Nice is so Nice!!!

Day 18. Why is it so early?? I feel like I just closed my eyes and the alarm is already going off to catch my train. It’s still dark outside and I am shivering from the lack of blood circulation and the loss of warmth from leaving my sleeping bag. But I have a train to catch and more adventures to be had, so I donned my gear and said my goodbyes as was off to catch the train to Lyon. I arrived in Lyon tired as can be and set out to find my hostel, I got turned around more than once and walked for over 2 hours (with all my stuff – destroying my back because of the little sleep I had the previous night) before I finally got my bearings. I stopped for a rest and purchased a delicious goat cheese and tomato Panini. However, at this point I had already seen a lot of Lyon and wasn’t terribly impressed and was so fed up and frustrated that I decided to walk back to the train station and just move on to Nice. I went to the counter to get a ticket and there was nothing available on the fast TGV lines, only the slower trains that would get me there around 11pm. Not good enough. So I got back in line and this time tried to ask it a different way, viola! Suddenly there is a ticket on the TGV that gets me there about 6:30pm, perfect. A day full of trains, oh my! Every time I was about to fall asleep the ticket checker came by and woke me up, I swear it was a game for him. How many times do you have to check my ticket!? But I made it to Nice! The train ride was beautiful, I went from rolling green hills filled with trees, to vineyards and fields of yellow flowers, and then to rocky seasides, hillsides covered in orange rooftops, and stunning blue sea. And to top it all off, the Eurail company gave me a first class Eurail pass, win. So I was tired as can be, but it was nice to be able to relax and start a new book. Upon arriving in Nice I booked my ticket to Barcelona, Spain (I am learning it’s better to book it well in advance). And I had no trouble at all location my hostel, it’s literally about 45 steps from the train station (Yes I planned it that way after my frustrations in Lyon, don’t judge me). Travelling always makes me exhausted, so I am going to call it an early night so I can be well rested for some adventures tomorrow!

Day 19. Today I made new friends, Christine and Holly. Christine is from California and Holly is from England. We explored Nice together and had such a fantastic day!! We set out and stopped for a quick bite to eat to go and almost got run over by a tram (it honked four times and I didn’t even hear it, I was so enthralled by Nice I would have probably been hit but Holly pushed me aside). We made our way to the Promenade and it was so incredible!! The water was so blue, SO BLUE, and you could see so far in all directions. It was a sunny day, but very windy along the beach. I ate my pan bagnat and stared off into the sea full of wonder, wishing there wasn’t any wind so I could run into the water (I WILL go swimming before I leave here). Then we made our way to an outside market and bought a delicious bottle of red wine to share and enjoyed the sun, the market, and our environment together. After walking through the market for a while we decided to make our way up a Cliffside to a spectacular viewpoint of the city/ a very nice park. It was breathtaking. There were cactuses and again you could see for miles, but this time you could even see into the hillsides behind Nice. There were so many houses, it was all so colorful, and the sun was shining. Ugh, Nice is just so nice! On top of this beautiful viewpoint there is a restaurant, so we got more wine to share and chatted for a while before making our way down to old Nice. Old Nice is tons of really tall, very close together older buildings, with hole in the wall shops, and a life all of its own. We bought a baguette and some brie, and then just so happened to come across a grand opening of a jewelry store. They had snacks galore, champagne, and even a live band for the public to enjoy. Win. So we found a picnic table and enjoyed delicious snacks, our baguettes and cheese, and the music (we even saw someone we swear could have been Johnny Depp!). After enjoying the afternoon we made our way through Old Nice back to the main street/shopping district and eventually to the train station and hostel. They had to catch their train back to Italy so I said my goodbyes and hoped to see them again when I go to visit Italy with Anthony (7 weeks!!). They gave me great advice for visiting Italy and I wish they had stayed with me here in Nice for another couple days. Such a lovely day and such great company!