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.
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