Ah, well, I can't compare Nice to other major French cities with regard to museums since I really only know Paris and Strasbourg well, with brief visits elsewhere.
There is, indeed, a good variety of small museums here. The Musée des Beaux Arts is lovely and has interesting if limited collections; the building is in desperate need of refurbishment (the current Raoul Dufy exhibition is wonderful). We regularly visit several others; the Chagall Museum we never tire of and sometimes go just to enjoy lunch at the Buvette, nestled into the old olive grove on the grounds. I have an essay in progress about L'Artistique, perhaps the least well known of the Nice museums; we are invariably the only visitors when we attend (though it attracts good crowds for public lectures). The only museum I don't care for is the rather sterile Museum of Modern Art, which at any rate is currently closed for renovations.
The City of Nice will not find a better booster than you sir. All the authorities need to do is point a new comer to your post and watch as the tourist turns into a resident...puff. Truly enjoy reading your posts.
I've been meaning to get back to this, as I definitely enjoyed this well-documented and clear explanation of why you chose NIce. I used to participate in some Facebook groups where people would toss out posts like "I want to retire in France and am thinking about (insert 5 to 10 towns and cities.) Any thoughts?" Then people would come back with their own list of OTHER towns and cities. I eventually found it all futile and don't chime in anymore. You really did the groundwork, and I'm glad you're happy with your choice.
Thanks for your comment, Betty. I made a point of not punching into the social media move-abroad-just-like-we-did jungle. Everything you need to know factually is available from official websites. One might argue that you get some level of qualitative assessment from social media, but one person's experience seldom anticipate's another's. We has some specialised healthcare interests and the research centre in our area of interest is excellent and provide a high level of care. I did resort to social media a couple times for references to tradesmen, but the only references I received were to British expats who seem to serve the expat community exclusively since they only speak English (and are typically much more expensive than their French counterparts).
I love Nice, yet my wife, not so much. What were the other two friendliest towns according to the study? My next foray will be to Toulouse, although somewhat more isolated transportation-wise than Nice. Great post and important note about looking at official studies.
Oh, and to add a point, I've always read that Nice is the second-best city in France for museums, although I'm not sure on what criteria this is based. Is this something you researched? I definitely enjoyed the art museums when I spent a month there long, long ago.
Nice sounds terrific. And civilized. Unlike the current atmosphere in the states right now. But family and social ties will keep us in wintery cold Massachusetts for now. And the town we are living in has its roots in the American Revolution. I am heading over to the cemetery this week. There are 18th century patriots spinning in their graves with horror and rage. Perhaps I can get them out of the ground to fight again.
Ah, well, I can't compare Nice to other major French cities with regard to museums since I really only know Paris and Strasbourg well, with brief visits elsewhere.
There is, indeed, a good variety of small museums here. The Musée des Beaux Arts is lovely and has interesting if limited collections; the building is in desperate need of refurbishment (the current Raoul Dufy exhibition is wonderful). We regularly visit several others; the Chagall Museum we never tire of and sometimes go just to enjoy lunch at the Buvette, nestled into the old olive grove on the grounds. I have an essay in progress about L'Artistique, perhaps the least well known of the Nice museums; we are invariably the only visitors when we attend (though it attracts good crowds for public lectures). The only museum I don't care for is the rather sterile Museum of Modern Art, which at any rate is currently closed for renovations.
The City of Nice will not find a better booster than you sir. All the authorities need to do is point a new comer to your post and watch as the tourist turns into a resident...puff. Truly enjoy reading your posts.
Thank you, Frank!
I've been meaning to get back to this, as I definitely enjoyed this well-documented and clear explanation of why you chose NIce. I used to participate in some Facebook groups where people would toss out posts like "I want to retire in France and am thinking about (insert 5 to 10 towns and cities.) Any thoughts?" Then people would come back with their own list of OTHER towns and cities. I eventually found it all futile and don't chime in anymore. You really did the groundwork, and I'm glad you're happy with your choice.
Thanks for your comment, Betty. I made a point of not punching into the social media move-abroad-just-like-we-did jungle. Everything you need to know factually is available from official websites. One might argue that you get some level of qualitative assessment from social media, but one person's experience seldom anticipate's another's. We has some specialised healthcare interests and the research centre in our area of interest is excellent and provide a high level of care. I did resort to social media a couple times for references to tradesmen, but the only references I received were to British expats who seem to serve the expat community exclusively since they only speak English (and are typically much more expensive than their French counterparts).
Very informative. Thank you! And enjoy!
I love Nice, yet my wife, not so much. What were the other two friendliest towns according to the study? My next foray will be to Toulouse, although somewhat more isolated transportation-wise than Nice. Great post and important note about looking at official studies.
Oh, and to add a point, I've always read that Nice is the second-best city in France for museums, although I'm not sure on what criteria this is based. Is this something you researched? I definitely enjoyed the art museums when I spent a month there long, long ago.
Nice sounds terrific. And civilized. Unlike the current atmosphere in the states right now. But family and social ties will keep us in wintery cold Massachusetts for now. And the town we are living in has its roots in the American Revolution. I am heading over to the cemetery this week. There are 18th century patriots spinning in their graves with horror and rage. Perhaps I can get them out of the ground to fight again.
Keep writing. Very enjoyable.