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Nice: Day 1

More sunshine accompanied us as we left Cassis and traveled to Nice - following the Côte d'Azur all the way via high-speed trains. Shimmering seas and endless beaches eventually lulled me to sleep on the train until we got to the bustling city of Nice.

As soon as we arrived, we noticed lots of people and cars - back to the big city environment! We walked to the apartment we rented and met our host, who showed us in and helped us get settled into the environment. Anxious to eat, we lightened our load quickly and grabbed essentials before heading out to the main street to find food.

Fortunately, we happened upon a row of restaurants that were still open for lunch, one of them advertising a daily special of gambas pasta for €12. Done! We sat down and ordered, only to find out that they had run out of the special. Darn. Disappointed, we ordered the closest item on the menu - seafood pasta - which turned out okay, but not great. Since we were famished, we gobbled down the pasta in no time, and were surprised to be out of restaurant in less than an hour!

What next? Shopping! As this was the last city of our trip, we could finally indulge buying souvenirs without worrying about lugging them from city to city. The guidebook recommended a shopping mall (the first we had seen in France) nearby, so we started there. Stepping into the brightly lit mall, it felt like we were back in North America, except that the store brands were French. They even had some of the same brands: H&M, The Body Shop, Claire's, Starbucks, and Hollister. Wandering through the stores, it became apparent that the mall was targeted to tourists, and that locals probably did their shopping elsewhere.

We returned to the streets and searched instead for coffee and pastries. Strangely, a lot of boulangeries and patisseries were closed, but one Patisserie Orientale was open! I was curious what oriental pastries I would find in France, and was pleased to see an assortment of Tunisian desserts along with hot beverages for purchase. We sat down with coffees and fresh donuts... and loved it! The coffee was made in such a way that preserved the coffee flavor but had none of the bitterness or acidity, and the fresh donut was a perfect balance of crispiness and chewiness.

Satisfied, we headed to the grocery store to see what goodies we could find before we had to head out for dinner at the edge of the old town.

Dinner was at Bel Oeil, a Mediterranean restaurant that was refreshingly friendly. Smiles greeted us as soon as we stepped in, despite being dressed in shorts, and they were quick to switch to English without any hint of condescension. Our waiter patiently explained each item we had questions about, and when we asked about non-alcoholic beverages made with syrups, he described all the flavors they had, even giving us a sample of one of the more unique flavors (orgeat). The salad appetizers were refreshing, and the main courses (we ordered moussaka and cod) were well-received by everyone.

Full of food, we walked briskly back to the Tunisian patisserie to see if we could get some mint tea before they closed for the night. With minutes to go, we made it to the store and bought the tea, which was better than the Moroccan restaurant back in Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume. More minty and sweeter, it promised to lure us back for more.

What to do tomorrow? Relax at the beach?

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