Philosopher Trail

10/31/2013 - Eze, France

Eze is an easy day-trip from Nice, just 20 minutes along the coast by train. My destination was a hiking trail from the beach to the mountaintop. The trail's claim to fame is that the philosopher Nietzsche used to walk along the trail while he was writing Also Sprach Zarathustra in Eze. I put on my headphones and listened to a recording of Strauss's Also Sprach Zarathustra for the first leg of the climb. Hiking has always been a good idea on this trip. I'd have trouble choosing my favorite path among this, the "Philosopher's Path" in Kyoto, Mt. Fuji, Cappadocia, Cinqueterre, and all the others.

Eze itself is a small, walled medieval town on the mountaintop. There is only one door in and out. I walked through the whole town: mostly just restaurants, art museums, and boutique shops. At the top, there is an "exotic garden" with cacti, agave, and many plants from the Americas. The view is very impressive. I could see well beyond Nice.

Pictured: Hiking through the Chemin de Nietzsche on the way to Eze