Nice, France
First week of school
We arrived in Nice, Saturday 2 May, jet-lagged after 20 hours of travel. We were determined to make the most of our day and a half of free time before starting our language immersive learning course at Institut Francais in Nice. We quickly made our way to our AirBnB, a petite pied-a-terre within walking distance of the school.
***I did not overpack for a 6 week trip that includes school, hiking, and biking!***
After dropping off our many bags, we headed out to explore Nice. Since this was our first time here, we finally understood the phrase “Côte d’Azur” when we made our way to the promenade. As many of you know, Pierre and I met while living in Niceville on the “Emerald Coast” of Florida. Ironically, the train station here is called “Nice-Ville”. The water of both of these coasts is spectacularly beautiful, but nothing rivals the sugar white sand of the Emerald Coast (in my opinion)!
Those are rocks from the nearby river bed to make a beach!
On Sunday we attended mass at the Cathédrale Sainte-Réparate de Nice. The church was overcrowded and we had to sit behind a column, forgoing any hope of actually seeing the Bishop who was presiding over the mass. As it turns out, it was a special dedication mass, of what, we’re still not sure! The Bishop blessed each of the many columns with holy water, and after an hour and a half, suffice it to say Pierre will not be attending mass with me again for a very long time!
We then shopped at the “Marché Aux Fleurs”, the name for the open-air market that sold all types of produce and products, as well as flowers, and went on a guided walking tour of old Nice with an English-speaking tour guide. No use getting ahead of ourselves!
As it turns out, we were given the same tour, completely in French, by one of our instructors on Thursday. I was glad I had the English tour to fall back on!
On Monday we started our intensive classes and I quickly felt overwhelmed. French lessons on Duolingo for 1300+ consecutive days was of no assistance, and after a week of six hours/day Monday-Friday, I’ve realized that I was naive and maybe should have committed to a couple of years of instruction!
After a mentally challenging week, including several homework assignments, we decided to hike along the coast five miles from Nice to Ville-Franche for lunch. The weather was beautiful, as were the views, and it was a good break from the intellectual work to take on the physical challenge of the 1,900 foot elevation change, ascending and descending along the way.
Our first week completed, next up week two of language school and a day-trip to Monaco!