I was gonna try and make a little more of a detailed post about my time in Nice but I haven't had any internet connection and now I feel rushed to punch this bad boy out. This post too feels like it was a million days ago. So let's see, I left Palermo on a 20 hour sleeper train to Genoa with the intent to sleep in a hostel then keep moving on to Nice. When leaving the island of Sicily I thought there would be a bridge spanning the couple of miles to the mainland. NOPE! They put that train on a boat! Apparently ferrying trains is easier than building a bridge. In my cabin there was a very nice Italian couple who wanted to share all their food with me. They didn't speak English but every time they brought a new delicious treat out of their food bag they offered me some. At first I declined the panini, then I gave in and had a mini feast of paninis, Coca-Cola, and some cookies. When I awoke in the morning they gave me some more food before departing. Friendly.
I had the sense to book a bed in advance for Nice. I was in a converted monastery on a hill overlooking the city. Nice doesn't have much in the way of museums but the beaches are amazing. It gets to about the mid 80s during the day and the water is warm. I spent a lot of time swimming. I met an Englishman named Jake at the hostel and we became great friends. Meeting people and travelling with them is like a crash course in that person. When you're on the move, or even just during the day, you spend practically all your time with them. It's like nothing else. You share stories that you usually wouldn't with someone that you just met in a regular non-travelling-attached-to-the-hip setting. You learn about their quirks and what makes them tick. How they act, feel, and think. By the end of your time with them you feel like you've been friends for a decade. Jake was a cool dude. He even picked up on times I'd use an English word instead of an American word. One time he stopped me while talking to thank me for saying "trousers" instead of "pants" knowing that I did it for his benefit. I spent about a week with him. Early on in our time there he randomly bumped into a friend he went to University with back in England who lives in Nice. She and her friend let us crash on their couches for free. They made us breakfast once and took us to all their favorite restaurants. We tried to return the breakfast favor but French girls don't love burnt bacon and runny eggs. It's the thought that counts right haha? One of the girls worked at the Port of Nice and got us into a barbecue that the employees were having in the harbor on the pier. It was pretty great. They fed us, talked to us, and then us and the couple of other guys that were there played some rugby in the port. It was a blast. On the morning of my departure I woke up to a hand written note from Clara. She had left for work but wished me the best of luck on my travels and told me I'd love Barcelona (I do) and to make sure to drink a juice for her in la Boqueria. She even gave me a little Nicoise goody bag. She and Laura were awesome hosts and I hope I can return the hospitality some time. I hope I can return it for everybody I meet.
PS Jake and I dove off these derelict diving boards of crumbling concrete that were some 60 feet in the air. You had to swim out to them, climb up the sketchy rock wall and not fall and crack your skull open, say a prayer, then run into the abyss. I found I had to clear my mind, think of some inspirational song lyrics or think happy thoughts and sprint until I was leaping into the air. It was exhilarating. The only dodgy bit for me was my lack of swimming ability. Jake assured me that if I didn't pop right back up he'd jump in and rescue me. As you are reading this I assume you can deduce I made it. I have a hard time putting into words how awesome it was. Pics of them further below.
I had the sense to book a bed in advance for Nice. I was in a converted monastery on a hill overlooking the city. Nice doesn't have much in the way of museums but the beaches are amazing. It gets to about the mid 80s during the day and the water is warm. I spent a lot of time swimming. I met an Englishman named Jake at the hostel and we became great friends. Meeting people and travelling with them is like a crash course in that person. When you're on the move, or even just during the day, you spend practically all your time with them. It's like nothing else. You share stories that you usually wouldn't with someone that you just met in a regular non-travelling-attached-to-the-hip setting. You learn about their quirks and what makes them tick. How they act, feel, and think. By the end of your time with them you feel like you've been friends for a decade. Jake was a cool dude. He even picked up on times I'd use an English word instead of an American word. One time he stopped me while talking to thank me for saying "trousers" instead of "pants" knowing that I did it for his benefit. I spent about a week with him. Early on in our time there he randomly bumped into a friend he went to University with back in England who lives in Nice. She and her friend let us crash on their couches for free. They made us breakfast once and took us to all their favorite restaurants. We tried to return the breakfast favor but French girls don't love burnt bacon and runny eggs. It's the thought that counts right haha? One of the girls worked at the Port of Nice and got us into a barbecue that the employees were having in the harbor on the pier. It was pretty great. They fed us, talked to us, and then us and the couple of other guys that were there played some rugby in the port. It was a blast. On the morning of my departure I woke up to a hand written note from Clara. She had left for work but wished me the best of luck on my travels and told me I'd love Barcelona (I do) and to make sure to drink a juice for her in la Boqueria. She even gave me a little Nicoise goody bag. She and Laura were awesome hosts and I hope I can return the hospitality some time. I hope I can return it for everybody I meet.
PS Jake and I dove off these derelict diving boards of crumbling concrete that were some 60 feet in the air. You had to swim out to them, climb up the sketchy rock wall and not fall and crack your skull open, say a prayer, then run into the abyss. I found I had to clear my mind, think of some inspirational song lyrics or think happy thoughts and sprint until I was leaping into the air. It was exhilarating. The only dodgy bit for me was my lack of swimming ability. Jake assured me that if I didn't pop right back up he'd jump in and rescue me. As you are reading this I assume you can deduce I made it. I have a hard time putting into words how awesome it was. Pics of them further below.
I thought this pole looked a big cigarette
At the port
Derelict diving.
All the brooms here in Europe are like this.
The Nice Jazz festival was going on while I was there so all over the artists performing for it would have little shows in parks.
Heh
Russian orthodox church in Nice
Jake
Rollerblading and playing frisbee with Jake in the square
Modern art?
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