All you can eat mussels and frites, need I say more

The coastal city of Nice gave us many welcome treats.  The gelato, the cafe au lait, the croissants, but mostly I will remember the seafood, the salty smell of the sea with fresh oysters on half shell and mussels steamed and basking in their own warm salty broth. Near the city square, fresh flowers, fruits and vegtables abound in the daily open air market and then at night, this same area takes on a new life as open air restaurant hot spot and night life galore.  After resting up for a wee bit in our hotel rooms we headed back out for a night on the town.  The destination....all you can eat mussels and frites in the market zone.  A buzz with pedestrians, music and chatter we sat under a propane heater and ordered away.  The mussels came in steel buckets, your choice of styles.  Some with cream sauce,others in spicy creole and my favourite garlic and basil .  The frites or french fries were heaped in large bowls, dipping them in the mussel broth was a must we were told. It worked very well.  We balanced our messy good meal with a crisp and aromatic Alsatian Gewurztraminer, bright in it's acidity and served well chilled it managed to counter balance the richness of the feast we had begun.  And the mussels kept on coming!  Giuseppe won the battle of how much you can eat, Bert and I a distant 2nd and 3rd.  On the walk home, gelato of course.  The next night, repeat style performance at another open air restaurant near the square.  This time we varied it up with assorted seafood and the result?  Another incredible meal.  Good company, open air atmosphere, cool sea breezes and glorious fresh seafood.  What's not to love.

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