First day in France!

Today was a long day.

After only a few hours sleep due to last minute packing, yesterday morning I woke up and hopped on a plane. My journey to France included two flights: a shorter, 2 hour flight from Atlanta to NYC and the longer, 10 hour flight from NYC to Nice, France. I was fortunate to fly with a lot of people from the trip- Blake, Eric, Katie, Jasmine, Caitlyn, Natalie, Jessie, Stacey, and Melanie- were all on the flight. During the layover at the JFK airport, we grabbed some lunch and exchanged some of our US dollars for euros (I didn't exchange too much though- it seemed like a ripoff!).

I (finally!) managed to catch some z's on the flight to Nice. Aside from constantly hit up to buy "duty free" during the flight, I managed to watch an inflight movie, Crazy Heart, which was terrific (no, not going to review it right now!). Altogether, it was a pretty positive flying experience. However, I always (I mean always) manage to book my seat directly behind the person who reclines their seat allllll the way back. It's okay, though. At this point, its happened so much that its just kind of hilarious.

Once we landed, we called Anna (our lovely and endlessly helpful program coordinator), and grabbed a taxi to our new home in Juan-les-Pins. *Important note* French taxis aren't at all like American taxis. French taxi drivers race around their patrons in fancy, sporty cars (think new Mercedes Benz). Our taxi driver was very friendly, and even spoke a little english. He told us about his favorite club in JLP and then explained why taxi drivers are the only ones who know where the best restaurants are.

Once in our hotel/extended stay apartment (called the Coleur Soleil), my roommate Blake and I unpacked and met up with the rest of the gang to grab a crepe across the street at this great little bakery called "Pan and Cake". I loved this place. They women who ran the place where super friendly, spoke a little english, and even gave us a 5% discount. Also, this place had the BEST croissant I've ever eaten. It was amazing- buttery, soft, and completely delicious!

Fast forward an hour. Our same group, with the exception of Jasmine and Anna, caught the train over to Cannes to get a sneak peak of the construction going on outside the entrances to the theaters. The walk along the beach was bustling and lively- an awesome sight.

After this, we caught the train back and grabbed some groceries before heading back to the apartment. My dinner consisted of: a baguette, Nutella hazelnut spread, and a glass of red wine. Very french, I know.

But now, I'm running on too little sleep to type anything else. It's raining outside tonight, but maybe it will clear up in time for tomorrow. Also, apparently another volcano has erupted which is causing some trouble for a few of the people still trying to fly into France. I'll try to stay updated on the situation.

Bonsoir!