Nice is Berry Nice...

Nice is pretty amazing... I must say I wasn't completely impressed with Cannes (granted I barely got to see any of it outside the festival); but Nice is definitely Berry Nice...

For my first official day in Nice, I decided to rent a bike from the rental place across from my Hostel on Rue Meyerbeer. It was only 14Euros, not too bad for a full day of fun! And fun it was.

I haven't ridden a bike along the beach since I was a kid. In the summer my family would go to Redondo Beach and we would ride our bikes in the park and along the ocean side. Those were some of the fondest memories of my childhood... when everything was simple and fun. So you could imagine my excitement when I got the bike... I eagerly headed down the block to the beachshore.

The bike was a little big, so I had some trouble getting off and on it, but I held it together on my tippytoes and rode away.

The sun was shining in my face as I gleamed with pride, riding into the sunlight and basking in its warmth. The wind struck against my long hair and whisked it behind me like a sail. And the biggest smile I've had since I began this trip formed, from pure exhilaration. In that instance it happened... I was a kid again.

I had never felt so free in years. Riding along the coast of the French Riviera was truly an amazing experience, one that will be on my top ten traveling-memories list. I was in awe of the view from my bike seat. It was like living in a postcard, where everything stands still and remains perfect, only I was riding through it. A surreal feeling of magic was with me.

I rode my bike from one end of the coast to the other, stopping every now and then to sunbathe on the shore. At one point I got hungry and found a grocery store near by. I took advantage of the fact that my bike had a basket, and decided to buy some essentials (like shampoo), to trek with me back "home."

I rode it into town, riding alongside cars and scooters. At times I was a bit nervous - not knowing exactly where to ride was a bit of an issue, but I survived regardless. I went to the Museum of Contemporary Art and afterwards rode to the flea market to do some shopping.

Sometimes I walked the bike, afraid to ride it in the congested areas with a lot of pedestrians. The last thing I wanted was to have a biking accident. Sometimes this was a b*tch; especially in the parts of the market that were squeezed tightly together. But overall, still worth it to have the bike with me.

Oh and how could I forget... during my ride along the beach, I attempted to fix my sweater which was hanging off the basket. Of course I did this during riding, of course I lost my balance, and of course I fell flat on my face in the concrete where I badly scraped my knee. And of course I got right back up and went on my way.

My Nice-biking experience, really hit me. After my full day of riding the streets of France, I realized that I was extremely lucky to have the opportunity to do something like this. Some people will never even get to travel outside their hometown, or set foot on a plane, let alone the shores of the French Riviera. I'm privileged and fortunate to have this experience be a part of my life.

It's too amazing to take for granted. I promise I won't...