It's a Tough Life

In Morocco, I was so sick I felt like maybe I was going to die. 

It was the absolute worst. The most awful part was that we weren't staying still; between staying with different families and the constant bus rides and activities, I couldn't just lay in bed and sleep it off. Ugh. Poor Holly got sick for our trip to Nice. After WebMDing her symptoms, I spent another good hour looking up hospitals in the area and French phrases I might need to get her help for her deadly meningitis. We're pretty sure it was a migraine now.

This was the only accommodation we booked through Airbnb, which worked out well for the most part. For the sake of contrast later in this post, I'll give a few details about our little apartment: you walk into a tiny hallway with a bathroom to one side and a living room to your front. The living room is also the bedroom and kitchen, and the tiny love seat pulls out into a bed that literally fills the entire room. Like, you can open the mini fridge door, and that's the extent of the non-bed space. There was a second bed upstairs in a little loft. This was also the only time in our trip where we had separate beds, and thank goodness because I didn't want Holly's sicky germs! To get up to the loft, which consisted of a twin bed and space for me to sit my suitcase but not to stand, we pulled a ladder down from the ceiling from the hall. Only problem with the loft was that the bathroom door couldn't open if the loft stairs were down and you couldn't really get to the front door. The bathroom was very strange in that the shower was on a platform that just flooded out onto the floor. There was also no hot water. But it was very inexpensive and the perfect location, so absolutely fine by me!

View from Castle Hill

After feeling confident that she wasn't actually going to die, I set out to explore some of my favorite places in Nice and a few that I haven't seen before. We were staying on Place Garibaldi, which was just a few steps away from Old Town. Markets, cute little soap shops, etc. Again I need to chide myself on the fact that I didn't do my research... Grrr. While sitting down by Pebble Beach and looking through a tourist packet, I realized there was so much more to do and I didn't have time to do it all! Before returning home to check on Holly though, I did make the climb up to Castle Hill, an amazing lookout point and the area once occupied by the Celtic Ligurians. I could have spent the whole day up there!

On an island off the coast of Cannes

The absolute best part of our Nice trip was on our third afternoon. 

One of my student's family has a house in the hills in the area, and were so kind to invite us to spend the day with them on their boat. Now, before reading any further, make a mental image (haha teacher-talk) of the apartment we stayed in. Is it In your head? Good- please continue. Oh my gosh, it was unbelievable. The boat itself was unlike anything I've ever seen, let alone thought I'd be cruising along the French Riviera on. The first thing we saw (Holly was better at this point) was that the boat had a three person crew. They were all probably under 30, and though they did amazing, hard work, they also were a ton of fun and hung around with the family. My student (we'll call her Ginny for the sake of privacy- when we need nicknames for a game in class that's usually what she picks) took us on a tour of the boat and I think I just walked through with my mouth hanging open. There were four bedrooms downstairs, and the bathroom was better and probably bigger than the one in my apartment. On the ground floor there was a kitchen, living room, and a deck with a nice dining room table. You could walk down a narrow corridor on either side of the boat to the front and catch some rays. If you went upstairs, there was a grill, the navigation system, couches, and another big table. I have no words. Well, I guess I do because I just described it, but not really. It was incredible.

The church and abbey

Anyways, after our tour, the captain set sail for an island off of Cannes where we anchored for the day. 

Lunch was a three course meal and was maybe some of the best food I've ever eaten. After, we went over in the little dingy to explore Saint Honorat, a beautiful island full of monks and wineries and a castle. Remember how I said that Venice made me think of 'Man in the Iron Mask?' Well. As it turns out, the filming was done on the island opposite from us! So cool! It was just the most wonderful day. My little student is the one who made me all of those Harry Potter posters and is such a sweetie, and she couldn't come from a nicer family. The mother's sister, parents, brother-in-law, and niece were there along with Ginny, her brother, and parents so you'd think it would be crowded... But no. I think Holly might have been a little nervous because she didn't know any of them at all, but they're comfortable to be around, easy to make conversation with, and a ton of fun. It was such an awesome day!!

Our little island crew

The monastery looked like a castle! 

Last thoughts for the day: I will be conversational in Italian by this time next year. I felt so horrible and rude hardly being able to communicate with some of the family. Ginny's dad told me that he starts off every week with an hour of Spanish lessons and an hour of English lessons. That's the smartest way to make to set yourself off on the right note. I'm gonna do it! Only with Italian, not English because, you know... I already know it...

Nice is Nice (see what I did there?)

Amazing antique shop in Nice

After my adventure in Turin/Torino (really, I'm not sure if it's polite or pretentious to call the city by it's Italian name... help?), I spent most of Spring Break being lazy. It's funny how normal/boring life can be here. Wake up early, go to work, grocery shop, head home to make dinner, do laundry and watch Game of Thrones, go to sleep, then do it all over again. Sometimes I get caught up in how overwhelming it all can be. Starting my career and adult life over 4,000 miles from home is stressful, and then throw in the fact that I don't speak the language and can't be completely independent with how much I rely on the school... I'm not going to lie, it's a challenge. But then, within a 3 or 4 hour drive, I can be laying on a stone-filled beach along the Mediterranean Sea. It's difficult to explain; much of the time life just feels normal, but then I really look at what's happening and feel like it's some amazing dream that I never want to wake up from.

Anyway, rambling took over my attempt to share my most recent trip. 

After Torino, as I said, I spent most of the week hanging around my apartment, but late in the week took a road trip to the French Riviera. Two friends and I rented a car and drove from Milan to Nice; even before arriving, the trip was amazing. Most of the drive was along the Blue Coast of the Mediterranean, and the view out the window was full of colorful Italian and French seaside towns, and villages nestled in the hills. There were approximately a billion tunnels to drive through along the way (Mom, you would have hated that part) but emerging from each one was like driving straight into postcard-esque scenery.

Plaza where our apartment was

When we finally arrived, we set out in search of the apartment we'd rented. Renting apartments for travel is always a little nerve-wracking as you can never be 100% sure what you're really getting. As we drove through the slightly seedy area that definitely did not look like the pictures from the website, we were a little worried. Luckily, our apartment was on a pedestrian-only street that couldn't have been a better location. We were directly outside of the Old Town, right next to Plaza Garibaldi. We started out on maybe not so great a note when the key didn't work to our apartment. When we were finally asked to come back, it took our very sweet hostess a good 20 minutes to teach us the "trick" to opening the door. But even with this tiny bump in the road, I loved where we stayed and would definitely go back. If you're looking for a place to stay, check out nicepebbles.com- we stayed in the Bonaparte apartment! 

Most of the trip was walking, eating, and drinking rosé wine, all in the most wonderful way. 

Walking involved meandering through the Old Town markets, which had a very medieval feel to it. It reminded me a little of Bellagio with it's tiny shops and restaurants, as well as the curving, cobblestoned streets. I haven't quite figured out this atmosphere yet; I had thought it was a very Italian ambience, but now I'm wondering if it's all of Europe or maybe the Mediterranean. Either way, I love it! Walking also meant strolling along the coast, searching between the stones for sea glass. At one point, one of the girls stopped looking and drew my attention to the most beautiful sound: as the waves rolled back out to sea, they carried the stones with them, softly rattling against one another as they went. It wasn't exactly swimming weather, but this walk along the beach was unforgettable, and even though wading to your ankles isn't really a swim in the sea, I'm going to check it off The List all the same!

  

Cute little sign on our table at Papayou

In Paris, I really hated most of the food, but I've heard Parisian food is amazing so I'm going to just go with the idea that maybe we didn't choose the right restaurants. I had chalked it up to disliking French food, but have been proved wrong. 

Every meal was heavenly: 

Appetizers at Ark on a terrace overlooking the sea, traditional "Niçoise" beef stew with ravioli and creme brulée at Papayou, and spinach pasta with artichokes and sausage at olive&artichaut... Every bite was beyond wonderful. And don't even get me started with the paella in Monte Carlo! 

One of the best parts of where we stayed was that it wasn't in a tourist area. 

After dinner one night, we headed back to Rue Bonaparte to check out the bar scene. 

We went to an interesting little place called Le Comptoir Central Électrique, which I loved! The decor was eclectic, with lightbulbs hanging at different levels from the ceiling and exposed, chipping cement on the walls. The bar closed much earlier than we wanted to head in, so we asked one of the adorable bartenders where he'd suggest next. He sent us to Gossip Bar, a dance club playing cheesy English and French 80s music until his shift was over, then met us to take us to his favorite bar. I wish I'd written down the name, but the house music and younger crowd gave this one a more underground feel. It was so much fun to meet a local and get to see a few places we wouldn't have otherwise found. 

On our way out of Nice we stopped in Monaco, a tiny country that I'm embarrassed to say I didn't realize was its own country until trying to look up the "city's" weather the night before our trip. 

Laura and I are already talking about a trip back in June. The little we saw of Monte Carlo was beautiful. It had a much more ritzy vibe than Nice, possibly due to the presence of the legendary casino, port full of yachts, and countless windows displaying fabulously gaudy and ridiculously expensive jewelry. We didn't spend long in the lavish little nation, but it definitely left an impression. I am officially obsessed with the French Riviera.