(O.K. I’m gonna stop with the 3rd person now.)

This is the youth hostel I chose from the list in my guide book, affordable and in disguise as a fancy, smancy 300 year old house.

I think my favorite part of Nice was the colors, both of Vieux (Old) Nice and the bright turquoise of the water.  It’s a particular Mediterranean-Southern France-Italy-is-near-by color palette.  It made me want to paint, real bad.

Look at that water!  I just couldn’t get over it.  It was like fake-too-perfect-to-exist-in-real-life water.  (Sadly, still way too cold to swim).  The picture below shows the Promenade des Anglais, a wide walk-way that follows the coast line.  It’s line of palm trees brought Hollywood to mind and there were lots of people, even considering being the off season.  I can’t imagine what it’s like to be here in June.

As I sat down for a rest from walking and walking and walking some more, an accordion player busking nearby broke into a waltz from the film Amelie.  It’s a really beautiful waltz, one that I’ve been known to put on repeat on my CD player.  Even though it was so typical touristy France I couldn’t help, but have a teary-eyed moment of, “I can’t believe I’m really here and I can’t believe I’m hearing this tune right here, right now.”

While I was eating this tarte de citron as luxuriously as possible, an older woman plopped herself in front of me and started chatting up a storm.  She was oh-so-talkative that I hardly had a chance to let her know, “Ah! I’m a beginner in French.”  I eventually told her so (one thing I do know how to say in French) and we commenced a very sweet and exiting (for me at least) conversation in which she spoke more slowly and I understood soooo much more than I thought I would!  Joelle’s daily lessons had really paid off.  After a weekend of solo wandering and art seeing (did I mention a guy who worked at the contemporary art museum asked me for coffee?) I was thankful for her company.

O.K.  I know all of this looks pretty darned perfect, but keep in mind that travel is incredibly tiring-confusing-sometimes lonely, etc.  And yes, Saturday was gorgeous, but Sunday was rainy and cold.  I only say this to keep your feet on the ground in the case that these blog entries are making you want to give up your life and run away…But, hey, I’d be the last to judge if you did!

Well…Once upon a time, there was this girl named Annie Fain.  She had two wonderful hosts who serenaded  her in both English and French on the morning of her birthday.

…and took her out for a birthday lunch at one of their favorite restaurants called Frenchy-Wok Grill.

It was there that she experienced her first glass of kir (Champagne with a little bit of black currant liquor) and a French-Chinese Buffet.  What a combination eh?

…then to an island on a boat.  It was pretty cold and windy so they had the entire island to themselves.

After wandering for a while they needed a break, but not just any break; a chocolate break!

Then home for a nap and Crepes (imagine an accent mark over the first “e” of “crepe”).  Joelle and Daniel showed Annie Fain the tastiest way to eat a crepe: smear it with fromage blanc, sprinkle it with sugar and then squeeze fresh lemon juice on top.  Mmm…

The day ended with a Bal Folk dance in town.  Since it was Annie Fain’s 4th time going to the dance association with Joelle and Daniel she felt really comfortable finding a dance partner, jumping into dances she didn’t know, attempting to speak French (by now they all knew her as “the American girl” and were very, very friendly and patient about speaking with her) and playing my banjo with Lou Strings.    A very nice day indeed!

Stay Tuned for Part 2: A Weekend in Nice

*NOTE: For those of you who receive these entries via email and were confused by the blank spaces in the last post, those spaces were where I had included video clips.  If you are interested in checking out those videos go to: http://afainbooks.com/blog/ and got to the previous post called “Bal Folk.”

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