Nice was gorgeous and the perfect escape from Dijon after a long week of classes! I have never been to the French Riviera before and was absolutely shocked with how stunning it was! The water was so clear and the weather was perfect. I was also pleasantly surprised with my first hostel experience, which I had pictured as a bug-infested hole-in-the-wall with creepy eastern europeans who could possibly steal us. Thankfully it was close to the beach, clean, had nice bathrooms, a good happy hour and english-speaking employees. The weirdest part about the hostel was our 40 year old male roommate from Switzerland. We couldn't quite figure out why a middle-aged man would stay in a "youth hostel" by himself... but after that weekend of coming back to the room in the middle of the night and being noisy, maybe he will upgrade to hotels.
After a night at "Waynes", which was a great bar with a British band playing American music, we spent Saturday morning basking in the sun at the beach. Nice has a pebble beach, which was new to me and I didnt mind not being covered in sand... except for when I had a rock wedged in my back. I also froze by butt off in the ocean, which must have been negative degrees, but couldn’t resist swimming around while I was finally at a beach! There were also tons of topless women, which was funny when we couldn't figure out if someone was a man or woman. Yet that is one thing about the French culture I will never understand... they have nude beaches, show boobs on posters in town, wear short skirts, but if you wear shorts or take your shoes off in public you're a night-walker. Which of course we all did when we wore heels out at night, not realizing that cultural difference.
alex, me and steph in the ocean!
The French Riviera is obviously known for its upscale atmosphere, so Cartier and Hermes were just a few of the shops we drooled over while wandering around. Everything there looked so glamorous, from the designs of the buildings to the statues and waterfalls, even the tram system..... which is almost silent with un-noticeable tracks. I think I must have almost been squashed by it about 10 times… I’m actually surprised that someone on the trip wasn’t!
One of the things I have loved most about the French culture is the ability to sit down for dinner and order wine without the hassle of being “carded”. But with this freedom comes one constraint… money. It is unbelievable how expensive food and drinks are in Europe due to the shitty exchange rate situation and when you ask to split a meal with your friend they don’t understand and mess something up. Even when I try my best to be stingy, I somehow end up spending more than I wanted! Claire and I just keep praying we will win the lottery, and you know what they say… when there is a will, there is a way. So hopefully this year next time, when I have graduated from VT (sad) I will be cruising around the French Riviera in my yacht.
On our last morning we decided to walk to a viewpoint, which was the best decision we made all weekend. On the way there we passed by markets, a gorgeous church and lots of little restaurants, I felt like I was in a movie. On our way up we were able to see more and more of the city and when we got to the viewpoint it was breath-taking. I could see the whole city and the ocean, it was indescribable. There was also a local at the viewpoint playing the accordion which really pulled the entire experience together.
Restaurant named after my mum :)
Needless to say Nice treated me well and was a great first get-away from Dijon. I wish I had one more day in the French Riviera so I could see Monaco and Cannes. I would have loved to go to Monte Carlo to win big and feel like 007, especially since I grew up loving James Bond, a.k.a my dad. Crashing the Cannes Film Festival was also on my to-do list but unfortunately I didn't quite reach that goal and left without a famous hubby. Hopefully one day I will make it big and have a vacation home in the French Riviera, until then my stay in the hostel will have to suffice.
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