Our first full day in Nice we spent at the beach. We got there in the morning and did not leave until late afternoon. Spending the entire day there was absolutely wonderful, the water was beautiful and had a bit of a green tint to it. This was out first time actually swimming in the Mediterranean and it was incredible! We got a little too excited about finally being in the sun. Although we did apply sunscreen regularly, it was still not enough for being out by the beach for six straight hours. Since both of our stomaches have not seen the light of day we both got incredibly burnt. We did not realize this at first until we started to walk back to our hostel. Right away we attempted to buy aloe vera, which apparently is unheard of in France. Mich and I ended up buying some kind of after sun lotion, which did not exactly help the damage. For the next couple days I only showered in cold water and avoided all clothing that may be painful. Although we might have been a bit miserable, spending the entire day at the beach was definitely all worth it! That evening we spent exploring around Old Nice. Filled with music, delicious food, and little markets, we immediately fell in love with this place. It was also nice to have a break from traveling through big cities. Being able to focus on all of the little details gave me time to really appreciate and take in my surroundings. A little ways away from the main streets of excitement, Mich and I found an ally which looked as if it could have been on a green screen in a film production. As the sun began to set the colors of the buildings became even more vibrate and unrealistic. We stayed there for quite some time, simply attempting to take everything in. For dinner we decided to go out for pizza! Lets just say that at that point, neither one of us could wait to eat Italian food. I have never craved pasta and pizza more in my life! So we both caved in and ordered two personalized pizzas. Expecting a much smaller portion, we were absolutely astonished when they brought our food to the table. There was sooo much pizza! Splitting one would have been way more than enough! As we ate, I really enjoyed people watching. Near our restaurant, a group of guys met up with their friends. They seemed a couple years younger than us. Yet, their interactions were very mature. They gave each other hugs and kisses on the cheek, greeting one another like family members! I really admire this aspect of European culture. People tend to act in a manner that is natural to them, without giving a second thought to any judgment that could be made by others. Seeing others interact in general, gave me a taste of a local experience. I could only imagine how much fun it would have been to grow up in a place like this!

Day two we spent traveling and exploring Monaco! The train ride over there took a little under an hour and what a beautiful train ride it was! The train followed the cost line, which as you can imagine was glorious. Unfortunately upon arrival, we were unable to actual go swiming because most beaches were private. Here we saw the famous Montecarlo casino. That was pretty awesome, however, our lack of proper attire restricted us from actually going inside. The gardens surrounding this place were filled with palm trees and other exotic plants. Among those plants was aloe vera, immediately after identifying the plant, Mich and I broke off about ten giant branches each and began to actually apply it right there on the spot. As groups of people would pass us, they would definitely give us weird looks. At that point, however, we definitely did not care. One girl actually asked us what we were doing, and than kindly offered advice on how to deal with our burns. As we were leaving the park, we saw a sign which stated that picking plants is strictly prohibited and if caught, will result in a fine. Luckily by that point we managed to hide the remainders of the branches, saving a couple for later of course! Next we saw the palace of the prince of Monoco, which was a lot smaller and not nearly as excusit as the one that belonged to the royal family in London. The view, however, was incredible and had a great overview of the entire town along with the Mediterranean. Monaco was extremely hot, this is probably the hottest weather we had over the coarse of out trip! We were definitely excited to return back to Nice and go swimming. The chilly water felt absolutely amazing on our lobster like skin!
Tomorrow we are leaving for Cinque Terre on a 9:25 am train! So excited to spend my birthday there! Pasta and wine... Here we come!