Yesterday proved to be a long, rainy day. My biggest feat was making some friends in the bar/lounge last night, and getting an earful of woeful traveler's tales about night train thieves, dark alley muggings, and everything in between.
It's good to be reminded that the world's not all roses -- maybe I've got a force field of positive energy around me or something, but I guess I've really been fortunate in that the only things I've lost on my journey thus far are the ones I've accidentally left behind. Knock on wood, but so far, no thieves, and if at all possible, I'd prefer to keep it that way, instead of going through first-hand what the poor Canadian guy is now sorting out, with only the clothes on his back remaining after a night-train-ride-gone-awry. (It pains me to say this, because I have such a strong affection for Italy, but it seems that nearly every story I heard last night had one common thread -- the trains all passed through Italy... so travelers, beware!)
But after a dud day yesterday, I was hoping to actually get out an see some of this apparently magnificent coastline today. Over granola and milk (ah! the first time I've had cereal for breakfast since I was back in the States!), I chatted with a Norwegian girl named Monica about the fjords I'm so crazy about seeing in another 5 weeks or so, and then hooked up with an Australian couple who I had met last night.
We all headed off towards the medieval gem, Eze-Village, located just a short bus ride east along the coast from Nice. With its labyrinthine walls curling upwards like an upside-down funnel, Eze's passageways were a delightful mix of shadows and light. Small shops and boutiques rounded every corner, and bushels of flowers framed stairwells, doorways, and windowboxes. I got so wrapped up in the charm of this gorgeous little town that by the time I realized it, the Australian couple was long gone -- probably off to another small town, having had their fill. Oh well, it was nice to have a bit of company for the start of the day, at least.
But I kept climbing through the town, until I reached an exotic botanical garden at the top. Amid a giggling crowd of middle-school students day-tripping from nearby Italy, I waited out my turn for a ticket. I reveled in the exuberant sounds escaping their lips, and realized happily that in a few short days I would be immersed in Italian culture again... almost two years to the day of my first Italian adventures!Finally I entered the gardens and was blown away by the picturesque views over the cliffs to the sea below. Nice could be seen stretching westward, the blue Mediterranean lapping gently along its rocky coastline. Sapphire blue water, blossoming cacti and other exotic plants, billowy clouds framing a soft blue sky -- it was a gorgeous setting. I soaked it all in, and the worked my way back to the bus stop, hoping to connect further on up the cost to Monaco.
~Melanie
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