Italy, France, and Nancy

After leaving Eastern Europe early, our plan was to arrive in Milan and take a train that same afternoon to Nice, France. We booked a hostel in Nice for that night and were super excited!

We arrived in Milan and took the train from the airport to the central Milan station. Just a couple minutes into the train ride, I was dreaming about delicious Italian food and gelato and wine when Ryan suddenly interrupted my thoughts and asked me if I wanted to get a taste of Italy instead of heading straight to France. Um...yes please! In our 45 minute train ride, we decided that we weren't going to Nice as planned. We had to stay in Italy. It seemed so right, so perfect, and just crazy to cross the border when we could spare a few days to enjoy one stop in Italy. Why not?

We thought of all the possibilities. All of Italy was suddenly open to us! We could do whatever we wanted! It was very exciting to have so many places we wanted to go, all of them excellent options for the beginning of our time in Western Europe. But I knew exactly what my top choice was. Ryan had been telling me wonderful stories about Cinque Terre since we first met. I wanted to see this gorgeous place that had been painted in my mind. And Cinque Terre made sense, too, because it's pretty close to the border with France, our next destination.

We got to the central Milan station, took the next train to Cinque Terre, and spent the next few hours enjoying the most spectacular views of the Italian countryside. After the grayness and the cold of Turkey, Bulgaria, and Romania, the sun shining down on the little Italian villages and the colorful fields all around was like a gift. I instantly knew that we'd made the right decision, and I was certainly reveling in the joy of our freedom to change our minds, change our plans, change our journey. I basically couldn't stop smiling.

Cinque Terre is a national park along the coast that is a UNESCO World Hertiage Site consisting of five villages connected by hiking trails and a train. We got off the train at the first village, Monterosso, and as soon as we stepped out of the station, this is what we saw:
I was in heaven. We walked along the road leading to the heart of the village, not knowing where we were going to stay. It was the beginning of Easter Weekend, so I was concerned about not having a reservation. A few minutes into our walk, a lady approached us and asked us if we were looking for a room. Yes! She led us up a winding path, up several sets of stone steps, ascending the hill overlooking the village, walking by dozens of lemon trees, and showed us a room that had been separated from a larger apartment. It was awesome to be in such a quiet setting, removed from the touristy area, and not in a typical hotel....Everything was falling into place.

The path to our room:

Our front patio!

From our patio, looking over the village:

All those stories I'd heard from Ryan about Monterosso, how special the place is...I right away felt where they came from. Just walking through the village, there is something singularly magical about the pace of life, the colors of the buildings, the lifestyle of the locals, the striking beauty of the nature all around: cliffs meeting the sea, and green hills all around.

From the beach, looking back toward the village center:

The main road:

Beautiful, typical homes of peach and pink with the brightly colored shutters!

We decided that since we were in such a beautiful place, and paying more for our room than any other room of our whole trip thus far, we might as well allow ourselves to forget about our budget for a couple days and just indulge in the goodness of it all. So, we ate lots of really delicious food, and drank delicious wine, and we pretended for a couple days that we were like the other tourists with deep pockets. It was splendid.

One night we ordered a pizza, got a bottle of wine, and had a picnic dinner on the beach:

The main thing to do in Cinque Terre is hike from one village to another along the coast. The trails are clearly marked, and you don't need a guide, and you can walk all the way from the first village to the last, and then take the train back. I am not exaggerating when I say that this hike is one of the most beautiful hikes I've ever experienced. I would recommend a trip to Italy to anyone, solely for that beautiful hiking trail and the villages it passes through. The views were ridiculously spectacular, and the trail itself was lovely too.

Beginning the hike, looking back at Monterosso:

The trail was so green and rich with life:

Amazing views of the vineyards stretched across the hills:

Walking beside the grapes:

After hiking for an hour and a half, we saw the second village, Vernazza, below:
Walking through Vernazza:
In the center of Vernazza, Ryan and some tanning babes:

All the villages of Cinque Terre have a similar look and feel. They all seem to maintain traditional, Italian village life. Good food and drink are important. All the locals have bicycles. The kids meet in the village center to play. There is a clear appreciation of the beautiful natural setting. Even though the area caters to tourists, the villages don't feel ruined or inauthentic because of that. There were, indeed, tourists everywhere, including tons of Americans, but somehow it didn't manage to affect us too much. The place is so charming that it just doesn't matter.

The fourth village, Manarola:

Manarola:

After three days of great weather, great food and drink, charming village streets and buildings, and the loud and emotional expressiveness of the Italian language, we took three trains to get from Cinque Terre to Nice. I didn't imagine that I could possibly be too moved by Nice after the stunning beauty of Cinque Terre, especially since the afternoon when we arrived was cloudy and gray. But my love for the city was quickly felt!

Right after dropping our bags off at the hostel, we headed to the beach. There is an awesome boardwalk that runs alongside the shore. In good weather and bad, it is full of people walking, biking, rollerskating, talking, kissing, and probably falling in love too. Of course, because it's France!

The city and the sea are one:

Sunset at the beach:

There was something about Nice that Ryan and I both loved. I don't know how to put my finger on it. Maybe it's because it was our first stop in France and we just loved the culture. But there was something about the city that was special. I think it has to do with how people live very much outside. There are huge boulevards, plazas, parks, open areas outdoors. Walking is a big part of life. It's so pleasant to stroll outside, even on a crummy day. It rained our first night in Nice, and we still loved it.

Beautiful, narrow streets of "Old Nice":

One of the central plazas, so open:

The plaza all lit up at night, gorgeous!

"Old Nice" at night:

Our second day in Nice was my 26th birthday. Unfortunately, I'd caught a cold or virus or something the previous night and was sick all day on my birthday. My lack of energy was pretty sad, and it certainly didn't feel like a day of celebration, but we still went out for a very nice lunch on the famous Marche Aux Fleurs street, packed with charming sidewalk cafes.

The next day, I felt totally fine! It was a strange 24-hour bug. Feeling much better, we went out to explore more of Nice, and one of the highlights of the day was our visit to the Chagall Museum.

One of my favorite paintings in the museum:

Despite the cloudy days, and getting sick, we had a great time in our short stay in the French Riviera.

Look at how comfortable and happy we look in the two photos below:

Why? Because after weeks of jumping from one hostel to another, living and feeling like typical travelers, we left that world for a couple of days. We took a couple regional trains to head north from Nice, to a little town called Tournon-sur-Rhone. This little town, wonderfully off the tourist map, is where our good friend, Nancy, recently moved to start her new life in France. Nancy met us at the train station and instantly made us feel so welcome, so comfortable, so happy, so good! It was like we got to take a break from being travelers in a foreign land. We entered Nancy's home and felt--really and truly--right at home. It was amazing.

Here's Nancy making a delicious Tex Mex dinner!

For those of you who don't know this lovely lady, I'll just briefly tell her fairytale story. When Nancy was living in San Francisco, she met this charming fellow, Julien:
The two wine-lovers fell in love, but soon had to part, because Julien went to South Africa for a little while. But then he invited Nancy to spend the summer with him in his hometown of Tournon-sur-Rhone. Why not? She came to sharpen her French skills and taste tons of local wines and meet Julien's family. After their dreamy summer together in France, Julien went back to Houston with Nancy for a while. And....then....they got engaged! Nancy got engaged not only to a Frenchman (she'd been an on-and-off francophile for years!), but to a Frenchman with a deep love of wine matching her own, an interest in making wine, and a way of living that perfectly complemented her way.

Ryan, Nancy and I were eating cheese and bread and drinking mojitos and exchanging Houston gossip when Julien came home from work. Ryan and I loved him right away! He and Nancy make a fantastic couple and have made such a cozy, wonderful home together. Nancy made an awesome dinner and we sat around the table for many hours, talking about everything!!! Ryan and I loved these hours spent with friends, with good people with good hearts, away from other travelers, in a real home, talking not about this site or that site but about life, and daily routines, and life decisions!

The next day, Nancy led us on an awesome walk through the town and on a gorgeous trail with superb views.

On the trail:

Walking through the vineyards:

Lovely views!

You can see the gorgeous old church where Nancy and Julien will be married this summer!

Walking across the bridge, from Tournon-sur-Rhone to the town on the other side: Tain L'Hermitage:

Wine tasting in Tain L'Hermitage:

And that night, Ryan and I got another special treat. We went over to Julien's parents' house (the amazing home Julien grew up in) for a typical French dinner. Our lovely evening started out with a stroll around the garden in front of the house. It was so beautiful!

Nancy and Julien:

Walking in the garden:

Julien's dad made an absolutely delicious dinner. We sat for a long time, talking about great food and wine while enjoying great food and wine.

French meatballs and potato pancakes:

It was so awesome to experience a typical French dinner, in a French home, with such a welcoming French family. It's the kind of experience you can't plan for with a guidebook or expect to have as a tourist. It was unique and we'll never forget it.

Ryan and I are happy that Nancy has moved to Tournon-sur-Rhone, not only because it's such a great place to build her life with Julien, but because we expect to enjoy visiting her and Julien there many times in the future!

Our time in Tournon-sur-Rhone couldn't have been any better. We were refreshed and excited and happy after our days of great conversation and connection.

Here we are at the train station before saying goodbye to Nancy, then on our way to Spain!