs to the top deck) allowed for wonderful views at very high speeds.  In mid 2011, scheduled TGV trains operated at the highest speeds in conventional train services in the world, regularly reaching 320 km/h (200 mph).  We were very lucky because as early as two days prior to our departure date, protests reduced the number of TVG  trains operating between cities to one in three trains.  The nationwide rail strike caused the worse disruption to the city in several years.  

20140621_France_0001 While we were waiting for our train at Gare du Nord (Paris Nord) we were entertained by piano players.  Paris Nord is one of the six large terminus stations of the SNCF mainline network for Paris, France.  Accommodating  190 million travellers  per year, it is the busiest railway station in Europe and the busiest in the world outside of Japan.  

20140621_France_0002 The pianist's helper.  

20140621_France_0003 The only security at the station were soldiers (police) patrolling the area. 

20140621_France_0005 After arriving in Nice and checking into the hotel we went for a walk along the boardwalk before taking  a bus to the centre of town.  We were looking for a restaurant since the ones we came across on the beach were no longer open.  

20140621_France_0007 Everyone was pretty hungry by the time we got to Nice.  We hadn't eaten since breakfast except for bread from my bread making course.  The group decided to stop at pretty much the first restaurant we saw which turned out to be a Hard Rock Cafe.   I have eaten at quite a few of these before but the food was fabulous- perhaps it was because we sat outside on a beautiful night looking at the Mediterranean Sea.  We decided to split this fabulous desert and it was worth every penny (which would have been a lot of pennies).   

20140621_France_0006 Our cute waiter had a terrific personality.  

20140621_France_0008 After dinner Chris, Gretchen and Sam decided to take the bus back  but I opted for the forty five minute walk to the hotel  which was located across the road from the beach.  On the way back I watched some guys playing chess for a few minutes.

20140621_France_0009 It was a great night for ice-cream and watching the scenery.

20140621_France_0010 People were out fishing along the beach.  

20140621_France_0011 Just like Paris, everyone seemed to be on their cell phones, even when fishing.  

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20140621_France_0015 This shot was taken across the street from the hotel looking towards the airport in the distance.

20140621_France_0014 This photo was taken looking towards the city of Nice.