I REALLY live here

So, it's been (*gasp*) 11 weeks since I left Canada, and took on France. I've changed residences, and had a couple adventures. But now that I'm more of a working girl, I've had to settle down a little bit and actually do things people do when they reside somewhere. You may be wondering then, exactly what I was doing in Nantes? Well, it wasn't the same. I seemed to be in this constant honeymoon phase, where everything was glittery and new. And don't get me wrong, Nice has very much been a dream come true, but I'm actually very happy that I'm more settled and can say I take part in everyday routines of French people. Here are some of the things that mean I really really LIVE in France:
1) I buy my bread fresh from the boulangerie every couple days.. make it a 6 grain baguette. Yum!
2) I have a constant supply of wine at home. Be it a nice rouge to accompany the Camembert I have in my fridge, or a nice chilled white to have a glass as an "aperitif" before my dinner.
3) I do laundry, and hang it up in the lines outside of my balcony, like everyone in Nice does. I don't think they have yet encountered the technology of driers here. All the better for the environment!
4) I watch the news in French, listen to the radio in French, read my free Metro newspaper in French, and watch dubbed versions of Friends, Grey's Anatomy and Desperate Housewives. It's like good old times in Colombia, where everything was dubbed into Spanish.
5) I have to deal with a garbage cubicle for the building that fits 1.5 garbage bags for 15 apartments. That's how I get my upper body workout.
6) I have become accustomed to paying 3.5 euros (about 6 dollars) for a Diet coke when I go out to a restaurant. I no longer see this as scandalous.
7) I earn in Euros, have a French bank account into which I deposit Euros, and a check book (French people pay for cheques for everything. Let me tell you, it makes waiting in line at supermarkets a patience game)
8) I have to clean my apartment twice a week. That includes dusting, waxing the wooden floors, vacuuming, etc. No more Michelle who did the housework in Nantes!
9) I take the buses, go for jogs around the neighbourhood, and am the butcher's best friend (he gives me a discount on rotisserie chickens!)
10) I give directions to tourists!!! In french, english and Spanish!! That's right, I've had to do it a few times already, and I actually know what I'm talking about, I'm not just making up false directions so that they'll leave me alone.
11) On the tourist subject: They're ANNOYING when they walk all 5 or 6 of them in one single file on the sidewalk. It reminds me of Victoria... and you all know I was an active militant against tourists there...

So yes, my life is a bit calmer and less full of surprises, but I'm really comfortable, and happy with my life. But don't worry, I'm not getting too comfortable... I'm still coming back to Canada!
By no means am I becoming boring though. Last Friday I wanted to have a cultural outing, so I scoped out the shows at the National Theatre, and I went to see Don Juan, in its original Spanish version, with French subtitles projected above the stage. It felt nice to have the upper hand for once with this language business!
Then on Sunday, since I had la voiture, I took off to a couple towns in the Corniches, which are all the towns along the ocean between Nice and Monaco. Cecile and Iannis had made a couple suggestions as to places to visit. So my first stop was at Beaulieu sur Mer (literally: Beautiful Place by the Ocean... Napoleon was VERY creative when naming this town). Here,the Greek villa Kerylos is found. This is a mansion, built by a very rich, very eccentric millionaire in the early 1900s. He wanted the whole house to be an exact replica of a 2nd century Greek abode. The whole inside is built from Ferrara marble, the frescoes and rugs artificially aged to look the part, the beds like those Ancient Greeks sleep in, and even a shower which collected rainwater, and that's how they bathed. It was impressive to see that much passion and dedication being put into recreating something you're in love with, but at the same time, it was excessive! I walked around with this telephone-like apparatus which had the recorded guided tour of the place. Everytime you came to a place of interest, you would find a plaque with a number. I would then punch the number into the machine, and listen to the French explanation of the artifact/room. It was very cool.

Then, I walked 5 km to the other town I was going to visit: St. Jean Cap de Ferrat. This town is not very special, but the walk there, along the Mediterranean is incredibly beautiful. Annnnd, on the way there, I saw Saddam Hussein's ex-yatch. The state of Irak has had it anchored in the Nice port for the past 2 years, and I saw a news reportage on it about 10 days ago, mentioning that Irak was putting it for sale, and it would be showcased to potential buyers in the month of November (for a small sum of 165 million dollars). Well, I was lucky to see one of the potential buyers taking it out for a spin on Sunday, I noticed it was the same name as the one I had seen on TV. Whoever was on it (maybe it was the help that ran away with it! That's what I would do if I worked in a fancy yatch) was having a blast, running the ski-doos around the boat, and soaking in the sun.

I came back to Nice, after a lovely Sunday excursion, and found myself with another proof that I really do live here: it took me 30 minutes to find a parking spot. I'm not even exaggerating. I spent more time circling around the neighbourhood looking for a spot than I did entering Nice from St. Jean Cap de Ferrat. As I have found out this week that I have the car everyday, it's like that always. I guess it's the curse of living right downtown, in the old continent where roads are tiny, and there's literally no more space.
Other than the parking, the driving has been very good.. on my part. On the part of the French. Well, let's just say that they have a diminished regard for civic laws and no fear of authority. That means that they park ANYWHERE -on the sidewalk, on the crosswalk, double parked... you get the idea- they go at the speed they damn please, they run over pedestrians (well, not quite, but little green man=accelerate and scare the people crossing the street), and they often cut in and out of traffic without signaling. I have been very careful, and will continue to be, as I don't trust these baguette lovers on the road. But, I must warn you that if I come back cussing and talking like a sailor when I drive, it's all the French's fault. Doesn't make me less of a lady ;)

This week has been a bit unique, since Cecile and Iannis took off on a little couple holiday to Prague, and I've stayed at Cecile's mom's house. But on Saturday, I'm taking on the town with Cecile's sister, Marion, who is 26, and lives here in Nice. I just met her on Wednesday, and I'm already loving hanging out with her... it's going to be fun to have someone to do things with!
That's all for now, Happy belated Remembrance Day!