May 2016
Marseilles
I spent about 4 days in Marseilles. I caught the train in from Bordeaux. It was my first ever city I traveled to and honestly it was a bit terrifying. The first couple of days I had pretty bad anxiety about my predicament, in France alone, no friends or family around and also a move to London on the horizon with no house or no job lined up, I was like shit what have I done! Luckily this feeling only lasted for about a day and then once I got used to be alone I realised I can do whatever I want at my own pace. It’s an amazing way to grow personally and find out who you are and how you overcome challenges. It’s also an amazing way to meet people in a different way to when you aren’t alone. I stayed at an Airbnb in Marseilles and in hindsight this was probably a terrible idea for my first solo trip because it would have been much better to meet other travellers!
Back to Marseilles! This city is very different to all the others I have been in France, much more grimy and rough around the edges. However it is full of creative & hipster cafes, shops and alleyways with plenty of street art. Being on the Mediterranean ocean as well is also beautiful, always happiest by the sea! The cathedral up on the top of the hill is also really beautiful with striking views over the city. The walk along the coast from the city to Parc Borley is very picturesque.
Nice
As soon as I stepped off the train in Nice I knew that I would love this place. The vibe of the city instantly resonated with me, I didn’t even care I had to walk 20 mins with a 20kg backpack. I stayed in the cutest bed and breakfast called Lou Souleou which was right on the promenade down the end of the beach by the old town. It had a really nice balcony over looking the ocean which was really bright blue. I was instantly in heaven. I love how its a holiday town, it just means everyone there is relaxed, on holiday and there to enjoy themselves. It’s also really interesting to meet all the people there who work on the super yachts, such a different world.
I spent 5 nights in Nice. While I was there I visited Monaco, Cannes and VilleFranche-sur-mer. I also visited at a really awesome time of year, the weather was beautiful and not too hot and it was also the Cannes Film festival and the Grand Prix was on in Monaco so there was a lot to see! I even went to watch a red carpet in Cannes and saw so many famous people. I really liked the narrow windy streets of the old town in Nice as well as the beach and promenade walk. The beach and town at Villefranche-sur-mer was beautiful as well as much more relaxing! It was quite funny being a backpacker in cities of such affluence, felt like a bit of an imposter! But I really enjoyed myself, managed to meet some more people and it really helped me quickly realise I love European beaches!
