A day in the airport in Nice

I spent the day in the Nice International Airport. After having to pay a taxi cab to take me to a destination that could have taken me 45 minutes to walk, because the public buses weren't running on the Labor Day holiday (le 1er Mai), I decided I would not be returning to my tiny studio until I had greeted all the students arriving. The arrivals were splattered throughout the day from 9:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. So, I had a lot of time to sit and watch and observe.

Here is one observation. The French use the postal system more than we Americans. I am unaware of any mailboxes in airports (they probably are there). I don't think about finding a mailbox at the airport. On the other hand, in this airport the large iconic yellow box that serves as a receptacle for mail was prominently attached to a wall where quite a few people came to make their personal donation.

Another topic of interest were shoes. My preconception was that many French women wear uncomfortable high heels, especially in public. But, that was actually rare. Most women in high heels had on an outfit that demanded some pain in the feet or wanted to stand out, but those were rare exceptions. For the most part, I saw flat shoes. A lot of white sneakers or sneakers with bling. Then there were the platform shoes, but mainly platform heel sneakers (if that makes any sense).

If you're curious or can't imagine it, check out this example: 

Something that should never have entered fashion vocabulary

There were more boots than I would have thought and a lot of them were ankle height. 

As for the men's footwear, the majority were nondescript or athletic in tendency, but there were a few men who stood out. Those that caught my eye were double monk straps with pointy toes. Here's an example from the web:

Double monk strap leather shoes

One last observation, confirming past notions, the French love. They love their dogs and they love each other. It was heartwarming to see reunions with both pet and family members. I saw a fair amount of « bises » (French cheek kisses) and hugging. 

It wasn't a bad way to spend the hours.

Photo taken on my walk home from the airport along the Promenade.