A “Nice” Arrival (Sept. 2, 2013)

Baie des Anges - View from le Château (Personal Photo)

I will only get away with writing this once—Nice is very nice.

The water of the Baie des Anges is impossibly blue, although strangely enough, the air smells only faintly of the sea, if at all. Every single day but one has been sunny, and even when it did rain, it cleared up by mid-morning. From the walkway along the beach, I can see all the way across the city; at night, streetlamps light up the coast. Day or night, the bay makes a perfect postcard photo.

Beautiful city aside... It was a very long day. Groggy from a combination of sleep deprivation and jet lag, I missed my bus stop and had to haul my luggage an extra half-mile to my apartment. Unlike back home, the names of the upcoming stops are neither announced nor displayed, and the street names are displayed on plaques on buildings rather than signs at intersections. Despite this mishap, I located my apartment easily (although I had fun with the keys, which are finicky) and napped. Later, I met my coordinator for dinner at a restaurant called Le Québec. With my expert internal GPS, I got lost several times despite preplanning my route and checking my map every five minutes.

 

Promenade des Anglais at night (Personal Photo)

Walking home in the dark, I was more anxious than I have ever been at night. My heart pounded with every step I took, but I set forth with a look of determination and false confidence. At night, everyone seems shifty (especially men lounging on doorsteps or investigating the dumpsters), and shadows leap from dark alleys. Nothing happened, fortunately. Perhaps I am simply paranoid from being in an unfamiliar environment, but if I had been watching me as a movie, I would have been screaming, “Don’t do it, stupid!” Next time I’m shelling out the Euros for a bus ticket. The Promenade des Anglais (walkway along the beach) is less intimidating than the narrow sidewalks of the other streets.


My parents dragged themselves onto my doorstep the next day, equally disoriented and fatigued. We spent a leisurely day at the beach and celebrated our survival with a bottle of wine. Speaking of which, wine is plentiful and cheap here. The grocery store has an entire aisle devoted to it, and bottles sell for as few as 3 Euros. My father shared some advice he obtained from a wine tasting: find a cheap bottle of wine that you love. Coca Cola (from our limited experience) is expensive, barely cheaper than wine.

It must sound like I am living a dream, that this has all been a vacation so far. For all its ups, there have been downs as well, and people don't always mention those in idealistic Facebook statuses about how wonderful their lives are. It is hot enough here that within minutes of being outside, my skin is slick with sweat. Despite wearing SPF 60 and 85 sunscreen, my cheeks turn pink after a mere two hours at the beach. My apartment lacks AC, and because I shut my balcony door at night for security purposes, I am too hot at night to sleep well (this will be less of an issue as winter approaches). Another mishap: when I went to the bank to get my debit card, I was told it wasn’t there. Without my bank card, I cannot get a mobile phone plan or internet. Woe is me! I must use campus wifi.

I have had more adventures in my first week, but those shall be saved for my next post.

Until next time!