Finally left the rain behind...

Well I have to say, I can now stop being jealous of North Carolina's warm weather because at the moment it's bright, sunny, and warm in Nice, France! About to get a little breakfast and hit the beach :)

But let me back up a bit! I had to say goodbye to Paris on Tuesday night...which was bitter sweet because I had a great time but the rain was reaaaaally getting to me (just annoying when trying to do things!). But Andrew and his friends made it such an unbelievable time, it will hard to compare :) I took my first overnight train to Nice and that was an experience in itself. I set next to this guy Rob from Minneapolis and he literally talked my ear off about WHO KNOWS WHAT for 3 hours! I was falling asleep with my eyes open and still could not tell you a single point that he made. Note to self: say you have to go to the bathroom next time and find a new seat. Haha :) But it was worth it because I only paid 1.50 for a reservation on the train and used my Eurail pass...so it was basically free. I woke up around 7:45 to see the Mediterranean Sea on my right and the Alps to my left! It was amazing because they were two extremes you know? I completely forgot the Alps were near by and they were just beautiful to wake up to. Anyways, I popped off the train and called my hostel...they offer to pick you up at the train station which is nice. This hostel is the most incredible one I've been in so far....it's a villa located on top of this HUGE hill and you can see all of Nice and the Med Sea from my window! It's very tropical and has a resort feel...finding it hard to believe I got such a good deal! They offer delicious breakfast and do your laundry too...how great!! I now know why they keep announcing that it was named the #1 hostel in the world in 2007....they can brag. So anyways I got situtated and took off to discover Nice. Went down to the flower market and walked around "Old Nice"...very quaint and friendly. Just a quick turn to my right brought me right to the beach and I was staring at aqua blue waters and a pebbly beach....it almost didn't look real because it was so blue! I didn't even expect that from the Mediterranean. It was so nice to just lay out on the beach for an hour...even though it was made up of actual smooth pebbles :) I took it all in and was so completely thankful for sun, flip flops, and blue waters. Took a great hike up to Le Chateaux which used to be a castle I believe....it's right next to Old Nice and offers amazing (free) views of Nice and the Port on the opposite side. Wish I could upload my pictures here but I'll have to wait. There were all these different staircases and they led you around Le Chateaux...you stumble upon waterfalls, caves, archs, ruins, views, etc. around every corner. Couldn't have been a better day :) Walked down and through Old Nice for awhile, checking out all the shops and getting some food from the fresh market for dinner. Headed back to the hostel and made myself a reeeeeally good dinner...fresh pesto and sundried tomatoes over pasta and spinach. It was yummy and I was so glad you can cook at the hostel :) Met up with two of my roommates I met earlier that day and had a glass of wine with them. A fabulous first day in Nice!

Yesterday I decided to take a day trip up the Riviera to Eze Village and Monaco. Traveling here is sooo cheap...it cost be only 1 euro to get to Eze, 1 to Monaco, and 1 all the way home! Kind of makes me want to stay, haha :) Anyways Eze village is a medevil village, one of the last in Nice, and offers incredible views as far as you could see. I was worried because it was a bit overcast on the way there but cleared up as soon as I got to the top. The little pathways twist and wind through cafes, boutiques, and restaurants before you get to an exotic garden at the top with cacti and all these different wild flowers and statues. I felt like I was living in a different century and it was all FREE! Haha a backpackers favorite word :) Took another bus to Monaco after that just to see how it was...it's actually the smallest French speaking country in the world and I believe the smallest country as well? The big casino is there from the movie Casino Royale and that was pretty amazing. It's very ritzy around that area and I almost felt like I was on Rodeo Drive or something. But they have the Prince's Palace on top of a huge rock formation which is great in itself. I didn't spend too much time there but got to walk all along the promenade and take in the views (mainly people watching!). Headed back just in time to hit rush hour traffic on the bus...haha a one lane road all the way back to Nice. But the drive was all along the cliffs and waters edge, so how could I complain? You wind around a bend and there's another breathtaking view of the French Riviera! Unbelievable.

Met up with Jess and Kyle for pizzas at the hostel...they make them homemade here and we enjoyed a bottle of wine with them. Wine is so cheap here and GOOD! Also met Taneil from Australia (another one of our roomies) so we all decided to go downtown in Nice for a little bit. Had too much fun at Checkpoint, this bar recommended to us by our hostel. Got back and hit the sack...I've been getting up early these days so I can't make it much later than 1, haha! Anyways, the days in Nice have been great so far....today I'm heading up to see the Alps. It's only 2 euro to take a bus up there so I'm tres excited ;) Then Cannes and Antibes tomorrow before I head off on another night train to Madrid! Looking forward to it. Love to alllllllllllllllllllllllll XOXO