Nice

I guess it's kind of weird to end the week with a post about the first part of our trip but I guess I saved the best for last. We took the train from Paris to Nice, it took about 5 hours and it was my first high speed train experience (I once took a train in Poland that went 40km/h). The train is a much more comfortable method of transportation than flying. No security lines, restrictive baggage regulations, cramped seats, and recirculated air. It was nice to be able to hit up the bar and watch the nice scenery. 

We arrived in Nice and took a short train to our hotel in Saint-Laurent-Du-Var, which is about 10 minutes outside of Nice. We arrived at 8pm only to find that our 4 star "hotel" had a locked gate preventing us from entering. Fortunately it started raining right when we realized we were locked out. Eventually a pizza delivery guy let us into the complex which was a condo building with some hotel units. We were greeted by two angry old men who thought we were trespassing. They led us to the "lobby" which was closed. DJB had to call a number and open a safe to get our keys to the room. Wet and tired, we hoped to have a hot shower and head to bed early...that is....if we had a bed. Our room only contained two bunk beds, and a sofa that turned into a bed. After making our own "bed" with some nice linens that had been left for us in a plastic bag, DJB went to head for a shower and realized that the room didn't contain towels or shampoo. It turns out that our hotel was actually a self catered aparhotel. Thanks Hotwire! We ended up buying one set of towels for 6 euros and DJB dried himself off with spare sheets for the rest of our stay :)

Nice is amazing. The best view is from Castle hill. One side of the hill looks towards Old Nice and the Promenade des Anglais.

And the other side looks towards the harbour.

Old Nice is full of narrow streets.

We also stumbled upon a market that was full of Provencal products.

There are hundreds of shops on these streets that sell all kinds of things that I would like to buy. I tend to gravitate towards anyone selling sweets.

Nicoises food is amazing. We ate socca (chickpea pancakes) at least three times during our stay. I apologize for the cloudy image. I think my greasy fingers got on the lens.

We also hit up all you can eat moules & frites. It was worth every penny!

Round 1.

Round 2.

Round 3. This round was unexpected. After round two we tried to throw in the towel but the waiter told us that we needed to clean out our system. He said the best way to do this was to order a pot of plain mussels. I should have questioned his logic more. Oh...the Rose in this part of France is amazing.  

This is the closest I've come to swimming in the Mediterranean.

Five seconds after this picture was taken this guy was splashed by a giant wave. It was awesome.

Remember, if you're going to Nice from Paris, take the train, but flying is also an option.