Straßourg

When I left Nice's beaches for Strasbourg, everyone asked me why. But it was actually an amazing place and I'm happy I got to see it. Since it's in the Alsace region, it has a very German feel which made it different from everywhere else I'd been. Even though it's a big city (it's actually the capital of all Europe), it looked like an adorable little Bavarian village. 

Since I had taken the overnight train, I had plenty of time on my first day there to explore. It ended up being a tour of churches that perfectly summed up my trip. The three biggest cathedrals in the city each had features that looked similar to an amazing church I saw elsewhere. The first had a dome that reminded me of Sacre Cœur. 

The next church I came across was the most unique. The inside was decorated with murals instead of stained glass like most cathedrals. 

 But the courtyard attached to it looked exactly like the Mont St. Michel abbey. 

The last one I found is actually one of the top attractions of the city, la Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Strasbourg. At one point it was the tallest building in the world, so it really is impressive. But the facade reminded me of la Sagrada Familia in Barcelona because it was so busy and ornate.  

For the rest of the day I just wandered the streets and channels. The pastry shops in Strasbourg were probably my favorite because they had the best French baked goods and the best German delicacies. Which basically means they make a lot of pretzels in addition to the tarts and chocolates. 

The first night, I was sitting in the lobby when someone I knew walked in. Troy is an Australian I had met early on in Nice, but we had no idea that we would both be in Strasbourg. So the next day we met early and headed out for a day of exploring. We actually wandered so far that we walked straight into Germany. There isn't much to see in the small town of Kehl, but at least I can now say I had a beer in Germany. 

After two relaxing and great days, I headed back to Paris, completing the circuit of my very own Tour de France. I'm still amazed at how natural that city feels to me and how easily I navigate the metro and streets without a map. So I spent the day just walking and enjoying my last full day in Europe. 

Yeah, it's pretty Nice

Since leaving Saint Malo, I've had the most unforgettable experiences! When I realized I had the chance to go anywhere, I immediately booked a train to Nice. I spent a total of 9 hours on the train, including two stuck in the mountains on the train who thought he couldn't. I finally got there after midnight, and I was greeted with 80 degree weather and beautiful views.

The first day, I woke up bright and early to go sightseeing before it got too hot. There is a beautiful set of castle ruins on a hill with the most incredible panorama view of the Baie des Anges. 

From there, I walked back down into the old city where there is a multitude of wonders. I think every city must agree it's fun to hide the most impressive churches down the narrowest streets. 

The biggest market in Nice is the Cours Saleya. Most days it is a flower and fruit market, but it turns into an antique flea market on Mondays. Since I happened to be staying in Nice long enough, I got to see both versions. Most of the flowers were arranged in gorgeous boquets that made the entire neighborhood smell amazing; but there were also "flowers" appropriate for the weather,

and sea sponges being sold as natural face cleansers. 

After a few hours walking around in the heat, all I wanted to do was run into the sea. So I grabbed a towel and headed to the infamous beaches.

After spending so many days on the beaches of Saint Malo, where the sand was impossibly sticky, the sandless rock beaches seemed like a welcome change. And then I actually walked on one... The stones were so hot that I have blisters and cuts from walking the short distance to the water and back. But just being in the cool water made it worth it. 

Within ten minutes I was playing volleyball in the sea with a Québécois, a Welsh, and two Italians. After a couple hours with them on the beach, it was only 1 in the afternoon (I really meant it when I said I was up bright and early). So on a whim I decided to go to Monaco. The group from the beach were heading back to the Italians' apartment, so we took the same train. Well in my excitement over the Québécois commenting that I spoke in the exact style of a French person, I accidentally missed my exit. Instead of panicking, I exited at Ventimiglia and got to have an amazing pasta and shrimp lunch in Italy. Eventually, I did get back to Monaco in time to wander the streets and the route of the Grand Prix before watching the sunset on the beach. 

That night I headed to the casino to just watch the rich people and their cars.

What happened still feels like a dream. As I was walking behind a group of younger adults just leaving, I heard them talking about Michigan. In a random stroke of boldness and luck, I introduced myself and they actually talked to me. When they found out I had just finished working as an au pair, all the women in the group went crazy. It turns out, the group was 4 couples from Port Huron who have all been looking for a part-time au pair for their children. They insisted on talking to me more, so they invited me to have a drink on a yacht with them. Somehow, my budgeted trip turned into sipping a glass of wine on a yacht in Monte Carlo with 4 women fighting over who could pay me to come to Disney with them first. I'm still not getting my hopes up that it wasn't all a dream; but if it is real, then I might have the most amazing job when I get back to America. 

The next day, I explored the immediate area around my hostel and found a fresh food market. So I bought some peaches and the makings for a sandwich that I took to the beach for my daily picnic. This time, it was a group from Normandy that I played volleyball with. The guys in the group wanted to practice their English, but the girls were more than happy to be speaking French with me.

That night I bought some noodles from the supermarket and made pasta in the hostel's kitchen. There were several other people doing something similar, so we all ate together and hung out. It was a huge group of Australians, Canadian newlyweds, Swedish boy band members, and Scott the Scot who had the most amazing accent I've ever heard. We decided to wander the streets looking for a good club, but when we finally chose one it ended up being a gay club. I think I enjoyed it more than anyone else. I got to chat and make friends with lots of French guys who promised to be my pen pals! 

The next day, I met the new group staying in my room - Maxx, Aidan, and Brian. It didn't take long to realize that Brian and I have most likely seen each other before. He lives in Ann Arbor and goes to planet rock (the climbing gym I love) almost every day. So we bonded over our love for U of M, and all went to the beach together. Somehow, every day on the beach I met a group of people I could talk to in French. That day, it was a couple Belgian guys who joined our party in the water. Later that night, our hostel was hosting a pub crawl. Almost everyone from the night before went out again, but we also got to meet some new awesome Australians and Swedish girls. 

I had a blast getting to know so many people from so many different places! But the next day was my last in Nice, so I figured I deserved another relaxing beach day with the Americans and Canadians before taking an overnight train to Strasbourg for my last couple days in Europe. 

La Bretagne

As if Saint Malo wasn't fantastic enough on it's own, it was perfectly situated in Bretagne to visit other gorgeous cities. Every different village had its own special charm. 

Cancale is the seafood haven of Bretagne, so the beaches are pretty much dedicated to fishermen. Deadliest Catch is a lot less exciting in real life..

At low tide, anyone can walk out on the beaches and find oysters. Most restaurants along the bay actually allowed you to bring in the shells for them to prepare fresh for you. With help from Boris, I harvested two perfect oysters. Once they were cooked with a lot of butter and sauces they tasted decent, despite the unappetizing texture. 

Dol is the only city I visited that wasn't on the ocean, but it was still gorgeous. It had a much more medieval feel that made it really fun to wander. Most of the streets in the center of the city were so narrow that only motorcycles and bikes were allowed. That also meant that you could rarely see what you were heading towards. At one point, I turned a corner and went from tiny passage to the parking lot of a massive cathedral. 

There was also a free medieval museum next to the cathedral that pretty much consisted of knives and buttons. 

Dinard is right across the bay from Saint Malo, so there's a cheap sailboat taxi running between the two all day. The coast of Dinard is primarily cliffs and wild land, so I spent the entire day climbing the rocks and hiking.

That morning I had packed a baguette and cheese picnic for myself, but when I sat down down to eat, I ended up sharing. I had climbed down from a path to a nice flat rock where I could dangle my feet in the ocean.

It wasn't long before a seagull was slowly inching towards me. Somehow, he never moved while I was watching but was closer every time I looked, like in a horror film. Eventually he was standing right next to me just starting at my bread. When I finally caved and fed him a piece, he took it surprisingly politely and sat down. He ended up sitting next to me for the whole meal, cooing happily. 

Dinard was a refreshing escape from the crowds of tourists in the cities. And the ride back gave me an amazing view of les Intramuros I have come to love so much.

One of the coolest places I visited was Mont Saint Michel, an incredibly old abbey and fortified island. It still houses monks today, but luckily the prison and torture chambers that used to occupy the basement have closed. 

Saint Malo was a wonderful city, and I'm lucky to have lived there. But plans change and life goes on, so as sad as I am to leave, my job with this family has ended and I'm heading out to explore the rest of France on my own. So be prepared, because I plan on making the most of my last two weeks and having plenty of fantastic stories.