Earlier in September I got my first chance to get out of the city and see a bit of Europe. It was a toss up between Northern Italy and Southern France. I finally settled on Nice. I could not believe how gorgeous the city was. Everything was so laid back, the weather was at least 25 degrees every day, and there were cafes with crepes and gelato everywhere. Oh and the Mediterranean Sea. It was so nice to be near the open water again.
I took a supremely early flight, so early that I set my alarm for 01:45 and took a 03:30 train to Gatwick! It was worth it though. I got off the plane into the morning heat, dropped my luggage at my hostel a block from the beach, and spent the day walking and walking and walking. The Mediterranean architecture is outstanding, with all the pastel coloured buildings that you see in travel books but never imagine you’ll actually get to experience.
One of the best things about Nice is that it’s terribly close to so many other places. I visited Eze, Monaco, Cannes, Antibes and Ventimiglia. So, my 5 day trip to one city actually felt like a tour around most of the South, which is exactly what I wanted.
On my last day, I finally hid all my important stuff in my luggage (lockers didn’t really work) and went down for a swim in the water. It was amazing. It took me 15 minutes of tiptoeing on the edge to actually go in, but I made it. The hardest part was getting in and out with the waves hitting you, because the beaches in Nice are all large stones which makes it hard to walk quickly. You definitely need some of those little water shoes all the little kids have!
I loved it, but if you’re looking for sand, go to Cannes…
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