Nice Nice!

I know that play on words is old, but I couldn't help myself. It's up to you to decide which one is the city and which is the description. I won't tell you which way I wrote it though. 
Last blog I had just arrived in Nice at 1am. I didn't get a hotel because they were crazy expensive and I heard you could stay in the train station over night if you had a train leaving the next day. It must have been a story about another station because this one closes after the last train arrives. Ha! Ok...let's see how this goes. 
I think the previous night helped prepare me for this. I had already thought about saftey precautions, so I put my emergency whistle in my pocket (hey it's not much but it can be irritating if nothing else) and covered my bag with it's rain pouch, which now doubles as my theft prevention system. I sat close to some other backpackers with my back against the wall and waited for sunrise. 
While I don't know that I would choose to do this again, it turned out to be one of those nights I will remember forever. In addition to the backpackers near me, there were two other groups further down the station who were prepared with sleeping bags and hunkered down for the night. There was a stream of playboys, with their fancy cars, slickedback hair, and polo shirts with the collar flipped up, and a small population of night crawlers who were on the prowl with a primary goal of humming free cigarettes off people. One guy came around four different times during the night to ask the same question. Another woman asked me for a cigarette, but it was about 6 times back-to-back-to-back....you get the picture. 
Then a man sat on the steps a few feet away and tried to start a conversation. Before I sat down I did everything in my power to deflect attempts at conversation. Distance was my protection, my bubble of safety. I put on a hat and pulled my hood over my head. I tried to hid my face as much as possible so people didn't know what they were dealing with. It was a great try but really didn't work. 
So the man on the steps started the conversation with the usual questions and we talked about where we were heading. He said he was on holiday, and got in late only to find all the hotels were either booked or expensive. He had been down in Nice a month ago and got a hotel for 30€, and now everything was over 100€. I told him I was headed to Milan,  and he offered to show me around.  I had a flash of the movie Taken. No way was I going to tell him I was traveling alone and sure, come on the train with me to your city to show me around, despite the fact that I just met you. I politely declined stating that I was meeting a friend when I got there. Good one, huh? He said he was headed to get a cafe and I should go join the two backpackers nearby to stay safe and to help deflect the night crawlers. 
I took a moment to consider this suggestion and agreed that it was a good option. I had been keeping my eye on them as a possible shelter/huddle spot because they started out separately then soon started talking about their travels and busted out a map to see where they were going next. It seemed normal, they laughed, and they were two guys. I moved. 
I asked if I could join them and they said yes. I got to hear their stories and shared some of mine, even though I had very little travel time compared to them. 
Vesko is Bulgarian and has been away from home since the end of January. He went to Portugal with 150€ to his name, supplementing his income with street performances (frozen man and playing guitar/singing) and recycling. He then started to head home but found work picking grapes in the south of France. Oh yeah, and he sort of looks like I imagine Jesus would have. Olive skin, curly hair and beard, quick to laugh and tell stories, and has been walking around without shoes (despite the fact that he can buy them) for the past four months. That's Vesko. 
Spanish Korean (SK) recieved his name because he is Korean and spoke to me in Spanish most of the night. He is studying Spanish and Linguistics in school because he hopes to some day be ambassador. He speaks some English but admits he needs to practice. Considering that he speaks Korean, Spanish, Japanese, and probably one or two other languages and I only speak English with sprinkles of Spanish, I though I would let his lack of English (which was actually pretty good when he used it and he understood when I responded in English) I let it slip. :)
I can only imagine what our ragtag temporary unit must have looked like and sounded like to those walking by.
SK spoke in Spanish. I responded in English, as did Vesko. At one point Vesko wanted to learn some Korean and Japanese phrases so he wrote them down in English for SK to tranlate. When the results came back with the Korean characters Vesko laughed and had no idea what to do. I suggested writing down the sounds that each word made so they started to break it down. I was hearing the sounds and mentally writing them down in English. I looked down and Vesko was writing the sounds down in his native language. It made my mind swirl!! 
The rest of the night went pretty well. We went though phases of talking, sitting in comfortable (at least on my end) silence, all mixed in with laughter and sharing. I brought out my Serrano Farms almonds and once again they were a hit! Vesko brought out some nuts he had picked while hitchhiking earlier in the week. He broke them open with one of the empty bottles laying around. SK shared his train schedule as Vesko tried to figure out how to get home for the summer festival that he didn't want to miss. 
Ibrahim came and went several different times. He switched between sitting with us and going to search for a cafe and a bathroom. When he was there he was often confused and entertained by Vesko. He couldn't understand why Vesko is a vegetarian. He laughed asking why he did that and saying he has meat and rice every day. Vesko talked (the guy talks a lot...the main reason he's in most of this story) about wanting to switch to raw diet. Response: (laughing) "This guy is funny!" He asked him why he doesn't wear shoes, what is his religion (SK, "you must pray to God to thank him for all your blessings"), and asked him about working ("if you work then you can send more money to your family" response " yes, but I don't want to leave my country. I like it, but I will go back to pick grapes next year"). It was interesting to watch and listen as Ibrahim asked all the questions people usually think but don't ask to be polite, and Vesko answered each without getting angry or frustrated. For the most part I sat back listened and enjoyed. 
Other things that happened during the night: 
-a guy walked by with a bloody nose and no shoes. He circled around and eventually made his way back to our group to ask what timethe station opened. All the guys looked at me so I answered. We started talking about what happened: 
Nose: I must look horrible right now
Me: it's probably not your best look
Nose: ha. Yeah, I was walking along eating my ice cream earlier today wheni got hit out of no where. I woke up in the hospital
Me: holy crap! (how else can you respond??) Did they rob you?
Nose: no! I still have my wallet and phone. They just beat the shit out of me. I work on a vessel and if I don't get there they will leave me. I'm trying to call them but can't get answer. 
Me: that's crazy. Good luck. 
Nose: thanks...
He wandered away. Before long someone waved down an ambulance for him. He told them he had already been to the hospital and he was ok, so they left. I gave him my bag of kleenex before he went on his way
-a man peeing in open view; less than 30 yards from me
-a woman sit down by a package of a chip-like substance someone had abandoned earlier in the day and start eating it like she was at the movies
-Repeat The Drunk (or otherwise altered) stumbling around all night, repeatedly asking me and others if we speak French? Italian? Portuguese? All to which I shook my head, waved my hand, and put my head down. He passed out and was hauled off by station security in the morning. 
The sun started to rise, we got to go to thebathroom and started to separate. SK went first without saying goodbye, but I think he went to find us because I saw him wanderig outside before leaving. Ibrahim went in search of a hotel. Vesko and I went to the bus station to find out if he could catch a train home. I think we were both glad to have some company on the road, and for me it was on the way to the beach. The station didn't open until 9 and it was only 7:30 so we went to the beach.
The beach in Nice is all rocks. No sand, except a little at the waterline but not the soft tropical sand instead it's the hard pebbly sand, just round rocks. Despite the rocks, it is beautiful. The water is light toilet bowl blue for the first few yards before turning a slightly darker shade. There was a waterfall in the hill just above the beach and a lot of houses to pick out for my vacation home. The morning there is ruled by the retired crowd. I think we were the youngest people there, maybe two of 6 under the age of 55, which was actually nice. No pressure to be beautiful and no screaming kids. However, swim suit tops are optional. Given the age of the people I was sharing the beach with, my description will stop here. You're welcome! :)
We plopped our bags on the beach and I headed right to the water. My feet played with the Mediterranean today.  We're friends now. She said to come visit any time!!!
The water was warm, without being too warm, and the waves were slow, small and consistent. I stayed there for a while then went back to lay down. We both ended up taking naps since we stayed up all night. It was a great way to start the day, well the daylight part of the day.
Ditching Vesko 
By the time we started to go back to the bus station I was irritated. I didn't realize how quickly I would get used to traveling alone. All of the sudden there was someone else with an agenda and places he needed to go, totally unrelated to what I wanted to do. The adjustment was...well, it didn't happen for me. **If this feeling is still with me when I get back, I apologize. I'm sure it's a temporary thing. I like hanging out and doing things with other people, ok?** : )
The bus he wanted didn't leave until Friday. It is Monday. I said, "camping on the beach is cool." Response: "that's too long. I don't want to miss the festival." We headed back to the train station so he could look into getting s ticket. By this time it was 11 and getting warmer by the minute. I stayed outside while he booked his ticket: a train leaving to Milan a little after 1pm. He was excited because we would be on the train together. 
Me: yeah, but mine doesn't leave until almost 2. (I pull out my ticket and the actual time is 17:59, basically 6 o'clock) What?
Vesko: if I were you I would change it so you can get to Milan earlier. 
Me: (thinking in my head: hell no!!) No...I already put money down and reserved my space. I'll just wait. (Internal dialogue: there's no way you are following me to Milan!) 
Vesko: Thats what I would do. 
Me: Maybe I'll just go back to the beach! 
He dropped his attempt to convince me to continue with him to Milan. I didn't mean to give out the wrong train information, but I just might start making a habit of it. :)
Vesko: What do you want to do now. 
Me: Eat
We didn't end up getting food. We wandered around. He found a grocery store. I found a second hand store. Then we stumbled onto a fast food place with free wee-fee. 
I was elated. I finally got an Internet connection so I could email, facebook, etc! I ordered a small ice cream and sat down to reconnect.  I was in the middle of my first email when he sat down and said, "oh that means I can email my mom." What? Was there a question there or just a statment? I was pissed! This was my time to get back in touch with my family and he wanted to use my phone and didn't even have the nerve to ask. I was in the middle of an email and he started to peer over the table to see what I was doing. I finished it up and handed him the phone. He checked his email, his mom hadn't emailed him back yet, and then asked what I was doing next. I wasn't moving an inch. I had unlimited Internet for the 1€ it cost to buy an ice cream. Plus, I knew he had to leave for his train soon. I wasn't about to get suckered into walking back with him. So, he gave me a big smile and we did a high-five/handshake thing, while promising to keep in touch. He left and I recieved the gift of solitude, a fast food restaurant full of 50+ families scrambling to feed their screaming children, sweet sweet solitude! 
Now that I have a day to reflect on the situation, I know he didn't realize he pissed me off. For one, I don't show it in obvious ways. Two, he has a complete detachment to material things. Three, all he wanted was to check in to see if he had an email from his mom. 
I am such a jerk! I am completely attached to my iPhone. It serves as my lifeline, especially right now. It is how I find an book hotels, communicate with y'all, and where I get a sense of security (if I'm overwhelmed I just have to make one phone call to make it all stop and head home). I'm not proud of this attachment, but I'm not ready to let it go yet. My Mom's response to this epiphany: admitting it is the first step. :)
As I looked for hotels/hostels on the Internet I discovered that there are a lot of cheap hotels available at the last second. Damn! They tricked me again!!! (Flash back to the last posting where I was excited to snag a place in Rome) I walked back to the train station to cancel the reservation. The response: impossible. I walked back to the Internet spot, maybe 1/2 mile, to call and email the hotel requesting a refund. The response: we will charge you for one night due to the guidelines of the reservation. I already booked another hotel for the same night so I requested that I move it back to the 16th. Tourist trap #2: very effective!! Oh well.
Notes on Nice:
-It was warm at night. I wore a long sleeve shirt and pants but mostly to keep my body clean and to look scarier. Grrrr!
-The morning was really nice but it got hot quick. Not every place is air conditioned, including the fast food joint where I got ice cream and internet, so it turns into an "out of the frying pan and into the fire" situation. Lots of sweat
-People watching is very interesting. People are either wealthy or fronting like they are. It's usually the shoes or the watch that gives their classification away. 

I'm going to keep on going. I was awake for most of the day, minus two shorts naps, so it makes sense that this is long. Feel free to take a break of you need it. :)

Train Ride to Milan
Finally it was time to load the train. I walked to the platform and it says a different city on the display. Everyone starts looking around. People are getting on then getting off. They start asking each other, "is this the one," and no one really knows. Finally, information gets translated and passed down that our train is late and we should take this one. That means open seating for two different trains squeezing into one. I just went for the closest spot, not wanting to claw my way to first class. It was great. A small section that was partially hidden, which meant it was pretty empty. Then came the Monte Carlo stop. Stinky isn't train friendly. If you are stinky from going crazy with booze and gambling in Monte Carlo, please go to another train. There! I've said it. He was funky. Now this awesome, small little area was fill with his odor. Thank goodness for scented lotion. I put some on, then rested my hand on my face. He left after a few stops and the scent assault ended. We finally got to Ventimille and switched to our train to Milan. Then sat there for another 40 minutes. 
When I reached my seat, it was in a private booth with six seats, three on each side. A couple was there already and we tried to communicate in hand signals. I said something in English and he said, "Finally, someone who speaks English!" We laughed and started talking. They are from Dubai. He was impressed when I knew where it was and that it was part of the UAE. I told him it is on my list of places I want to go. They married young, and have 7 children. They are already grandparents, but I would guess they are only in their 40's. We all agreed that it is one of the advantages of having children when you are young. 
He also talked to me about Dubai and looking for jobs over there. He said there is a large U.S. ex-pat population there, about 50,000. We talked about Obama and whether I think the U.S. will turn around soon. **This has been another topic everyone has talked about. Every time they bring up the economic crash that we brought on, I just apologize. : ) What else can you say when your country is the main cause for the stalling economies world-wide? I stick with: my (our) bad!
A few stops later a man from Healdesberg (probably not spelling it correctly, but it's a city new Sonoma) and finally by an Italian man. I only know this because he spoke on his cell phone, loudly, several times. 
Once other people were in the train the couple pretty muc stopped talking. It bummed me out. I enjoyed speaking with them. I wonder if the reason has anything to do with predjudice against those perceived to be Muslim terrorists. (Daniel Thomas told me the previous day that I shouldn't wear my beenie rolled up because it looked like one of those bad people and Parisians don't like it. I told him it was a cold morning!) They left a few stops later. 

Back to the train: Healdesburg is hiking around Italy while his wife and daughter shop in London before meeting up again in another place. He was very nice and we talked for a bit. Then I fell asleep. The kind of sleep where you go from talking to dead to the world in less than 30 seconds. When I woke up he offered to switch places so I could sleep laying down on his side, which was completely empty now. Yes, thank you! I slept that way for maybe another hour. 
He got off at his stop, then it was me and the silent one. Except he wasn't silent. I asked him a question in English about the stops and he asked me if I spoke Spanish. Mas or menos. He switched from Italian to Spanish to help me figure Milan out. He told me to be careful. Taxis are safer than the metro, which stops service at 12:30 (it was already past 11:30), I should take line 2 to my hotel if I do use the metro, etc. I told him I was travelling by myself and he said it was very courageous. Then threw in a few more tips. He easily saved me 30 minutes at the train station with the tips. I thanked him profusley, on several occassions, and we went our separate ways.
The train arrived in Milan an hour late, it was now 12:15. I decided to take a taxi to get to the hotel quicker but didn't have 10€ in cash. I circled the station looking for an ATM. Forget it...I'm going with the metro. I'm really glad I did. My stop was only 3 stops away, maybe 4 and the hotel was only 1 block from the station exit. It was so close that when I asked somone for directions to via Astolfo, they said yes it's right here. 20 yards later I was at the hotel. I apologized for my late arrival. He said no worries and said I was in the sister hotel across the street. 
One more bell to ring with a round of apologies and I was in! I'll be in Milan for 7 hours then it's off to Venice/Rome. I took a shower and crashed out!!!! I have never been so thankful to sleep in a bed.