The French Post: Nice-ly Done.

My family arrived in Nice on the second night, a little later than expected and tired from their journey. But hey, we're in France, so let's get to it.

I showed them around town - a total expert from my one day alone - and briefed them on the next day's agenda. I had plans for them - the flower market again, the chateau again, and per my sister's request a quick dip in the Med. We also wanted to rent and ride bikes around town, if we could figure it out!

So off we went, there was a really awesome splash pad in the middle of town. And just as we walked up the fountains turned off for the night. It was warm, and humid, and you knew you were on the French Riviera standing right there. It was everything you'd want in an evening in the South of France.

We walked down the streets, full of people eating their late, french dinners.

And along the promenade, where waves were crashing along the rocky shore. It was hard to believe how they were so rough, and earlier in the day I saw tons of swimmers out there swimming along the shoreline.

And of course, the Casino! Mom was thrilled to take a peek inside!

In the morning, we were up and at 'em again. And I dragged everyone out of the hotel, straight to the flower market. There was no shortage of beautiful things present a second day in a row.

I was obsessed with those colorful flowers! Does anyone know what they are? I wished I could have taken them home!

We sat and had croissants and cafe creme at the same place I had enjoyed the day before, while kids rode bikes and bulldogs - of both the french and english variety - chased each other.  It was right out of a movie.

Then I took the family up the chateau - in the elevator that I discovered on my way down the day before - for the expansive and incredible views. Mmmm....Nice. I love you.

And by this point, my sister was itching to get in that water. I mean, look at it.  So we walked back through the market, and stopped in the prettiest pastry shop, where they had macarons displayed in the window. Everything inside glittered and sparkled of crystal and gold. We got some treats to take back to the room.

And so began our great macaron quest through France.

Back at the hotel, we changed and headed out to the waterfront. 

It is BEAUTIFUL, but it is ROCKY and ROUGH. The waves crash hard, and there's a big steep dip from the rocky beach onto the pebbly shore.  

It wasn't my favorite. So for the most part I sat my booty on the sharp pointy rocks and started collecting sea glass! There was so much all around, it was awesome.  And even more awesome, I found the most beautiful heart shaped piece of sea pottery. Which is a thing. I had no clue! One of my favorite treasures I brought home!

After our brief dip in the Med, we embarked on the cray journey of using the Velo Bleu City Bikes that are all around Nice. Let me just tell you, they don't make it easy for people who speak English, despite the English option on the kiosks. They also make the kiosks a little more complicated than they need to be. But thankfully, the people in Nice are actually nice, and after stopping two different locals we acquired three bikes!

We rode around a bit, but not too far. And after circling back, we met up with the Rapha Travel Team, which was kind of fun to catch. They had just finished a big ride all around Western Europe, and were celebrating right there in Nice. 

After our long day of cramming as much in as possible, we headed back to the hotel, freshened up a bit, and took our reading material to the hotel wine bar, for a glass of rose while we waited for mom to return.

It was lovely. We then headed back into the heart of town where the restaurants were bustling, and we could NOT get a table. Oh, because the World Cup was on. Every restaurant had a TV, and every single seat was full. Standing room only. It was actually really exciting to be standing around with hundreds of people who really did care how the game turned out. I couldn't tell you who played, but it was fun to be caught up in the excitement.

After the game ended, the tables cleared out, and we were able to get a spot to eat. They would fill up again 2 hours later for the next game. This happened every night. One game at 8, one game at 10.

We explored Nice at night once more, poking in all the shops, under the somewhat coolness of night.

In the morning, the Ironman competition was taking place along the promenade! The whole town had been buzzing and excited about the event. So many participants and their support teams were exploring alongside us the past couple days. We woke up early to head out and cheer them on.
It was really awesome to see these men and women, of all ages, some fairly old, just completing an intense swim in the Mediterranean only to do an entire gear change and hop on a bike to ride nearly 100 miles, followed by a marathon.

I was really proud of all these people. We didn't get out there first thing, so a lot of the men and women we saw weren't the fastest swimmers, but they had so much heart. We hung around until almost the very last swimmers were in, and the entire transition area had cleared out.

We then did our part, and had breakfast. None other than croissants and cafe creme.

And grabbed some quintessential french items, cheese, charcuterie, and a baguette, before taking the train out of town on the next leg of our adventures in Provence. 

The French Post: Part 1 (Nice is Nice!)

I can blog more than on the 10th of the month. I really can.
I'm here to prove it.

Back in late June I went to France. FRANCE!

It was all kinds of amazing.

Usually, when I travel, I'm all about going to countries I've never been to before, or may never get the opportunity to go to again (Hello, Estonia. Hello, Croatia. Hello, South Africa). But France, is you know, France. Everybody's been to France.

Okay, I realize not everybody, but it is just a hop skip and a jump from the East Coast. I've seen a million Eiffel Tower pics, haven't you? But I'm here to say, France far exceeded my expectations. Sixteen days across the pond was truly a dream. And I'm so incredibly grateful for the ability to do these crazy international adventures!

This year, we planned our vacation around my sister's vacation schedule, she's a tooth janitor dental hygienist, so we went when her office was closed.

The best part, it coincided with the the Tour de France. For our family who is all about all things cycling, this was a dream come true.  So, our itinerary was planned.

Nice. Aix en Provence. Paris. Le Touquet. London.

Oh ya, we went to London too.
Which was also, amazing. London, I love you.

So let's get to it.

I flew into Nice a day early, since I was flying on airline miles, and there were no award flights the day the rest of my family was traveling. What a shame, right?

 I flew into the Cote d'Azure, which is quite possibly my favorite Cote on the planet. See that little boat down there, three down from the wing, closest to the harbor opening? I'm pretty sure I've seen it twice before.

One sweaty hour later (hello Mediterranean humidity!) I was checked into my hotel. And THIS was the view from my room.

I thought I was going to die of happiness right then and there.  Also, air conditioning. Hallelujah.
Jetlagged and ecstatic, I laid on the fluffy white bed for about an hour, before heading out on foot to explore Nice.

Let me just tell you, Nice is nice.
I explored the waterfront a bit. Finding a row of bolted in chairs, right along the shore, with wifi. I sent pictures to my family back home, to hurry up and get here. It was kinda cruel.

After a good amount of sea spray  showering my face, I headed back into the town, finding a nice outdoor table to sit at, with food I could recognize, praise the Lord for picture menus. And caprese salads. And rose.

I sat down to this masterpiece. And about 10 minutes later looked up to see an entire restaurant staring at me. I wasn't certain if I was just the strange American, or what was happening, until I turned around and saw my head was blocking the World Cup. USA vs. Germany, appropriately enough.
So I moved back a chair, and sat on the opposite side, to cheer on my people. Except not. No one was cheering on the US. I munched on a  bit of my baguette, paid my bill and headed back to the hotel.  I don't even like soccer anyway.

Oh, but Kim, you're in Europe. During the World Cup. You're gonna LOVE soccer whether you like it or not. So say the fans of Algeria at 3am celebrating in the streets below your hotel while you're jet lagged. 

The next morning, after an eventful night of sleep, or lack thereof, I woke up and headed out to explore Nice on my own, until my family flew in that night. A whole day to explore in a foreign country all by myself. Tres Chic!

I asked the hotel front desk where to go, and what to do (all those travel books, and I forgot to research, whoops!), and they mentioned something about a flower market, and a chateau, and pointed east. Okay, off I go!

So me, my big camera, and a handful of Euros, headed out to find this flower market. If there's anything I love, it's an open air market.

I will take all the pictures of all the fruit. All the flowers. All the sweets. Nothing will stop me.

Okay, one thing will stop me. Cafe Creme & Chocolate Croissants. 

I had to pull myself away from the market. It was time to find the Chateau. 

So, I set off again. Walking around the town. 

Exploring nooks, and crannies, wandering down cobbled streets too narrow for cars.

Looking up at shuttered windows, seeing and soaking life in Nice.

Little by little, circling around what ended up being the Chateau, and ascending up the back side. A quiet damp, shady path, passing the occasional local walking her dog. 

Looking back on the town below. And finally, at the top, discovering the expansive views of Nice below.

Looking East into the harbor. 

Looking West, along the coastline towards the airport.

Soaking in the south of France in all of its cerulean glory.

Rumor had it, the Chateau had a waterfall, and I had to find it.

I sat peacefully in the shade of the trees, listening to the roaring water of the manmade fall. 

And decided to test several of the settings on my camera too - they are one of my other favorite subjects to photograph.

After exploring this magical place, the jet lag was catching up with me. I found a shady table back at the flower market, and sat and had lunch. For a couple hours, French style and all. Before walking back to the hotel, catching a quick snooze, and waiting for my family to arrive in a few short hours!