Nice, France
Trip Start
Apr 01, 2007
1
16
51
Trip End
Ongoing
Nice, France
Thursday, April 26, 2007
We polished off the Shamrocker tour and I enjoyed meeting all of these people.. If I ever go back to Ireland and when I go to Australia (holy crap you sure meet a bunch of Aussies travelling, they are everywhere) I will definitely be setup for staying there.... but... yeah.. it was awesome and I really learned how to view things differently there... so, I bid goodbye to Ireland and sailed off to gay ol' Paris...
So, I tried to get a hate on for Paris because of allt he hype around it, etc.. but honestly, it grew on me quickly... don't get me wrong, I think it's damn expensive here - but one thing Paris is, is glamourous and I actually really do love the French Culture... I mean, half the reason people think Paris is full of snobs, is because they think they can come over here, blurt out English and get treated normally.. You are in a foreign country.. when people come to Canada and blurt out a foreign language, do you come back cheery and helpful? No.. so they can't expect that from the French.. I have been trying to desperately recall all my years of French classes so I can make it out here... I am happy I am relearning French from real french people, and not a quebecoi knock off... and that's cool... I feel complimented when I speak it and they actually continue in French.. of course some catch the forged accent quicker than others and bounce into English... but working at the french makes come-ons to the local ladies a lot easier when you are clumsily stumbling out a sentence, with a nuance of flirtation in it... I think it is easier to hit on chicks this way than in straighforward english.. I really do...
The food is definitely a change from Ireland! It is way more flavourful, healthy and sooo much selection, and the pastries are soo plentiful and fresh here.. I love it! We only stayed in Paris for the day before rushing a train off to Bayeaux, the home of the Normandy Invasions and Operation Overlord (D-Day). Ok, I could honestly rave forver about this - but I will TRY, TRY to be short and sweet. We went on a day tour with a guy who is really passionate about the war and all of it's details, and we saw ('Bloody') Omaha, Utah, Brecourt Manor, Carentan, St Mere Eglise and several other significant war points, especially the war cemetary *(featured in Saving Private Ryan). It was very very moving and I saw the war from the non-hollywood, personal side of things. I was on the beach looking up at the german bunkers and pillboxes, imagining crawling over shelling, machine gun fire and other ordinance while trying to fight for your life. After seeing the beach and even using a new wide-angle lens I purchased, you can't grasp the magnitude of this event via picutres. Seeing the war cemetary and all the names on the marble cross tombstones along with stories from this tour guide, I was extremely moved and had alot to think about. I definitely respect these soldiers and the effort they gave more than ever before.. I think everyone should go there. If you are interested in this, ask me, as I have alot to share on this but don't want to write forever on this blog and bore all y'all....
After getting up in the morning, running late, we BOLTED to the train station, illegally bording a train without a pass as we only had 1 minute before the train left, headed towards the French Riviera, the South of France, Nice. Transferring in Paris and not having a clue how the train system worked, we jumped on the transfer train (again, illegally) and headed out. We got busted by the official, and in the French I DID understand, we COULD have been penalized, but escaped after a brief and casual warning. Once we got to a transfer station we figured the err of our ways and fixed 'er all up.
Getting off the train to Nice, we were greeted with neon signs of 'Sex, Sex, Sex' and the like. Apparently the train station lands right in the seedy area of Nice. Protecting my wallet and keeping my valuables close, we got our bearings and headed towards the hostel.. This hostel is honestly better than a 4 star hotel. Full internet, beer for 2.00, full amenities, they do your laundry for a small charge and it is situatied half way up in a mountain with picture-esque views. I promise I will post pics... really I will... ;) We scampered about town today, trying to find a lawyer for some Liquid Matrix stuff that still needed to be cleaned up.. yeah.. good luck with that... 'Parlez vous Anglais?' I says to the lawyer? No.... 'Avocat (lawyer)?' I say swirling my finger around to indicate if she knows where I can find one. 'Down the street a bit I am told as the door closes....'.... ummm... yeah... something is a little off on that one... but we finished up and came back to the hostel for drinks with some fellow travellers and out for a night on the town..
The bar was tiny, drinks were about 8$ a beer and I was uber sweaty... a buddies wallet got smacked out of his hand just as he was paying for the bus and the theif ran away, tout suite, never to be seen again... not exactly a fantastic start to Nice, but, the silver lining of the cloud is still there.... All in all, a good bout so far... still loving the travlling, but I might have to slow the trip down a bit as racing from stop to stop just to cover a country probably isn't the best way to do things... on the upside, I am making travelling friends here and there and it's nice - because I would never be this way in Canada, and you really change while travelling.. oh yeah, and I am getting a sa-weeeeet tan here... the archetecure is amazing, the flora is green and fluffy, the food is amazing and the culture is definitely distinct and prevalent in every aspect of their life... I honestly wish Canada would have some distince culture.. but... I guess these European countries have a couple centuries, or even Millenia under their belt, so I should cut them a little slack on that one, eh?
Have been looking at house prices here... how cool would it be, if I was in Canada to tell someone I have a cottage in the French Countryside... man.. DEFINITELY a panty remover.. haahha... good thing I have my priorities in the right place...
