How do you want it??

I arrived in Nice feeling crappy. I definitely came down with something over the previous week and the cabin pressure from the plane did not help. When I got on the plane in DC I was a little worried because the couple next to me (I had a window seat) had a child under the age of 1. While people were boarding the plane the woman actually spilled boiling water from the baby bottle on my leg and although the baby was very cute, all I wanted was sleep and I knew this was not a good sign.  I was relieved when I realized the couple was trying to move to another seat--I'm not sure why. They both got up and 5 minutes later a young French couple sat next to me. They were fine until I realized that they had a kissing problem...seriously, they could not keep their lips apart for longer than 5 minute increments! Is this a French thing? I fell asleep between take off and dinner, but to entertain myself during dinner counted how many times their lips locked. I lost count at 36 and that was just during dinner.

Sarah picked me up from the airport and when we got back to her house we took a short walk along the Promenade des anglais and saw a little of Old Nice. The Promenade is like the Nice board walk; people were rollerblading, walking their dogs, and taking a stroll. The beach was BEAUTIFUL! It was a little cold, but the water was bright blue and the beach is made of round gray rocks. 

This day is a little hazy because I was sick and sleep deprived, but I do remember getting the most amazing gelatto! This gelatto place had every kind of flavor imaginable, even kinds you wouldn't want to try like beer flavor and tomato basil. I tried one scoop of Bailey's and one of tiramisu...mmmmm!

I took a nap and then Sarah made me some dinner and her friends came over to watch "Across the Universe." This was a modern musical with all the background music being old Beatles songs. It was interesting, but a little too trippy for someone under the weather and working on 2 hours of sleep. 

I definitely slept 10 hours until Sarah woke me up with breakfast and tea served for me. Sarah has been nursing me back to health and between the oranges, water, airborne, and tea I think it's working!

Sarah and I walked through different areas of Nice. We shopped, went to the train station, and the opera house to see if there was anything being performed during my stay. 

Our first stop was the mall. I swear, I should write the freakin' bathroom diaries because everywhere I go there's something! I learned my lesson after the Philippines and made sure to bring little tissues this time...just in case. But I need to learn to expect the unexpected. There was a long line outside the bathroom because the men's bathroom was closed, so everyone was using this one. That's strange by itself because that would never happen in the US. So I wait my turn (which apparently French people don't like to do) and get into a stall and within 5 seconds of pulling down my pants get walked in on! I screamed and the woman (thank GOD it was a woman) slammed the door. The stalls aren't like doors with latches, they're big doors--real ones, with real stalls and once I closed it I didn't notice the lock and I guess the woman 

didn't notice the door was closed...nor did she feel the need to knock first. 

Anyway...side note about the public bathrooms on the streets: Sarah claims that after you use one, the bathroom seals itself and totally sprays itself down to sanitize...I'll do some more research on that and let you know if it's true.

After my traumatic experience in the bathroom we head to a lingerie store to try on bathing suites. Of course the whole time I was worried about getting walked in on. We then strolled along to the Opera house to check out the schedule. According to Sarah, French internet sites are more for show than actual information sharing so to get the real prices, times, information for anything you have to go there in person. Unfortunately, there's nothing during the time that I'm here =( However, there were some boys hanging around the opera house so as Sarah and I started walking away they said "excuse moi!" and some other French stuff that only Sarah understood to get our attention. We continued walking and ignored them until one of the guys began to sing a verse from a Tupac rap song "How do you want it? How do you feel?" in a funny French accent. I didn't hear the rest of the words because I was laughing so hard, but I'm almost positive they weren't correct. Sarah told me the 90's were coming back in France (I've actually seen Hammer pants here), but I didn't know 90's west coast rap was included in this trend!

I've realized it's obvious that I'm not French; Sarah could probably get away with passing if she wasn't walking around with me. Besides my American style of dress and the lack of a mullet haircut, when people start speaking to me in French I think I automatically get this dumb look on my face. Even when I know what they're telling me or asking me I don't know what to do because I can't really respond. Lucky for me I don't have to do anything because my stupid face gives it away. I'm almost afraid to use the French that I know for fear of accidentally starting a conversation with someone that I can't further communicate with.

After our afternoon excursion I needed another nap and then Sarah made plans for us to go out to some bar called "Check Point" for ladies night all you can drink champaign for 3 euros. I will admit I was a little worried...especially when her friend kept referring to it as "Sketch Point."

It's not hard to explain the cultural difference between the American bars and French bars--but you have to see the craziness for yourself. First of all, I was definitely older that 3/4 of the people there; of course I was because it's a Monday night and everyone else my age has this thing called a JOB! The legal drinking age in France is 18, so the average age was a lot lower than it would be in DC.

When we got there it was all techno and house music. The men are also a lot more free with their body movements and with dancing with each other; I mean, I wasn't even sure that they were straight half the time. The normal US gay-dar indicators don't work so well in Europe. Guys were thrusting body parts and humping each other. Maybe this would have excited me if they weren't 18 years old, wearing tight pants and sporting either a mullet or faux-hock...but I seriously doubt it. Lucky for us there was a small break in the techno when they played some reggaeton and latin music, in which we proceeded to shake what our mama gave us...

It eventually got so hot and crowded in there that we left to try another bar. The other bar was dead so we wandered around looking for kebab. Kebab in France is sort of like a Greek gyro...it was the bomb! It had lamb and french fries--exactly what you're craving after numerous glasses of champaign!

The picture featured above is Sarah's "crunk" face, with some crazy French boy behind her.

These are Sarah and her friends. The window sign they are humping says "Happy Halloween"