Nice♥️

Today (25.8.2021) we're going to a country that I haven't visited in ages... we're going to France. I think the last time I was here was when I was 16 years old. So it's about time... Phine thinks so too and is coming with me.

At BER airport, we're departing from the same gate as we did about 4 weeks ago - it's like the airport only has one departure gate 😊.

Phine and I are not sitting together, she's enjoying the smell of the banana her neighbor is eating (Phine hates bananas) and I'm enjoying some peace and quiet. After landing, I strike up a conversation with my seatmate, Leo, who lived in Berlin for 4 years and worked at Zalando, and now he's heading back to Nice. He's friendly, so he also takes us to the tram, helps us buy tickets, and even rides part of the way with us 😊.

Our apartment (http://www.booking.com/Share-e4uEA8) is easy to find, we love it (Phine will hate the bed later), but we don't want to waste any time and head to the 7 km long Promenade des Anglais that's right in front of us... after all, we want to ride bikes here. And in Nice, there are bike stations (Velo Blue) all along the waterfront where you can grab a bike - easier said than done, because it turns out to be a bit complicated for us as we're not very familiar with the specific terms of the language, and the 2 people who tried to help us hardly speak any English.

Velo Blue turns into Merde Velo, I'm 😞. Now we're hungry, we walk and Phine googles a nice restaurant (https://www.restaurantdante.fr/).

When we arrive, we find ourselves in front of a butcher shop (Boulangerie Dante)... thanks, Phine, for the delicious meal 🥲 but we quickly realize that the restaurant across the street is also called Dante, that's what she was looking for.

The waitress is very helpful, she tries to create a vegetarian meal for me, and the bakery is not without reason... the menu mainly consists of fish and meat. But I get my animal-free meal ♥️. It tastes amazing, Phine could dive into her food (but at 25€, she definitely should😳). However, the buttery sauce will keep her awake at night...

The next morning, I sneak out to the supermarket because our fridge is empty, a bit of water and coffee would be nice! I try my hand at French again, sometimes it goes well, sometimes not so well (realization: the bill is not called "le check")... and it seems the reputation of the French is not entirely wrong because many of them hardly speak English, even many young people.

It doesn't go well when I order a croissant and a coffee... and receive a baguette instead 😩. But Phine is happy when I give her the freshly brewed coffee, so let the day begin.