Day 26: Nice

Our stupid couchette from Rome to Nice
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We left on an overnight train last night from Rome.  By far one of the worst nights we've had.  Instead of a couchette, which is actually quite comfortable since you get to fully lay down, we had a sleeperette.  THAT was not comfortable.  It seats six people and at the very least, our compartment only had four people in it, including us two.  The other two was a very nice young couple from New York.  That made it tolerable.  If the compartment had been full, we would have just about died!  It seats six, three on each side of the compartment and the seats kind of scoot out a bit to make it comfortable (or that's what they want you to believe).  Each country has different standards about train cleanliness and comfort, and so far, Italy definitely has the most uncomfortable trains.  Their seats were itchy!  Not only were the seats uncomfortable, but it made many different stops, which would have been okay except that in one city at about 3:00 a.m., the train stopped at a station for almost two and a half hours during which time the air conditioning stops.  All four of us woke up in the compartment sweating.  We had to open our compartment door and the window to get some air in the compartment and that only helped slightly.  We didn't know the train would make a two hour stop and so all four of us Americans woke up confused and a bit worried that something was wrong.  At about 7:45 a.m., the train picked up two very nice French-speaking Swiss women who would ride with us the rest of the way to Nice.  They informed us that the train was pretty much on time and that's when we figured out that those incredibly long stops were intentional!  We would take a couchette over a sleeperette ANY day of the week after that experience!  We have one more night train left on this trip (to Barcelon) and we are desperately hoping that it is a couchette!  We arrived in Nice at around 9:30 a.m. to a nice, warm, and soft sun.  We found our hotel incredibly easily as it is not too far away from the train station.  This was not our first choice in hostels but when we were booking all of our accomadations in April, most of the affordable ones were already full.  We were a bit skeptical of this hostel, but it turns out it is very incredibly clean and quiet.  And for 50 Euros a night.. we'll take it!  There isn't much to write to you about Nice.  Not because it isn't nice but we have been taking advantage of all these beaches and the clear blue Mediterranean Sea and going to the beach most of our time.  Right after checking in, we headed out to see the tiny but incredibly busy city.  We had to first eat breakfast and found a cafe with the most incredible croissants!  So buttery and warm.  Then we headed towards the beach and strolled around Promenade des Anglais (English Promenade - - named because English rich people funded the building of this beautiful boulevard) and Quai des Etats-Unis (United States Quai).  There are beautiful cliffs and villas everywhere and everytime you look out into the sea, there are yachts and cruise ships in the distance.  This really is a city to just relax in and enjoy yourself.  After meandering for quite some time, we decided to have lunch at a place recommended in our guide book - Le Safari.  The place is PACKED with patrons and we totally understand why.  It's terrace faces the Marches aux Fleurs (the Flower Market) and has some pretty good food!  We decided to try some Provencal food so TJ tried the daube (a beef stewed until it is tender) served with a tiny ravioli and Melissa was interested in the Accra, little fried cod balls (like fish and chips) that are just the tiniest bit spicy served with a spicy sauce.  Our food was really very good.  We then headed on back to the hotel to change into our bathing suits and then we headed on to the beach to get our tan on.  Eventhough by the time we got to the beach it was around 4 p.m.,  the sun was still going strong.  TJ was interested in the temperature of the Mediterranean and was slightly disappointed that the water was a lot colder than he expected.  Oh well, swimming in the Mediterranean was still pretty fabulous.  After a long and tiring (ha) day of sunbathing and swimming, we headed on for some dinner.  We stopped in at a place called Le Mirador and tried a risotto and a roasted chicken.  We also shared a French Onion Soup that was to die for.  We headed on back to the hotel after a long day and prepared ourselves for beautiful Monaco tomorrow.