Growing up, I remember making trips down to Florida with my family and enviously thinking to myself “Wow! This place is so wonderful. People live here and I am just here to visit.”  The sights and the sounds of all the amusement parks and beaches captivated my young mind. How could there be any place on Earth more beautiful than Florida? Well, there is and I experienced it this semester on an excursion with SAI. In the southern part of France, the Cote d’Azur is the single most beautiful place on Earth that I have ever been to.

One of the views

The return of childlike wonder filled my heart as I walked through the lush Mediterranean area. The sights, the smells, and the feeling of the sun on my skin enchanted me. The first part of the area that amazed me was the craftsmanship of the historical buildings that I walked between. Everything looked like it was ripped right out of part of a James Bond movie where he is in the exotic city searching for his spy contact. Next was the beach and the ocean. My jaw dropped when I came upon the beach. The large boulders and fine sand being washed away by the calmly crashing salt water was hypnotic.

Another beautiful view

Finally, there was the night life. While I did not get a chance to visit any bars or clubs during my time in Nice (due to personally wanting to take a break from what I experienced in Paris), the city stayed vibrant regardless. It was a treat to walk the winding roads with the sights and smells of a city that was relaxed yet excited with life. Street performers breakdancing or twirling fire were merely feet away from delicious ice cream that we enjoyed after a delicious dinner in a fancier restaurant that I have ever eaten in. There were many things to get stuck on that made Nice beautiful.

The city by night

My excursion trip to Nice and the Cote d’Azur was one of the best moments in my life. When you come to France, both are necessary locations to check out. There beauty and fun are not matched by many places on Earth. I highly recommend checking this place out when you come here.

The beach!

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Talen is a Fall 2017 SAI Paris student from Rochester Institute of Technology.