Nice, France

My next adventure took me to Nice, France! Ever since I was little, I dreamed about visiting France, and it definitely did not disappoint. Nice has now become one of my favorite places I have ever been. It is so beyond beautiful and the people were surprisingly nice. I only say “surprisingly” because I often hear that people in France can be dismissive of Americans, but I found the south of France to be warm and inviting. 

Our trip started with a six-hour bus ride, and we arrived around 5am. We went straight to the beach to watch the sunrise. It was so beautiful the beaches are full of river stones. We relaxed on the beach waiting for everything to open up. Later, we went looking for a coffee shop and stumbled upon a local market filled with fresh food and vendors selling all kinds of unique things. I bought some strawberries, which tasted like candy! The rest of the day was spent exploring other beaches and picking up groceries for dinner. 

The next day, we went exploring the city and came across a coffee shop called Clay. It had a unique vibe, the coffee mugs looked hand crafted. Later, we went to check out another beach, where I met up with a friend who is currently studying in Nice. We first met when she was studying abroad in the U.S. during high school, and we hadn’t seen each other in over four years. As we caught up, I realized our experiences are definitely different but also so similar. I found it interesting how we live in completely different cultures and areas but still have so much in common. 

Later, we got dinner and ate on the beach before meeting up with some of her friends. She mentioned they might not speak English well, but they all turned out to be fluent. There were moments where we got a little in translation, but it was honestly so fun. Being able to meet locals and experience their everyday life was inspiring. It made me want to learn French and live there someday. We talked a lot about our cultures and how they were different. Many of her friends were from all over the world and well traveled. I think it is so important to hear different perspectives. I definitely walked away from that conversation with different ideas and thoughts. 

This was definitely one of my favorite trips so far. Nice is so beautiful, and it is easy to get around. I’d highly recommend visiting the South of France if you ever get the chance to!