Nice was niiiiiice

Hello out there across the deep blue!

Christie here from Manarola, Italy, in the Cinque Terre. It's gorgeous here! But let me tell you a little about our last few days in Nice, France...

After spending a few days in beachy but fast paced Barcelona, we were ready for a little R&R in the French Riviera, so we hopped on a train that took us to Nice, the summertime playground of the rich and famous of Europe. Nice is home to both movie stars and beach rats, and we really enjoyed spending a day unwinding from our busy itinerary and sightseeing travels.

Funny story about this small world we live in- we were sitting on our train about to leave the Barcelona station, when on boarded three very flustered looking (and quite obviously American) guys... one who was wearing none other than a UVA tee shirt. So, being the loyal Hokies we are, we immediatly started vocalizing our disgust for anything Wahoo-related... and promptly made three new friends! Coincidentally, they were also headed to Nice, so we picked up a new three person addition to our little traveling circus. Shoutouts to Arthur, Nate and Tyler if you read this!

Anyway, upon our arrival in Nice we checked into our hotel (yes, folks, we stayed in a hotel, livin the good life) and grabbed a little pastry snack and headed down to the water to soak it all in. By the water in Nice is a long promenade that stretches by the entire city. This is where lovers come to stroll, runners come to huff, puff and sweat, and the wealthy come decked out in the latest designer fashions to walk the catwalk. We have all developed a passion for people watching, and this was the pinnacle. Later that evening, when we had exhausted (temporarily) our nosy natures, we enjoyed a relaxed dinner on one of the main streets.

After dinner, the epic-ness began. We decided to experience a little of the late-night culture and sought out a bar called Wayne's we had read about in our travel books. Guys, this bar was off the hook. We had an absolute blast. Imagine loads of international backpackers, a hilarious and loud Aussie dj, bumpin 90's music (the selection included Fresh Prince, Backstreet Boys, and Saved by the Bell), and crazy dancing on tabletops. We aren't talking sleazy table dancing, but wild, jumping up and down, loving life and music dancing. What a night!

The next day, we kicked back and took it easy, moseying our way down to the beach picnic in hand, where we spent the day lying back on the rocks and working on our tans. Now, many of our fellow sunbathers were working on a little more serious tan than we were, but we definitely still have tan lines. I guess we aren't complete European chameleons yet!

After another yummy dinner, we sat on the beach with a bottle of wine and our UVA friends and then hung out at a very cool, laid back bar with live jazz music and a bohemian atmosphere. And of course, we couldn't resist the pull of 90's pop-rock, so we headed back to Wayne's to finish out our night.

Yesterday, we packed up again and hit the train tracks to Cinque Terre, where we are now. Cinque Terre is the home of pesto and delicious white wine, both of which we enjoyed last night on the rooftop terrace of our hostel. Manarola, the city we are staying in, is one of five villages that make up Cinque Terre. These little towns are perched on cliffs above the Mediterranean Sea, with houses stacked on top of each other, clinging to the rocks and threatening to teeter off into the deep blue water below. They make there own wine here, and above the villages there are layers of vineyards built into the cliffs. But our adventures here will have to wait. For now, arrivaderci and, as they say in Nice, à bientot!