Day 9, Nice.

Phhhheeeewf. We are exhausted. Vacation has officially caught up with us. It's a good thing the only agenda for tomorrow is sitting in a train for 7 hours.

The weather today was glorious. The sun was shining, the breeze off the sea was lovely and half the hoards of people from yesterday were at church or something, because they weren't in our way. We found an open place for coffee, and stopped in at a place called Monoprix, which seems to me like a French Target. I was in heaven. I'm going back tomorrow for my souvenirs! French toothpaste and such ;) it's always good to have practical souvenir habits.

We walked 3 million stairs to the top of Castle Hill, that overlooks the cape of Nice. It was spectacular! Especially with the clear sunny day we had...wow. We had a search for the museum of the castle, but ironically as we got closer, the sign for museum changed to a sign for a boutique, better known to us a gift shop, and when we arrived at said museum, it was tacky coffee mugs and magnets and postcards of tanned butt cheeks in thong bikinis. So, it was pretty much like a museum of a Roman castle. Pretty much.

There is a cemetery there, split between 3 or 4 religious sects. We walked through the Jewish one, and it's slightly disheartening to read your name on a grave...over and over...and over. One even had Esther and Jacob on it. Had to have a picture.

After a stop at my BFF the tomato lady I wrote about yesterday, we tried to find the natural history museum, with no success. We had correctly navigated to the map's location, but as one American tourist on Castle Hill said about the Roman ruins of a church, "Well where did it go? Was there a war or something?" I guess her understanding of "ruins" is unclear, in a way similar to how we couldn't find the invisible natural history museum...

After a clean up, Tj decided he wanted to take a plunge in the Mediterranean. When in Rome, right? I went only knee high, but the breakers crept up to my scrotal zone, soaking my dress. No matter. The air and water were warm and comfortable. We sat on the beach for some time, watching the families play with their kids, and pregnant women smoking, and fat guys in Speedos, and topless women with breasts to their waists...it was entertaining to say the least. Our favorite instance, the pregnant mom telling her small child it's time to go. He wasn't having it. Kicking, screaming, hitting his pregnant mother--on Mother's Day no less--lucky for him she didn't have a lit cigarette in hand--and she smacks him hard on the rear and shouts, "Voilà!". It was fabulous. And now I might start doing the same. So keep your hounches covered.

We drug our weary selves to dinner around 8, where T had some amazing seafood grill plate, and I had a rack of lamb. Whenever I'm in the Mediterranean I usually crave spiced meat shanks.

We also sat next to three drag queens in the restaurant. To Wong Fu indeed. But none of them looked like Pat Swazey.

Let me just make sure I've covered the high points of the day:

-million stairs
-swimming in the sea
-voilà smack
-drag queens

Think that's it. Oh! And it rained! I thought a bird was shitting on my head, then realized it was this foreign substance I hadn't seen in over a week!

Late and must to bed. We shall see how the sleeping works out. My legs are covered in souce of fwance mosquito bites. And these bitches have drill bits on their snouts. Ouch. Itch. Blistering bites = must wear pants tomorrow. At least it's not bedbugs.