Nice...and the Photos to Prove It

Maria and I are in Nice, and I am feelin very uncomfortable in a comfortable office chair, mostly because we spent the good part of the day yesterday roasting like pheasants on God's rotisserie, southern France. The beach is absolutely splendid here, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky, although I was entranced well enough by the topless women that I probably would not have noticed a space ship crash land into the lifeguard stand. I don't think the lifeguards would have noticed either.

But anyway, Nice is basically paradise. It's hot during the day, hot enough to scald my pale white body into a tomato hue, and cools off considerably at night. We dined last night with some friends we met, Joey and Glenda, from Wales, and we were both grumbling about how it is impossible to eat outside in the summer time in our native cities. In Wales, the weather has been so awful lately (flooding in Yorkshire, general misery elsewhere) that Glenda and Joey are confined to dining inside. In Washington, the humidity is so nasty during the summer months that hot dishes are almost unpalatable from June-September. In Nice, however, we both ate outside comfortably, enjoying the breeze and the fresh air. I had a seafood salad followed by a rabbit stew over ravioli and Maria had a delicious salad and then some fresh fish with vegetables. Also, wine was consumed liberally.

Today, after we leave the internet cafe, we will probably take the short train to Monaco and visit the famed Monte-Carlo casino where I will try to win back the small fortune I spent on booze in Brussels. We may also visit the graves of Prince Rainier and Grace Kelly. Monaco is the second smallest independent nation in the world (Vatican City being the first) so I don't think we will have too much trouble seeing the sights in one afternoon. Tomorrow morning, back to the beach for some swimming and then off to Berlin for a 5-day blitzkreig of the city. That was very tasteless and I'm sorry. I am having a great time so far and this blog is a great exercise for me, because I am usually so bad about jotting down my thougts.