Nice Nice: Travel Tips

"Bright" is perhaps the best adjective to describe the city of Nice, located in Southern France! The vivid blue of the Riviera, the hot white sunshine, the russet roofs of "cuisses des romans"* tiles atop cream colored walls.

When visiting Nice (pronounced "niece") here are a few things to note:

1. The public beach located in Nice is pebbly, not sandy. If you want to lie in the sun, you'll also want a beach mat to lie on. The beach is also topless...

2.  Try an exotic ice cream flavor! You'll probably stumble into an ice cream shop or cart without even trying. Lavender is delicious, but if you're feeling very brave you can have olive or tomato!

3. Tour a perfumery. My mother is sensitive to perfumes and body sprays, but she found that the real, quality perfumes from Fragonard did not give her a headache! A great souvenir is a variety pack of perfumes in miniscule bottles. That way, you have a few to give away and a few for yourself when you return.

*"Cuisses des romans" is French for "Roman thighs." The distinctive convex tiles of the Mediterranean are thus named because they look as if they were formed by laying slabs of clay over a person's thighs.

New Places, New Faces

It was what brought us to Iceland, and it brought us together: we all loved to travel!

One of the unexpected benefits of going to Iceland with SEEDS was that I met people from all over the world. In fact, I was the only American in my house. Between the two teams, and including the SEEDS long term volunteers, there were Russians, Irish, Japanese, Korean, French, German, and Latvian. 

The first day, when I met my house mates, we all listed the different countries we'd visited. The feeling of finding other people who were like you in this respect was incredible! We enjoyed sharing stories about our travels and homelands with each other and were pretty open about asking and answering questions. We taught each other cards games and we cooked each other food.

So, not only did I get to see many incredible sites in Iceland, but I also lived with people from all over the world, making for a very multicultural experience.

For more on traveling in Iceland:
http://seabirdflying.blogspot.com/2013/04/iceland-great-place-to-go.html

Top 5 Things to do in Detroit

Here is my top 5 list of things to see and do in the Detroit Metro Area:

1. The Henry Ford
Formerly The Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village. Visit a massive history museum and a village. Stroll through time amongst re-enacters in period clothing and authentic buildings from American History.
2. The GM Renaissance Center Free. See my review.
3.The Henry Ford Estate
This is the former home of Henry Ford. Tours of the beautiful house were offered until recently, however the picturesque grounds are still open. A quiet secluded oasis, I highly recommend taking a little stroll around the house and grounds. You can even peek into Henry's massive garage! No public restrooms. Free.
4. The Detroit River Walk  Free. See my review.
5. Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History
This is a kid friendly museum that takes you on a journey from Africa to the USA and then from slavery to freedom.

Other Attractions (Not "must sees" for out-of-towners, but sights generally well known by the locals):

Detroit Institute of the Arts An art museum. Cheap tickets.
Detroit Zoo Actually located in Royal Oak.

Jamaica

My brother recently went to Jamaica on a short-term mission's trip. I interviewed him to gain a little insight into traveling in Jamaica.  

Here is an edited transcript of our interview, told from his perspective: 

What you did: I spent a week in Jamaica with a team of other Americans from my church. We stayed at a school for deaf children near Mandeville, located in the mountains. We helped with work projects there and also visited New Hope Children’s Home in the mornings to help take care of the kids. 

Food: It wasn’t too different from American food. We ate lot of chicken and rice. The food was spicy. One day we had a cookout and we rolled out some dough and wrapped it around the end of a stick, and cooked it over an open fire. We pulled it off and put butter and jelly inside the hole left from the stick. It was amazing!

Weather: (First week of March) It was fantastic! Always the perfect temperature, enough clouds so that the sun wasn’t always beating on you. But there wasn’t so much clouds that is was an overcast day, and if there ever were too many clouds, a light misty rain would fall very gently and cool down the place and be gone in ten mintues. There was almost always a really nice breeze. The combination of rain, breeze, sun, and clouds made for really nice weather.

Sightseeing: The mountains are really beautiful, and the sunrise was amazing. We went to WS Falls and you could go swimming in a rock pool and the little fish were unphased by your presence. I enjoyed seeing the trees with unusual shaped trunks and twisty branches. There is also a zipline. 

Clothing: I recommend loose cargo shorts and a t-shirt. You want your clothes loose so that you can benefit from the breeze. The Jamaicans wore cargo pants and T-shirts, it really varied where ever we went. In the city the guys wore pants, shorts, and T-shirts, while the girls wore tight pants or skirts.

Why it is a great place to go: Because it has really really nice weather. The people there are all fun loving, easy going, and relaxed. 

Something that surprised me: The drivers. They drive fast. Most of the roads in Jamaca have one or two lanes and weave back and forth, up and down in the mountains. There were bumps and potholes, cliffs, trees, and fast moving vehicles. And despite all this the Jamaican drivers were unphased. They managed a stick-shift, a horn, and zipped past cars that were stopped in the middle of the road. They'd toot their horns as they went around a corner. They had really good faith in each other. If they saw a truck coming towards them in their lane, they might slow down a little but they had complete faith the truck would move over in time for them to zip by.  They toot their horns to say “hi.”  The thing I learned is that if you can drive in Jamaica, driving in America is a piece of cake.

Tip: Because the electricity in Jamaica is a little unreliable at times, and the water supply is based off of rainfall, you aren’t always guaranteed a shower. If you’re going to be doing work, bring a package of baby wipes to wipe down and stay fresh! 

Just for fun: Jamaica was the highest population of deaf people per capita. Go visit a deaf church. It’s a great experience.

Caribbean Christian Centre for the Deaf: http://www.cccdjamaica.org/

Belle Isle - A Great Place to Explore

Belle Isle is a small island in the Detroit River. The MacArthur Bridge connects it to the mainland. A mere three miles from the heart of downtown Detroit, it's an interesting place to visit. Although I've visited several times, I have yet to discover all it has to offer.

Fallow Deer

Fallow Deer

One of the attractions is the Belle Isle Nature Zoo. This is a nature center housing native Michigan animals (live) and fallow deer in a pen. Some of the deer are pure white while others are dark brown. Visitors have the opportunity to feed them under supervision.  Within 15 minutes, you'll probably have seen everything you want to see inside. A small trail leads from the back door of the nature center, and that's a good place to start exploring. However, there are many other trails on the island.  So....

Explore! There are wildflowers, beautiful views of Canada and Detroit, boats on the river, little lakes...
On the Southern end, one has a great view of the Renaissance Center and the Ambassador Bridge. For those who don't know, it's a big blue suspension bridge over the Detroit River leading to Canada.

View from Belle Isle

Many people gather to barbeque and party in the park/picnic areas. We even saw people having their wedding photos taken.

Yacht Club

Belle Isle also features a yacht club, a museum, and more! Check out the official Detroit website for a list of Belle Isle sights and activities.

Additionally, the aquarium re-opened last fall! I remember visiting this aquarium when I was young and it made a big impression on me, as it did to one of my friends. We were both sad when we heard it was closed.

The Belle Isle Conservancy website has information on the aquarium and upcoming events: http://www.belleisleconservancy.org/

Tips: Do obtain a map of the island.
The main drive is one way around the island, however, if you go to far, there are roads by which you can cut back across the island and loop around again. Plus, the island is rather small, so even if you have to go all the way around again...
There are plenty of parking and picnicking locations.

Belle Isle in the fall

The Detroit River Walk

Last summer a friend and I explored the Detroit River Walk. We parked on Belle Isle, because parking is free there, and crossed the MacArthur Bridge to the mainland.

The River Walk is unfinished project as of yet, so I think that explains why the part of the trail near Belle Isle is a bit...uh...hard to follow. Every now and then we'd see a sign guiding us along.

Before long however, the trail was clearly posted and featured "stylish" sidewalks that ran in and out of the buildings and loading docks along the Detroit River.

On the walk we saw such a variety of sights. There were dilapidated buildings with colorful graphitti murals (nearer Belle Isle). Grand buildings with patios decked out for wedding receptions overlooking the river on that fine summer Saturday.  The trail passes by Chene Park with it's unusual theatre overlooking a lovely pond. Presently we came to a small marina, and the trail led us out to a wee lighthouse. People picnicked and fished under the shady boughs of weeping willows.

The Rivard Plaza

The trail led on to the Rivard Plaza. It's a welcome center/way-station complete with public restrooms and concessions (including ice cream!).   Large white canopies spread their wings over tables and chairs and gave us a respite from the bright sun. The plaza faced the river, and it is here that a river themed carousel in soft purples and turquoise resides. We enjoyed looking at and walking on the large map of Metro Detroit etched into the pavement of the plaza.

From the plaza, it's not much farther to the Detroit Renaissance Center.  The trail leads, still close to the river, through a patch of wild flowers and marsh plants.

At the foot of the Renaissance Center, in front of the Wintergarden Entrance, a fountain cast up small jets of water. Little kids ran threw them in their swimsuits. After taking a visit to the Ren Cen, we took off our shoes and cooled our hot, achy feet, (and tried to get each other wet)! Many other people were doing the same. And although the trail continued South past the towers, it was time for us to turn back with very sore feet.

We'd seen many people biking the path, and I highly recommend that approach if you plan on seeing as much as you can.

The Detroit River Walk is great activity for a day out with friends or family! 

Photo Op?

Tips: If you go in the summer, wear appropriate protection from the sun and bring drinking water for there is very little shade.

Bring a lunch or plan your excursion so you can purchase food at the way-station plaza or the Renaissance Center (and don't limit yourself to just the options at the Wintergarden entrance, there are plenty of options of various price ranges, check at the info desk). There aren't very many places to eat along the trail.

Parking: 1. The Rivard Plaza parking lot, located on Atwater St.
2. There are parking structures on both sides of the Ren Cen: Miller Parking Structure on Bates St. and Beaubien Place Garage on Beaubien St.
3. If you have a lot of time and are a strong walker, you can park for free on Belle Isle. Cross over the MacArthur Bridge and take the fork to the right (South) and pull into the parking lot on the right where you will have a great view of the Ren Cen as it rises from amongst the other tall buildings in the heart of Detroit.

I especially recommend biking the river walk if you park on Belle Isle. It's roughly 3.5 miles from Belle Isle to the Ren Cen, so not real far, but if you're stopping and looking at things and standing on your feet a lot, it can get tiring.  Plus, on the way back, you're seeing all the same things you saw the first time, it's not new scenery.

Just for fun: When you reach the maps, have someone take a picture of you pointing to your hometown or country!

A lovely sight

The Renaissance Center

You could practically live there and never come out...

The Renaissance Center

The Renaissance Center, located in the heart of downtown Detroit on the Detroit River, is a large building that houses the General Motors (GM) headquarters and a plethora of restaurants and shops, including coffee shops, restaurants, a CVS Pharmacy, clothing shops, chocolate shops, a dental service, and flower shops. 30 food and drink places are listed on the website. There are also two hotels and even a movie theater!

Canada, Detroit River, and USA, from 72nd floor

Free guided tours will take you to see many of the different floors, including the 72nd where a high-end restaurant named Coach Insignia is located. You can walk around the perimeter of the tower looking out the large windows where you can see far off into the distance, at least to Pontiac, MI. You can see Grand River, Michigan, and Woodward Avenues converging at the base of the tower and fanning out from it.  Belle Isle, Canada, and Greektown Casino are just a few of the sights to see you look down from this lofty height.

The Wintergarden lobby is an expansive lobby with a glass roof, allowing you to look up at the central tower.  Palm trees, that were once alive, line the lobby.

The GM entrance is home to the tallest glass sculpture in the world, appropriately named "Borealis."

Borealis

Your guide will leave you on the ground floor where you can look at GM models and even climb behind the wheels of many of them! 

I recommend a stop at the Ren Cen for both those who live in Detroit Metro and those who are visiting from far away, for there are so many interesting things to see! It's free, and the tour lasts about an hour.

The central tower is surrounded by circular walkways.

Complimentary tours are offered Mon-Fri at 12:00 and 2:00 pm.  They meet at the Pure Detroit shop in Tower 400, level 1 (this is not the ground floor).  If you enter the building at the Wintergarden entrance, you can ask about the tours at the information desk located straight back from the doors. They will direct you up the escalator to the shop. 

For more about touring the Renaissance Center check out the website: http://gmrencen.com/happening/tourrencen.axis

An interesting design...Here you can see the strata of many several different floors.

Come check out this unusual place for yourself!