I arrived in Nice late at night after a 13 hour train ride. I’d originally planned on stopping in Marseille, but found myself tight on time and funds, so I decided to skip that stop. I was so tired after my trip that I just got settled and went to bed. I was in a 4 person mixed dorm and it was obvious that the other 3 beds were taken, but no one was in the room when I arrived.
I was woken up in the middle of the night by 3 guys entering the room. They had obviously been drinking and were trying not to wake me, but weren’t actually being very quiet. As they chatted with each other, I laid in bed, feigning sleep, and tried to (unsuccessfully) figure out what language they were speaking. Imagine my surprise the next morning when it turned out it was English! Apparently, I don’t have such a good ear for understanding drunken Scots.
I enjoyed Nice a lot. It was a relaxing way to wind down my 3 month backpacking trip. But I think this is one place that would be more fun to visit with other people, as it has always been a little strange for me to hang out on a beach by myself. On the bright side, I had the liberating experience of going topless on for the first time. The beach was completely different than what I’m used to in the U.S., where everyone is so body conscious. In Nice, everyone wore a bikini and weren’t self conscious about how they much they weighed or how they looked. And no one gave people weird looks if they were overweight and wearing a bikini or going topless. It was nice that people could just be themselves and not worry about those things. Having struggled with my weight for most of my life, it was an eye-opening experience. I’d never been so naked in public, yet so comfortable with my body. It was an incredible feeling.
On my first day as I walked down to the beach, I was engulfed by this amazing smell. Anyone who’s travelled with me knows that I often find restaurants by literally following my nose. So I turned around and started following the scent until it led me to a restaurant. I’d already eaten lunch and wasn’t hungry, but I marked the location on my map so that I’d be able to find it the next day.
When I arrived the following day, I chatted with the waitress who told me that one of the specials was fish with potatoes and eggs. I thought it sounded like a weird combination, but since my nose had led me to the restaurant, I figured I should give it try. When she brought me the plate it looked like mashed potatoes, as it was fish, potatoes and fried eggs mixed together. I really wish I’d taken a picture so that I could share it with everyone. People always tell me it sounds disgusting when I describe it, but it was seriously one of the best meals I had in the entire time I was in Europe!
Have you ever gone topless on a beach? How did you feel about it?
2 Comments
I’m a guy who has gone to a nude beach and it was quite fun – skinny dipping is much being than swimming with swim trunks on.
Yes, sometimes it’s more fun to be nude and more freeing.