7.26.2012

tabletops and oysters

one thing i hadn't really experienced in nice the last time i was there was the culture/night life aspect.  actually, pretty much the only thing i "experienced" my last time around was the beach, so it's probably safe to say there were many things i didn't experience, but as food is of great importance in my life this was top of the list of my priorities on my second trip.

my first night out in nice was unexpected.  i arrived to my hostel completely shattered as i had taken the overnight bus from paris with a couple of families who children enjoyed screaming their abc's at the top of their lungs at 3 am. cute.  my plan was get to my hostel, drop my things, go to the beach and pass out.  all of the above happened, but when i returned to my hostel hours later (and a gorgeous new shade of crimson might i add...), i was still tired.  cursing those strangers who chose to ignore their children's disregard for other passengers, i crawled into my bed and closed my eyes when one of my hostel roommates arrived.

i'm only saying this because i'm 300% sure the chances are slim he will ever be able to find and read this blog, but i actually don't really remember his name.  i think it was mike though, and he was from the uk.  it was also his birthday and he made it clear that everyone in the room was coming out with him that evening for it.  it was also his last night in the hostel, so i decided i would catch up on sleep the following day/night and left with him, our two other canadian roommates, and two american girls from down the hall to go to wayne's - a popular tourist bar in the area.


we drank cheap wine and beer at the hostel beforehand, so there wasn't any real need to get drinks while we were at wayne's, but there was a clear need to get up on the tables and dance.  don't worry, we weren't alone.  apparently, that's what you do at wayne's, or at least it was what everyone was doing.  


my second night out in nice was slightly calmer, as it was the night that my friends from new york arrived.  we decided to meet for dinner at a place in the old town that was recommended in my guidebook called cafe de turin.

this infamous seafood restaurant has been in nice since 1908, and actually was one of the top things listed on trip advisor to do in nice, so we decided to give it a go. of course i was slightly hung over, so this was one of my eat-a-whole-baguette-and-nutella-like-you'll-never-eat-it-again days, and i wasn't that hungry when we arrived.  that didn't stop me from ordering a glass of rose (for only 2.50!) and some oysters.

like most restaurants in france, cafe de turin had an english menu. the menu, however, was so poorly translated (google translator?), that it was almost easier to read the french version.  even with both versions in hand, it was still difficult to choose what sort of oysters were available to us, so we decided to give up and ask the waitress what our choices were.  she responded while pointing "smuhll, mehdium, et lahhhrggg." the greedy part of me debated large, but in the end i went with medium.  which actually ended up being about the size of my palm.  so, what was large? the size of my head?

the "medium" oysters.

it was great to catch up with some old friends, particularly since i hadn't really seen anyone i've known from the US in a few months, and i haven't seen most of my friends in over a year now (weird!).  i'm still excited about the rest of my journey, but i'm almost just as excited now to go home.

posing with my meal - standard chick photo.

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