Nice in 2004
Only minutes from Monaco is Nice, the 5th largest city in France, founded probably around 350 BC by the Greeks of Massilia (Marseille), and received the name of "Nikaia" in honor of a victory over the neighboring Ligurians (Nike being the Greek goddess of Victory). It boasts of a celebrated promenade along the Mediterranean Sea (the Promenade des Anglais), beautiful parks and gardens like Place Massena and Place Garibaldi, museums (Chagall, Matisse), luxury hotels (Negresco, Le Meridien), and churches (St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Cathedral, the oldest Russian church in Western Europe, and Basilique Notre-Dame). The only way to get to know the real Nice is by strolling through the ochre colored streets, listening to the "Niçois" speaking their own language (Nissart), and by tasting their local cuisine, like Salade Niçoise or the famous Ratatouille.