Enchantée!

There's a reason that Frenchmen have a reputation. It all begins with one word: enchanté. There's something magical about being introduced to someone who responds with "enchanted" instead of "hey." Definitely a fan. This little blurb all stems from my arrival this morning in Nice. Fortunately everything transportation-wise today went smoothly. I found the flat where I'm staying with no difficulty and it's fantastic. For those of you who know Nice, it's just off the beautiful Promenade des Anglais and if you don't know Nice, it means that it's pretty much on the beach!

I live with a middle-aged woman named Daniele who is truly fantastic. She speaks some English, but it's her personal mission to get my French up to par, so English is only used in times of desparation. Thankfully those times are happening less frequently! It really amazes me how much easier it is to pick up a language when you're completely surrounded by it.

Daniele was kind enough to introduce me to her amazingly good-looking 26-year old son, who gave me my first "enchantée" and was kind enough to help me get used to the French custom of kissing good-bye. I'm all for it! :)

Tonight we drove to the neighboring town of Antibes because all the museums were free admission for the evening. Antibes est trés jolie et aussi trés ancienne, donc les musées sont trés interessant. The vocabulary for the museums was a bit intense and I admittedly tuned out some of the conversation regarding ancient Antipolis, but it was interesting just the same and I felt like I learned more in one evening as a "native" then I have on many of my "vacations." There is a definite advantage in living with a local. We also took a walk along the bay which houses some of the most luxurious yachts that I have ever seen! Think about a cruise ship and then shrink it down just a bit and you can envision these monsters! I'll post one a bit later. AMAZING!!!

SUMMARY:
I love Nice! My flat is fantastic and the city is lovely. Daniele is kind, her son is hot, and my French is improving rapidly. I'm very excited for classes to start on Monday. Tomorrow's schedule? A little church in the morning and a little Cannes Film Festival for the remainder of the day! You may have heard of it. Bon soir!