Preface: I spent most of today half asleep on the beach – so this will be a boring post.

Today was the Formula 1 race, so Charles and I did separate things again today. I started with a walk/jog along the waterfront (more walk than jog). The run was good – it was overcast and cool, which is perfect running weather. I like to go for a run on most trips at least once, just to say I ran there. It’s a good way to take in the sights and get in some exercise, which was important today since I knew I planned to spend most of the rest of the day at the beach.

After my run, I ate a late breakfast and got dressed for the beach. Beaches in Nice do not provide your usual beach experience, as sand does not naturally exist on these beaches unless it’s been imported. Instead the shore is rocky. After today, I decided there are some pros and cons. On the bright side, you don’t come back covered in sand. The cons are that the rocks are hard on your feet and not as comfortable to lie on. Fortunately, Charles and I had read about this – so I brought a beach mat/blanket and Chacos that I could wear in the water without them being carried away in the current.

The sun was nice and warm, the sunblock was 50 SPF, and the half-bottle of rosé I brought nicely chilled and insulated in a thermos, so I stayed on the beach for a good four and a half hours, wading out into the water occasionally to cool off, which is no easy feat as the rocks under your feet move with the waves, just like sand, of course, except harder to keep your balance.

The day went exactly as you’d expect a beach day to go – relaxing. To keep the post lively, however – I’ll point out a few entertaining parts of the day:

• Lots of old European dudes in speedos
• People falling on the rocks trying to get in and out of the water (I can laugh because I did it once myself)
• Children demonstrating the ugly cry and accompanying howls after getting an unexpected face full of sea water
• A dachshund happily chewing on rocks on the beach for a good half an hour – then getting bored and wandering away from its owner to leave a “gift” in front of another party of beach goers

Eventually, the skies grew cloudy and the breeze got chilly, so I made my way back to the apartment to clean up for dinner. Charles and I picked another place on Cours Saleya (the site of the market in the mornings), where we shared a Nicois specialty, petits farcis (little stuffed vegetables), as appetizer. Charles had the paella and I had spaghetti alle vongole (spaghetti in pesto with clams). Charles’ paella was the winner – though the petits farcis and vongole were good, as well.

After dinner, we walked to Place Massena, since I’d only walked through part of it and Charles still needed to see it. It’s very pretty during the day and night alike. We ended the night with our usual ice cream (tonight’s flavors: guava and mojito).

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