Box of Rocks

I spent the weekend in Nice, France during my two-week European trip.  Based on my grandiose ideas of the French Riveria, I had high expectations.  No one told me that the beach is not made of sand, but rocks.  Yes, rocks.  Not even little stones, but rocks you can throw and break your neighbor's windows.  And, unlike the sprawling beaches I have visited elsewhere, the beaches in Nice are about 20 feet wide - from the pedestrian sidewalk to the water.  Despite the lack of sand, the water was a beautiful blue, and the weather was great (until the rain showers at 4 in the afternoon).

Some random observations:

• Tops are optional for women on beaches in France.  Unfortunately, optional applies primarily to those over the age of 50 and overweight.
• Capri pants are the 'in' thing for men of all ages to wear.  Not quite in the U.S.
• How are the French not the fattest people in the world?  All the Atkins-busting, though oh-so-good baquettes, fresh butter, and whipped cream you could ever want, yet most of the French I saw (well, aside from the women at the beach) were thin.  I need to move here. 
• Glass of Wine - 2 Euros.  Bottle of Coke - 3 Euros.  Bottle of Water - 5 Euros.
• I know why some Americans think the French smell - they don't know how to shower.  The shower in my hotel room consisted of a bath tub with a small hand-held shower head that reminded me of the faucet that hair stylists use to wash your hair at a salon.  With so little water coming out with hardly any water pressure, who would want to spend more that two minutes dealing with that.