Leaving Paris (Way Too Early… Again)
Audrey and I are natural early risers, which is either a blessing or a curse depending on the day. This morning it was a blessing — we had to be up, packed, and walking to the train station by 7:30 a.m., luggage in tow.
It was a haul. But it also turned into an accidental goodbye that I wouldn't trade. The streets were quiet, the bakeries were just setting out their pastries, and Paris at 7 a.m. with no agenda felt like a little bonus chapter we didn't know we'd get. A peaceful send-off from a city that had completely delivered.
The Train Ride: A Surprise Favorite
I did not expect the train ride to Nice to become one of my favorite parts of the entire trip. And yet.
The countryside rolled by like a movie — tiny towns, vineyards, open fields, all of it beautiful enough that I kept wanting to tap Greg and say "wait, can we just get off here?" We couldn't, obviously, but the temptation was real at every stop.
The kids settled in with snacks and books, and somewhere around hour three, Reese borrowed my phone and filmed a full dance routine in the aisle. Her little device was still sitting on an orange Metro seat somewhere in Paris, and the girl had content to create. We let her have the phone. Some things are worth it.
It was peaceful and beautiful and exactly the kind of forced stillness a family needs in the middle of a big trip. No agenda, nowhere to be for a few hours, just watching France go by.
Arrival in Nice
We pulled into Nice around 2 p.m. and immediately felt the shift — warmer air, coastal breeze, a completely different energy than Paris. Our Airbnb was only a few blocks from the station, which was one of the reasons we'd chosen it, and the walk over was easy.
Our host met us at the building and spoke almost no English. I met him with Google Translate held up like a microphone, and we had a surprisingly functional conversation about appliances, house rules, and where to leave the key. Technology is remarkable.
The elevator, however, was not remarkable. It was comically, aggressively tiny — the kind of small that makes you wonder if it was built as a joke. One adult, one suitcase, sharp inhale, don't move. We made many trips. We also just took the stairs sometimes. We laughed the entire way up every single time, which honestly was a perfect introduction to our new home base.
Once we made it up with all the bags and all the people, we walked straight to the balcony and just stood there. The view was everything we'd imagined when we booked it months earlier — the one I'd kept coming back to in all those late-night listing searches. It did not disappoint.
First Walk, First Dinner, First Impression
We didn't stay on that balcony long before heading out to explore. Almost immediately we found the rocky beach, which was a major win for Greg and the girls — they are rock people, through and through. Shells, driftwood, interesting stones — they will find every single one.
Walking on a rocky beach barefoot, though, is a humbling experience. It is physically impossible to look graceful. People around us were attempting it with varying levels of commitment and universal failure. We kept our shoes on and felt very wise about that decision.
We wandered until we found an outdoor restaurant for dinner — slightly more touristy than we usually go for, and there was one extremely loud American nearby making sure the entire patio knew his full life story. But the food was good, the breeze was perfect, and after a full travel day it was exactly the low-key evening we needed.
Walking home that night, we already knew: Nice was going to be a good one.
A Few Things Worth Knowing for Your Travel Day
Take the train instead of flying between cities. It's scenic, comfortable, and so much less stressful than another airport.
Download Google Translate and learn the conversation feature before you go. It made our check-in completely seamless despite a total language barrier.
If your accommodations might have a European elevator, pack accordingly. Or just be prepared to laugh.
Stay near the train station if you can. The convenience on arrival alone makes it worth it.
Wear sturdy sandals to the beach in Nice. The rocky shore is beautiful and will absolutely humble you if you try to walk it barefoot. Newborn giraffe energy, every time.
