Sorry, I've been too busy relaxing and exploring.
I'm a routine kind of person, and I've realized I have the habit of trying to create some semblance of a routine wherever I go. A traveler's routine is quite the oxymoron if you think about it, because every city, street, bus system is new, everywhere you go. Nothing is familiar or normal, and quite a bit is often uncomfortable. But unless you're on some kind of speed-of-light tour of Europe, at least three days in the same city is enough to have a little bit of structure, if it's something that you also appreciate. A friend of mine just wrote a piece acknowledging the importance of structure in her life, and I echo that wholeheartedly. I've also come to the conclusion that routine in the country is much different than routine in the city. I could tell you around which turn on the dirt road to school I would see the same milk truck driver every morning, based on what time I left the house. I could tell you what time to leave if you don't want to be stuck behind the school bus or stuck in front of those aggravating underclassmen tailgaters. Well, I guess now I realize that most of the differences I'm comparing correlate with the amount of people who live in the area, but it makes an impact. Someone living in the city might be able to tell you what time their tram leaves and what time they need to leave their apartment to catch it, but so much changes in a city day to day, minute to minute, that you are almost never seeing the same person every day on the tram, or sitting in the same spot, or getting off at the same time. Sometimes the train doors malfunction and everyone has to exit and wait for the next train, slapping twenty minutes on to the morning commute (yeah that happened). Maybe I'm wrong; I should probably live in a city for a year or so at some point in my life, and comparing every little detail is pointless because of course there will be differences. Some people love the city, some people hate it. I should declare this journey "my time of adjusting to city life" because it is hard to go very rural when relying on public transportation.
A simple thing like eating the same thing for breakfast three times in a row, for some reason, relaxes me in a way. I think lessening the amount of change is good for me at a time when so many aspects of my day are brand new. That said, I've been enjoying my time in Nice to create routine for myself and fill in the cracks with exploration. The other day I went to Monaco, marveling at the affluence seen in Bugattis and Maseratis, casinos and yachts.
Another day I visited a more modest cliff-side village called Eze, featuring a charming little chateau village and a free, unplanned perfume factory tour.
Church is another activity I've been using to help keep me grounded and to remind me of back home, however different the services are. On Sunday I attended an Anglican church and attended an OGC Nice soccer game afterwards.
More to come! I'm a little behind .. Thanks for listening :)
