Nice, France
June 8th, 2010
Nice, France… the Azure Coast and unofficial capital of the French Riviera. I didn’t have very high hopes for this part of my itinerary, since half of the experienced backpackers I spoke to suggested skipping it and doing Ibiza instead. Well trust me, if Ibiza had a solo backpacker-friendly hostel, and I could afford the 50-euro cover charges at the clubs, I would have been there in a heartbeat. But as it stood, Nice was half way between Barcelona and Florence, so it would make a good stopover. When I first arrived and caught the tram up to my hostel high up in the hilly suburbs, I was pretty disappointed with what I saw. It looked like a rocky and mountainous Florida. However, it seems Nice’s most notable attraction is not its rocky beaches or modest architecture, but my hostel, the Ville Saint Exupery. My friend back home had recommended it, and it’s rated one of the top ten hostels in the world for its awesome amenities.
I arrived in Nice after an 8-hour train ride tired, sore, sweaty, and in dire need of a cold beer. I saw two British girls with travel gear at the tram stop and inquired if they were also staying at the hostel. They were, and wouldn’t you know, they needed beer as badly as me! So we raced to check in, take two minute cold showers, and descend upon the bar which serves up 1 euro tallboys… all night long! This hostel bar never closes! The two Brits, Natalie and Charlotte, were on holiday and travelling around Europe as well. We all grabbed dinner and met half the hostel in the common rooms (including Blake from Kabul, and a couple from the bike tour in Paris… I couldn’t believe they recognized me!). I ended up being overly ambitious and stayed up until 2 am so I could watch game 5 of the Stanley Cup finals on my laptop at the bar, but ended up falling asleep on a couch. So not only did I miss the game (which I guess was good since the Flyers got creamed), but I woke up at 7 am with people eating breakfast around me. How embarrassing!
After promptly running back to my room as if nothing happened and catching a few more hours of shut eye, I suited up and headed out to discover what Nice had to offer. I trekked up into the hills to explore the famed chateaux and take in the glorious panoramic view of the city. I also played in the waterfall that sits at the climax of the hill; it’s beautiful and refreshing after that walk!
I meandered down to the beach to dive into the clear blue ocean, and while gingerly walking across the pebble beach, I randomly ran into the Brits again.
We headed back to the hostel because they were throwing an 80’s party that night! The party was a blast, with everyone getting dressed up and belting out hair band favorites until the wee hours of the night. I think I finally crawled into bed around 6 am…
…Which was a huge mistake since I had already put down a deposit to go scuba diving at 8 am! How many times are you afforded the opportunity to scuba dive the French Riviera for 40 euros without a dive certification?! I headed down to the port and boarded a small diving ship with a dozen other French tourists and a Brazilian named Tobias. He had dived some places in Florida, so we chatted on the boat deck until it was time to dive. I received minimal instructions, suited up, and next thing I knew, I was gliding around 50 feet below the ocean! What an other-worldly experience! I cannot believe I have never made the effort to do this back home. For you divers out there, I’m sure you can relate to your first dive. The apprehensive first breaths, the exhilaration of the descent, and the wonder and awe of the multitude of sea creatures everywhere in your face. I had snorkeled in the Keys before, but this was infinitely better. I swam with a sea turtle, saw a pair of mating octopi (who inked us when disturbed), tons of fish, and every kind of anemone and starfish you can imagine. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to take my waterproof camera to those types of depths, but Tobias had a legit underwater camera, and he promised to email me the footage. To complete the experience, we surfaced, ripped off our wetsuits, and were greeted with red wine, cheese, and baguettes by the French boat captain. The ride back along the coastline was heavenly as we talked and enjoyed the meal while listening to opera. What a wonderful tradition!
That night, I had every intention of getting to bed early so I could catch my morning train to Cinque Terre, and after the scuba diving and 80’s party, I was exhausted. But once again, I got roomed with other like-minded lunatics; this time, it was three crazy Aussies (Matt, Marc, and Scott) who showed up ready to party! They invited me to play Century Club at the bar with them: 100 shots of beer in 100 minutes. So down to the bar we went to meet up with other hostel residents: Nat, Charlotte, Lexy, Emily, Camilla, Caroline, Sophie, Mark, Kevin, Lewis, and a dozen others. What ensued was pure chaos! We were killing tall boys of some German lager so quickly that we soon had a three-foot beer can tower on our table. The hostel manager wasn’t amused; he informed us drinking games were not allowed because kids would always throw up in the beds after playing them. We apologized, and took the party outside to the balcony. The rest of the night was a blur, but it doesn’t matter. Yet again, I was really lucky to meet another great group of people that confirmed for me that some of the coolest people on earth are backpackers!
After a measly three hours of sleep, I checked out and booked it back down the mountain to the train station. Currently, I’m on the train on the way to Cinque Terre with the Brit girls who couldn’t help but tag along after I showed them pictures of this magical place!
Don’t let that cubicle be the death of you!
-Batty
