Can(nes) We Stay Forever?

This spring break, my friends and I gallivanted around France, and had the most amazing five days. We started in Paris, flying in late on Tuesday evening, after our last classes ended. Wednesday was our only full day in Paris, as we were taking a train to the French Riviera early Thursday morning. And man, did we make it count! I had never been to Paris before this week, but believe me when I say I will be returning. Paris is a very calm city: the metros are quiet, the people talk softly, and there are flowers and bikers everywhere. Everything was truly green, it was the first time it really felt like spring. 

We started our day by going to Versailles, which was absolutely HUGE. I mean, seriously, I have never been on any tour like this one. The palace just kept going, and going, and going. And then when we finished, we went outside to see the gardens, only to discover that they were four times the size of the palace. We didn’t have time to walk around the gardens, but if you’re going to visit, I’d recommend bringing walking shoes and taking a few hours to walk around. Apparently there are over 800 statues on the grounds. 

After visiting Versailles, we went to the Garden of Luxembourg, which had a bunch of lawn chairs strewn about. The garden was filled with flowers and fountains and stunning statues, but my favorite part was the center, where people were sitting around on the lawn, reading and relaxing. It was so peaceful. 

Afterwards, I briefly separated from the group because I HAD to see the Louvre. Considering its size, I think I did pretty well with my time, and I meandered around by myself. That afternoon we also saw the Eiffel tower and Notre Dame, of course, and then I begged my friends to stop at Shakespeare and Co. with me. I was under the impression that everyone knew what this bookstore was, but apparently this is not the case. Shakespeare and Co. is a bookstore famous for being a safe haven for writers–they can even stay a night for free, as long as they help for a few hours at the shop, and write a page-long autobiography–and for being a meeting place for famous literary figures of the 20th century.

We went to dinner at Brasserie L’Alsace and had classic French beef stew, and my friends Amelia and Sylvia also tried escargot for the first time. 

Thursday morning we got up bright and early to go to the train station. We took the train about six-hours to Nice. We were staying at an Airbnb in Vence, a smaller town outside of Nice, which had a beautiful garden and a pool, and overlooked the mountains. On Friday we mostly hung out at the house, enjoying the peace and quiet in the garden and by the pool. In the evening though, we wanted to venture into town, but quickly discovered that it was 45-minutes away and all uphill. We thought we could catch the last shuttle into town, but we just missed it, so we hiked our way to town in sundresses and sandals. 

Saturday was a day I will never forget. We wanted to go to the beach, but the beaches between Antibes (south of Vence, on the coast) and Nice are all rocks, whereas the beaches between Antibes and Cannes are sandy. So we went to Cannes, and settled for the day on a public beach. Between the crystal clear water, the mountains and hills in the background, and the cloudless blue sky, we were in heaven. We did try to swim in the ocean briefly, but after about ten minutes, we were quickly beaten by the ginormous waves and early-spring temperatures. 

Foolishly, I did not apply sunscreen (in my defense, it was only 67 degrees Fahrenheit, and I usually can feel a sunburn form), and ended up bright red. Like, BRIGHT red. Like, to an extent that was shocking. Seriously, my chest and stomach could be used as a stoplight. 

Anyway, after our day, we had Mexican food at a spot in town called Loka Bar and Restaurant, and then watched the sunset over the beach. The perfect ending to the most perfect spring break I can recall.