Inside a Tram

Each tram can hold 220 passengers which isn't for the claustrophobic and it wasn't easy to push my way on and off the tram because of all the passengers who insist on clogging up the doorways. On the plus side, though, the air conditioning was excellent and I figure that on the hottest days you could ride the tram all day with a book and a cool drink for 4 euros.

Place Garibaldi

This is the other large open place that has been totally transformed by the tramway. Up till now it was easy to overlook the beauty of its proportions simply because the traffic was so awful.

What impressed me about these two squares, Massena and Garbaldi, is that though the trams are powered by overhead cables they cross the squares on battery so as not to clutter up the place with the cables. Cool, n'est-ce pas?

Place Massena

Place Massena used to be a nightmare of traffic jams and frayed tempers. To navigate it successfully required 100% concentration but now, with the traffic all but banished it's possible to appreciate the beauty of the buildings and people can stroll or cycle across the expanse of this spectacular space.

You can see the sculptures on top of the poles and to be honest, I have no idea what they are or what they're meant to represent...any ideas?

At Last....The Tramway

It's official; I'm head over heels in love with the tramway. Every city should have one. If you visited Nice pre-tramway come back again..you won't believe the difference that getting rid of all that traffic has made to the city.

The first line opened last November after what seemed like an eternity of accusations of corruption, incompetence and overspending. Shopkeepers were claiming their livelihood was at risk and it was impossible to find a way through the interminable roadworks. Trust me, it was worth every bit of it.

I've a camera full of photos of it: you are going to be sooooo bored with hearing about how great it is!

Place Massena and the Lost Photos

Place Massena was started in 1815 and the buildings are constructed very much in the Italian style as you can see from Galeries Lafayette opposite which has arcades at street level. Great if it rains.
The Place has been much butchered by the new tramway whose tracks are gleaming in the sun but the gardens will be replaced after. I'd like to think that traffic will then be prohibited from this area once the trams are running because it's busy and often polluted.

All my photos from 2006 have disappeared from Picasa so I'm scratching round dredging stuff up so please excuse the poor quality of some of them.
Normal service will be resumed!