#ONLYINNICE

11 blog messages long, I have tried to paint a picture of my life here in Nice. But sometimes words fail, so I thought I put it down in one massive video...  But not before I wrote my very last #OnlyInNice blog message! Don't despair, though, you aren't rid of me just yet! I'll keep spamming you with some messages about my next trip which goes to... Madrid! And I feel slightly ashamed to admit that I'm not really looking forward to it, and you know why? Because of Nice. Nice was just so  nice. ( yes, at last I'm guilty of using the pun). The city, the country, the scenery, the people, the adventures, the soirées. Oh, and the food.... Although that was maybe the worst part. Of all the expensive things in Nice, the food was relatively cheap. And it shows - I still got it on me. And I'll even be carrying it all the way to Spain, along with my 3 suitcases. And over there, I bet the food will be as ridiculously good as it was in Nice. So I'll have to carry it...

While Nice may be a romantic getaway for besotted couples, the only relationship I have in Nice is with my wine collection on the upper shelf in my living room. So if you expected this post to be about love, sorry to disappoint! Nonetheless, I dedicate this post to my " coup de foudre" ( and to other extreme Mediterranean weather elements).  "Coup de foudre".  I don't understand why the French named this thrilling phenomenon of love at first sight after the frightning wrath of the gods on a sticky summer night. A  coup de foudre, or better known as an ordinary lightning strike, is what befell (and luckily not fell on ) me here in Nice on a rainy Sunday night. It struck so closeby that, as it hit, it shook my body, deafened my ears and blinded my eyes. I swear, this bang, it's nothing you've heard (or felt) before, and after that, a long, creeping silence. Result: no electricity, total darkness. Was I in a horror movie? For a moment, it felt like ...

I fell in love with France at a very young age. Every year, my parents and I would travel the country with our little caravan, visiting historical sites and admiring magnificent landscapes. And, as I explained in " Preface" , some places can leave such a deep impression on you, they can touch your soul so profoundly, that a little piece of your heart is left behind there. One of the places is the  Gorges du Verdon, a national park in the south of France that hosts an awe-inspiring river canyon. So when I talked about this jewel of unspoilt nature, my German squad was immediately up for a roadtrip through the long and winding roads of the Gorges du Verdon. And I knew they would not be disappointed... The Gorges  is a 25 kilometre-long canyon where, at certain points about 700 meters below, a sky-blue river gracefully flows down towards the breathtaking Lac de Sainte-Croix, only to continue its journey through the steep and narrow limestone cliffs, passing by historical villa...

Ich will noch ein bisschen mit meinen Deutsche Freunden tanzen! - No idea if this is even correct, because after all these weeks of hanging out with my German squad, I'm still as awful at German as I was at highschool... But at least I can ask a guy to buy me a beer now. Let's talk about what Erasmus is all about: beer! Kidding - friendship, of course.  Belgium and Germany. What an odd couple. Of all people I was expecting to meet here in Nice, I never thought I would become friends with "the Germans". Somehow, I found them too normal, not exotic enough. Before my arrival, I had this image of me hanging out with the  Niçois,  or some other mediterrean species like Spaniards or Italians. Instead, I found them to be quite upon themselves... Slightly disappointed, I turned to the expats: Germans. History has taught us that Germans come in large numbers (s orry for the joke, Germans ), so at some inevitable point, I would have to face them. So when one day I ...

La fac: slowly decaying since 1967. I'll admit, I'm a sixties lover, but not when it comes to university infrastructure. The French toilets on the  Aires de repos  a are cleaner. My classroom from 1st grade in elementary school used to be more equipped than my current ones. And did I mention the non-existing airconditioning? Got to love  la Fac  when it's 30 degrees outside!  I wish I could say being at  la Fac  was worth the bloody  ligne 22- busride, but unfortunatly, it isn't. You've just been sandwiched in an overcrowded bus, then get squeezed out, only to come across your first obstacle: the stairs. After climbing the stairs, you present your student card to the  watch dog,  who has the most ungrateful job in the world: checking grumpy student's student cards and probably scaring off possible terrorists. With no weapon. And a hawaii shirt and shorts. Very convincing.  Oh, how I pity him. Which is why I broug...

In the beginning of September, Nice was such a vibrant, sunny and touristy city that I almost forgot I actually had some business  to attend to. But eleven days after my arrival, I had to say goodbye to my sweet honeymoon and face my inevitable fate: ma vie à la Fac... Like every newbee at university, I was quite stressed those first days. Luckily, I had already gone to the Faculté de Lettres, Arts et Sciences Humaines - being an Erasmus student, they asked me to arrive a few days in advance to sort out administrative stuff.  One should think that, when they expect you to arrive earlier than the regular students, things will go faster. But if there are 200 Erasmus students enrolled, it's quite the contrary. After this first week, I visited the first floor of the H-wing once too many, since no matter how early I went to the International Office, there would always be a long long line of Erasmus students, thrilled (and less thrilled) to get enrolled. Fin...

In case you haven't noticed, I’m a romantic. Born and raised in a forest, I shun chaos, noise and crowds (Except for Rock Werchter), for they bring misery, stress and destruction. So being a romantic anno 2017 isn't easy, for everything happens in the City.   The City  is everywhere. Grey and concrete, she rises from the ground, repelling every last bit of nature, radiating only pollution. Roots are replaced by foundations, plants by people, harmony by chaos. No, I don't like cities. But if you want to work, study or make a career, you need to go to the City, because progress and prosperity awaits there .  So I inevitably had to go and live in  the City.  But how would I survive in the fifth largest city of France? No friend has ever heard me say " I could actually live her e " when talking about cities. But despite my negative expectations and attitude towards cities, I could actually live in Nice. In fact, I absolutely adore Nice. Colourful instaed of gre...