The Cruise Chronicles : Nice and Eze

Yesterday I went to Nice, France which is the newest area France obtained from Italy about 150 years ago. I went with Melody De Dios, Big Daddy John’s personal assistant. She is from Frisco Bay area and I always have so much fun with her – think Margaret Cho crossed with Mr. Myogi crossed with Farah Fawcett.

After Nice, we went to the oldest city in Italy which was also the most prosperous city in Italy for centuries, Eze. It is a medieval city built atop a very high cliff overlooking the bay of angels in Nice. In true Melody form she chose to go to the perfumery at the bottom of the cliff and left me to go to into Eze.

As I walked through the narrow cobblestone sidewalks, and climbed the numerous stairs and passed by plenty of tiny doors I started to feel something very special. I felt as if I was Willow from the movie Willow.

It is amazing how much humanity changes around a medieval city that hasn’t really change that much.

To know that small humans built the incredible city of Eze in 300bc without modern technology and it has lasted until today: A working city is mind boggling.

In today’s modern cities, the skylines tend to change every few years. Something is added, something is taken away and it is easier to do so as today we can build something in the fraction of time.

When I was young I used to think my cities mall was huge. I thought it was the largest building I ever seen. Now as I have grown, I don’t view it as such grandeur (especially after being here in Europe). I guess in turn, not only do my views on my city change as I grow, but the events in my life seem to become less insignificant as I grow.

When I went to my grad, it was the biggest event at the time, and yet now that my younger cousin are graduating I don’t feel it as such a huge ordeal. Not to take anything away from my cousin Ryan. I think it’s a huge event in his life, probably the biggest to date; however, when he grows to be 31 years of age I am sure he would have experienced more great things in comparison.

As I ducked to enter a tiny door that led to a soap merchant I wondered how humans got to be so tall. After smelling several soap scents I settled on something that smelled like cucumbers. I mean it was either cucumbers or lavender and as i was never a favourite of my grandmother, I had to go with the former.

Coming down for Eze, I met melody at the restaurant at the bottom of the hill to have a great goat cheese salad with some 7 euro glass of champagne. Expensive? Yes. But I was with Melody and Melody with a glass of champagne in her system is always fun to be around. It reminds me of another person who is very fun with a few glasses of champagne in her, one Christina Schroeder from my design days. She and I would often have a drink after work and then attempt to re-enact my birth – it never really worked.

As I left the very old city of Eze, I couldn’t help but to wonder how the people who easily fit though the tiny doors and rooms would feel about the giants of today exploring their unchanged city. Would they feel confused as to why their city was so special? Would they feel as if we were violating them? Would they be welcoming? Who knows? What I can tell you, is that if the giants of tomorrow took tours to my cities mall and walk the abandoned food court with awe, I would be completely confused.