Toulouse and Nice

As the French part of my trip comes to an end, Toulouse and Nice were really a great way to wrap it up with quite a bang of French beauty and fun. And my French has gotten way better than I would've expected by now! I even could understand parts of the conversation during dinner with Lauren's host family, and could utter a few of the basic phrases like bonjour, merci, curafdo, je vu drè, navión, facíl, très bon, contó, je se pa, ou, qai, je sui (I don't think any of those are spelled right though). Having Lauren to translate really helped, and I enjoyed trying out the language I lot more than I had expected to!

Toulouse, more than Paris and Nice, was definitely the city in which I felt most at home. As a river front town, Toulouse offers amazing boutiques, cafes, and a bustling ambience that combined with its down to earth people and music atmosphere, make for a very warm and welcoming city. Lauren and I got on "bees level" (you do the bees to say goodbye) with all sorts of interesting people including Samir (pushed me on a swing), Marie (our amazingly artistic and awesome Airbnb host), Lauren's host family, and Yann and Sophie (who we met while watching the Garron at sunset and took us out to an EDM club). Even the waiter at Lauren's favorite cafe remembered her after 2 years! The time we spent with the people in Toulouse were definitely the highlight of my France trip.

Nice was a whole different animal full of tropical beauty and an international taste. We went to the beach (nude of course), which felt very European with its rocks instead of sand and dazzling blue water, and ended up stumbling across a waterfall with a beautiful view of the city and waterfront, and the feeling was so serene with classical music playing in the background and the poignant smell of nature. Another highlight was a famous ice cream place called Fenochio's with 70 different flavors (we tried Beer, Irish coffee, Olive, Cactus, Orange flower, Rose, Violet, Chocolate ginger, and Tomato Basil), and then we had a rancorous night out at a place where you stand on tables and chairs instead of a dance floor, where we made some funny British friends. Overall, the city had a very international feel with blends of French, Italian, and Spanish, and the ambience was very beachy and relaxing.

I honestly was pleasantly surprised to enjoy France as much as I did - I found that the French like Americans more than I was expecting, and I enjoyed the glamorous, proper, beautiful culture. I'm enjoying a nice Aperol Spritz right now during my layover in Rome, and we'll see where the rest of my night out in Rome will take me (judging by my hostel mates, it seems like it'll be quite a night!) Stay tuned for Greece nexttttt