Nice

Well, I made it to Nice just fine. As the train was pulling into the station I noticed that the train on the adjacent track had the number of the one I needed, so a quick hop over and I was on my way to Nice. Later at the hostel, which was awesome, I talked to an avid traveler from Belgium, and she said that getting stuck somewhere does happen and in cases like those you just sit down anywhere and try to sleep until the first train the next morning. I don't know if I'd want to sit down just anywhere, but good to know this is an acceptable practice.

Nice is not a city for sightseeing, it's more of a relaxation destination. Within a few hours, I had seen all of the major sights in Nice, and so with lots more time on my hands I had to do what everyone else was doing: just sit around on the beach and in the park. Nice is a lot like any oceanside city you would find in Southern California. The beach is bordered by a wide promenade where walkers, bikers, and inline skaters cruise from one end to the other. A little inland, the streets are narrow and congested with cars. I had the misfortune of being in Nice on a Sunday, when everything is closed except for the tourist shops and restaurants right on the beach.

Throughout the day, flocks of people congregate at the public beaches. The beach is a narrow strip of smooth rocks that looked uncomfortable to lie on, but people were doing it anyway. The water is an unusual shade of blue, like the color of a raspberry Otter Pop or blue cotton candy. It looked pretty artificial and was cold despite the warm weather. So not much to say about Nice, travellers come here just to hang out and relax on the beach or eat at one of the many expensive french restaurants.

I'm sure that Rome, my next destination, will be more exciting.