Nice in Nice

Thursday: We get up early even though the alarm Ty set for 8:30 pm obviously didn't go off to wake us. Even still we make it to the train station with loads of time. Unfortunately the train we need to Nice doesn't leave from this station, we have to take a bus to the other Avignon station. To make matters even MORE exciting we have 1 minute to get to the stop before the next bus leaves. Once again we are RUNNING!! However, in Tyrn's haste to catch the bus, he didn't quite understand the directions to the bus station. So, we missed that bus. The next bus comes only 8 minutes before our train is scheduled to LEAVE, so we ask the driver if we will make it and he assures us "no problem". On the bus we go and of course it doesn't make it, our train is supposed to leave at 10:34 and we are at the station at 10:35, once again we are RUNNING! We see our train pull away from the platform. Disheartened, we go to the information to see if we can change our reservations and they inform us that the train we saw leave wasn't ours and that our train is on the platform right now leaving any second. SO once again RUNNING! We are at the train and the whistle blows to clear the doors, but Ty is not missing this train twice so he strong arms the train door and we squeeze in, with a reprimand from the platform guard. Whooh, we made it. So, we search the train for our seats, it is one of those double decker trains so there are a lot of cars to check. We can't find them and so ask a train assistant. Turns out we are on the WRONG train! Ty Supermanned us onto the wrong train. The station was REALLY backed up and our train apparently was coming next. Fortunately this train still goes to Nice, unfortunately we don't have seats for this 3 hour ride. Miraculously, we found some seats that no one kicked us out of and we made it to Nice safe and sound.

And it was worth it, it is gorgeous here, back to shorts on the beach!!

Tyrn's collection of beach glass to show his mom!

One last story before our time runs out. Today while checking our email near the central train station (a very ethnically deverse area), all of a sudden there were police everywhere outside the shop. Then one of the workers, calmly comes in and tells everyone to log off their computers and leave the shop because there is a bomb. Confusion! So Ty asks him "what"? Yes, there is a BOMB right outside the store. We come out and the area is all taped up by the police and the bomb squad is jumping out of a van and traffic is being re-routed all around us. So, we have to duck under the police tape and then we RAN. But we didn't hear any explosions, so we assume it was either defused or was just a false threat! YIKES!!!!!

Here is the view that we enjoyed after a 400 stair climb to the old castle site. Well defended castle, we definately weren't attacking anything once we got to the top. The King also had a pretty good view, prime real estate.



K & T