calling from some city...

Today started with Scott waking me up for breakfast shortly before 9. We wanted to get an early start to the day because we had a lot of things we wanted to do in Nice.The breakfast for the hostel is really good because they have so many different types of cereal, plus freshly made bread for toast.
After breakfast, we headed into Nice to explore the Old Town and the shopping district. We walked thru the outdoor markets and I bought a small box of blueberries that were delicious. There were lots of little tourist shops to poke around in; I got my customary postcards and Scott got a really cute polo shirt for his nephew. After, we had to decide between walking along the harbor or going to the Chagall Museum, which has a lot of modern art that we were interested in seeing. It was such a beautiful day out, though, and we knew we would be seeing a ton of museums in Paris so we decided on the beach instead. So we went to the promenade and walked along there. The coast was beautiful and the sun was brilliantly glistening off the ocean. There were a lot of people out on the beach so people watching was quite fun. I do, however, wish that overweight women with saggy boobs would not go topless, but I guess that’s Europe.
After that, we then headed to the main street of Nice to do some shopping because most of the stores were advertising sales. We wandered in and out of stores for about an hour and a half, and also visited a mall (mostly because me and Scott really needed to use the restroom). We each managed to find something new to buy. I got a really cute little dress that was only 15 euro so that was sweet.
After grabbing a quick sandwich at the mall, we decided it was time to head to the beach for the rest of the afternoon. We decided to go to Cape d’Ail which is a small town close to Monaco. It was recommended  by our hostel because it is not as well known and thus less crowded than some of the other beaches on the Riviera. The hostel information also said there were many caves to explore as well as cliff jumping so that was especially appealing to Scott. It took about 40 minutes to get there and we had about a 15 minute downhill walk to the water. We arrived and camped out at a spot for the afternoon. The beach consisted mostly of small pebbles but it as pretty comfortable. It was small and pretty crowded but really pretty; it was like we were in a large cove or cut out area of the cliffs that stretched above us. But we didnt really see any of the caves or cliffs that were advertised. The warm was warm, as I’ve grown used to in Europe, so I immediately dived into the water because the bus ride was not air conditioned and thus I was very sweaty. Anyways the water felt wonderful and refreshing, and we spent several hours on the beach.
At about 5:30 we made the trek back into the “center” of town and found the bus stop back to Nice. The bus rides along the coast of France are more comfortable than the ones we took in Italy. First, the road is set back from the side of the cliff, so you don’t feel as though you are going to go plunging over the side. Second, the roads are wider and thus the cars have much more room to manuveur. Finally, it’s not as windy so you don’t feel as sick. Thus, I was able to more comfortably enjoy the view of the French Riviera as we rode the bus.
We went to the supermarket to buy food for dinner. Scott created another amazing meal for us: pasta with meat added to the sauce, as well as red pepper and onion, with bread on the side. It was really delicious and less than 9 euro for the 3 of us combined- so it was a very cheap and delicious dinner.
We then got bad news. The three of us had signed up to go canyoning with the hostel for Thursday, and we found out the trip was canceled. We were disappointed, especially because we had extended our stay here specifically to do this trip. We then were told that the Friday trip was already booked. This pissed us off because we felt we should have gotten priority over others because we signed up first. So after talking it over, Scott and Sara went to go talk to them and they said they would try to get us all on the trip, and it should be possible. So we will find out for certain tomorrow morning if we are going.
Anyways we hung at the hostel bar for the night and made friends with the people sleeping in our room- Sam, an American from South Carolina, and two Aussie twin girls, Greta and Lisa. Everyone is so friendly and it was nice hearing about other people’s travels. Then, it was time for sleep.