Step, step, step, step

 Paris has been an trip consisting entirely of walking. Ella and I come home at night and almost immediately pass out, not before taking our shoes off our aching feet. Our third day and Paris all we did was walk! From monument to monument was around ten miles, not counting the actual walking we did around each site. Our first day in Paris we had some trouble on the train and since then we've been avoiding public transportation even when it would make our lives much easier. We've also been walking because it's been a great way to see the city. Each arrondissement is like entering a different world, a new neighborhood to explore.

Our third day in Paris was Bastille day, France's Independence Day. We walked leisurely over to the gardens of the Louvre where we sat for a while by a pond and watched a duck and her ducklings swim effortlessly through the water. Our stomachs lead us to the park's edge where we had an overpriced snack of cafe au lait (ole!) and split a chocolate and banana crepe. We then made our way up to the Cathedral of Scared Heart without using a map, just using the church on the hill as a guiding beacon. Sacred Heart lies at the top of a large hill, meaning the views of the city are spectacular. Its all white facade makes it look so pure and pristine standing alone on the top of Montmartre.

After spending time in the shade of a tree looking at the view and some failed attempts at selfies, we descended the hill with our sights set on the Champs Elysees and the Arc de Triumph. We hadn't been that interested in climbing monuments, but we decided getting to the top of the Arc was a must. It would have been an incredible place to watch the Bastille day fireworks, but it closed early for the holiday. After we started walking to the Eiffel Tower to find a spot to watch the fireworks. Seeing the fireworks next to the Eiffel Tower was picture-perfect. It's what I've always imagined when I pictured Paris. Everything about Paris is romantic, from the people to the city itself. It truly is a magical city, just waiting to be explored!

Beach bum

After a few days in Paris, Ella and I took the train through the French countryside to Nice. Our train whizzed past fields of lavender and sunflowers as we headed toward the coast. We arrived around dinnertime, but it stays light late in France. We checked in, dropped our bags and headed to the beach. Our feet tried to navigate the rocky beach and we jumped into the turquoise water. The water in Nice is so salty that it takes no effort to float. After our swim, we went out for fresh seafood and a drink. We met a bartender, Edwardo - a Portuguese man who was as amused at us as we were infatuated with him. He suggested a few places to go out. We went to a British pub and then to a bar that had live bands playing covers of American songs. Ella and I danced our butts off to David Burne, the Eurythmics, all "parent classic rock" as I deemed it (you would have loved it mom!) The shots were cheap and the walls were covered in guitars and classic records. We stayed out late and when we got back towards home decided to take a dip in the ocean before we bed.

The day we sunned our bodies like lizards on the rocky beach. We had no interest in doing anything other than being bum, bum, bums. We were supposed to meet up with one of my friends from New York who was traveling in Nice at the same time, but through the lack of phones it proved impossible. Long after we had given up on meeting her on the beach, we ran into her just as we were about to leave. We made a plan before we parted ways to de-salt and change. We stopped by to talk to our favorite bartender and then met up with Emily for tapas, then went to a hostel bar for cheap drinks. Ella and I were playing a drinking game called bottle hockey when two Chileans asked to join us. We bonded over the game and spent of the night talking, drinking and yelling "GOOOAALLLLL" (they had a clear advantage). We went out to a bar with live music for drinks, hip-dancing and lots of dips. We danced into the wee hours of the morning, my mind not wanting to stop but my body refusing to continue. As our custom had become, we went for a pre-bed swim. We crawled into bed just before the sun came up.

On our last full day we thought we would go out and see some of the sights, but all we could bring ourselves to do was lay out on the beach. We had a giggle-fit that lasted about three hours, luckily in the privacy of our room. Between the lack of sleep and too much sun, we found everything funny and couldn't even attempt to stifle the giggles that were definitely annoying to anyone in earshot. For dinner we went to a place recommended by Edwardo, which served insane portion sizes - probably the size of kiddie pools...though that may be a BIT of an exaggeration. It was definitely the best food we had in Nice. After that we had to say goodbye to our place by the sea and head back to NYC! Though I will miss France, it's always nice to come back to familiar faces.