Strange things about France

So I have noticed some odd things about the French you may or may not know. Some are just odd, some are things which make me miss the UK.

1.) The French are not keen on the toilet seat. Seriously, I am glad I am in a city and not the outskirts where I have seen the toilets. For those that have not, imagine a hole in the ground you stand above and, well you get the picture. But it seems in the city, toilets seats are optional (and not popular).

2.) They are very keen on safe sex. I was walking down the street and saw this:

Vending machine on the side of a building

It was on the side of a pharmacy but literally in the street. What happened to getting your protection from a good pub loo? If it really gets to this point, you probably should rethink the whole thing.

3.) The French don't queue. This is more something I miss. At times they can have amazing manners. For example on the tram, if an elderly lady or gentleman gets on, someone always get up and offers their seat. But when it comes to queues, they haven't a clue. I know queueing is a very British thing. But for example I brought some bread an as I was about to pay 2 people barged in front of me so I couldn't get to my bread or the till. And on the tram trying to get off, it doesn't matter if you are literally at the door leaving the tram, they will push you out of the way to get out first. They definitely do not have the British hate of the queue jumper.

There are other things that live up to the stereotype. Like the French love of Bureaucracy (which is as bad as joked about.

I am sure I will find other things. :-)

Old Town and Park

 So my plans for the weekend didn't exactly go to plan but I still had a good time.
On Saturday morning, I headed to the market and did a little shopping before meeting Gerry for some dinner, which was really good. There was a big bowl of cous-cous, a leg of lamb and a bowl of veggies in a sauce. We also got some hot sweet mint tea, which is delicious.
After that, I headed down to Opera Vieilli-Ville again to have a better look around. There is a park there with some fountains, though unfortunately the fountains weren't on.

Fountains in the park

bridge up to the end of the park

bell tower

Arch ways in the park

There is also a statue to Andrea Massena, who was a French military commander during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.

Statue of Andrea Massena

on the side/base of the statue

 Then I headed to the beach and sat with my first French pastry watching the sea.
On Saturday evening, I went out for a meal with a few girls from Montebello, where I am staying. 2 are American, one Italian, and one Canadian. After that, we headed out for drinks. The first bar was a little pricey but very nice. Until "le gipe" (no idea on the spelling of that!) turned up. This is a group of guys from the halls. They are nice guys but were rather drunk and loud. We got kicked out of the bar! After that we went to a nightclub, but due to my knee I couldn't really dance. I managed to get the last tram back with one of the girls.
Sunday was a bit dull so I ended up working and getting an early night.
And I was sleeping peacefully, until the fire alarm started at 6am this morning. I had forgotten that little bit about student halls. And can't say I have missed it. (Though as only 5 people in a building of ~200 left their rooms, one being me, I hope there is never a real fire!)
C'est la vie!

First week in Nice

My first weekend in Nice was good. We went to the big Market on Saturday. They sell all sorts of fruit and veg and the fish market is amazing. We brought a fresh crab (and by fresh I mean still kicking) and oysters and a mass of veg. As the market closes at ~1pm, they put put out bowls of random selections of fruit and/or veg for 1 euro a bowl. My fridge is packed!
We went back to Gerry's flat and cooked the crab. I felt a little guilty putting the crab in the pan while still alive, but it was a very quick death! And it was amazing!!!!!! I consider her a grand Dame and her sacrifice was not in vain. We ate every bit of it. And I learnt how to open an oyster.
On the Sunday, we went to the tourist market which is very pretty and I will have to go back with my camera this weekend. Then I meet Gerry's student Thomas and we all ended up in a bar talking science for the afternoon. The bar tender was my image of a French bar tender from the movies, with a scarf and goatee. It was brilliant!
My first weekend has mainly been spent working (that is what I am here to do after all). But this weekend I intend to do some exploring with my camera so I can show you some photos. And I want to go to the beach.

Arrived in Nice

So I have arrived in Nice. 

The flights were OK. The first fly was delayed out of the UK so I ran through Amsterdam airport like a crazy lady, and got my connecting flight with 2 minutes to spare. Success! The flight to Nice was OK, bar the turbulence (which is fun if you don't think about the crashing part). It was fun watching people grabbing laptops and iPads as they started to fly when the plane dropped. :-)


I have a en-suite room in halls at Montebello with a small kitchen (by which I mean a sink and a fridge). I desperately need to buy a kettle. I need my tea. The room is basic but it will do me for the next ~3 months. And I have already sorted out the problem with the door rattling due to the wind. (A sock tied to the door handle works rather well!)

I am headed to the markets tomorrow to get some lovely food and a few bits and bobs. Hopefully a few posters to brighten up my room.

The food has been very nice so far (pardon the pun but they are going to be VERY hard to avoid!). Last night we went to a little place run by 2 elderly sisters. They were so sweet and I felt really bad being served by them. (They must have been in there 80's!) But the food was lovely. A plate of crevettes (big prawns) and a very large, very nice steak for 12euros.

I will put some pictures up soon. The campus is part lovely old buildings, part 60's buildings. Eclectic but pretty. And palm trees everywhere. I had breakfast this morning with the window open. On the 6th January! And clear blue skies. I can live with that.

Now I just need to figure out French!
Au revior.