Taking le TGV to Nice
Le mercredi 13 juin
Our train to Nice left around 7h00 from Gare de Lyon. We dropped off our Airbnb keys and caught an Uber to the station, my cheeks turning red as the driver graciously hoisted my heavy luggage out of the trunk of the car. We rolled our luggage into the large and crowded train station, squinting to find our train on le tableau des départs.
I had never been in a train station this large or crowded before, except for maybe South Station in Boston. This gare reminded me of Grand Central Station in New York in its hey day. I was grateful to have experience with train travel via Amtrak, because now I had to navigate our next moves, but in French. This would be my first time taking le TGV and it required some research on my part through the SNCF (Société nationale des chemins de fer) website. TGV stands for train à grande vitesse and it can be a very convenient way to get through France and connect to other parts of Europe. I have done several train travel units with my students, and I could feel the vocabulary coming back to me. We had to figure out quelle voie our train would be departing from or on raterait (would miss) our train.
One confusing aspect of our departure was that there were two trains departing at the same exact time for Nice on the same track. It took us a moment to realize that ours was the second train. We rolled our suitcases quickly along the lengthy platform before finding one of the last cars marked 1st class. There is nothing more stressful than rushing or running late to get on the train. As you may or may not know, unlike airline companies, trains do not wait! We breathed a sigh of relief once our luggage was secure and we had found our seats.
We decided to splurge on first class, only twenty or so euros more expensive, so as to have a quiet and comfortable ride with lots of room. This was key, because, you know, Team No Sleep needed to recoup some lost R&R from the past few days. In the quiet 1st class car, we put our seats all the way back. I had an airline blanket and a few sleep masks that I had purchased or inherited from Hawaiian Airlines. I put half of the fleece blanket on the already dozing Claire, and the other half on me. We slept for several hours, awaking just in time to see the stunning blue Mediterranean sea stretched out ahead of us from the window of the train.
Once deboarded from the train at Gare de Nice, I felt the laid back and relaxed culture of Southern France envelop me almost at once. Our apartment studio was just off of Rue Massena, and even though it took a lot of strength and effort to get my heavy luggage up the stairs, it was worth it. The apartment had the perfect, simple setup for us - kitchenette, window to the street, a sizeable bed and clean bathroom.
Starving from skipping breakfast and sleeping through our five-hour train ride, Claire and I headed to a mediterranean restaurant called L’ybane within the hour of arriving at our apartment. There, we scarfed down most of our hummus, falafel, and pita plates with some chilled white wine. I asked, in French, if we could take the leftovers of our meals to go. The waiter said this was out-of-the-ordinary, but yes he would pack them up. I researched it and found that leftovers aren’t really a thing in France. Huh, good to know!
The rest of our evening consisted of touring la vieille Nice, studying architecture and taking in the sweeping views of the French Riviera. We walked through Place Massena and researched and drooled over the musicians that would be coming just a week after us to perform there for the French holiday, Fête de la Musique. This holiday is nationally recognized in France. Place Massena, Paris, and various other locations in France would be holding large-scale, free outdoor concerts on June 22nd. Some of the musicians that would be playing in Nice included Youssou N’Dour, Black M, Maître Gims. and Pirate de Coeur. Quel bon groupe! Again, ideas for French curriculum based on popular music ebbed and flowed through my mind.
I won’t bore you with details of the rest of our evening. Just know that pizza, moules-frites, balcony beverages, and dancing were involved.
Alana
Our train to Nice left around 7h00 from Gare de Lyon. We dropped off our Airbnb keys and caught an Uber to the station, my cheeks turning red as the driver graciously hoisted my heavy luggage out of the trunk of the car. We rolled our luggage into the large and crowded train station, squinting to find our train on le tableau des départs.
I had never been in a train station this large or crowded before, except for maybe South Station in Boston. This gare reminded me of Grand Central Station in New York in its hey day. I was grateful to have experience with train travel via Amtrak, because now I had to navigate our next moves, but in French. This would be my first time taking le TGV and it required some research on my part through the SNCF (Société nationale des chemins de fer) website. TGV stands for train à grande vitesse and it can be a very convenient way to get through France and connect to other parts of Europe. I have done several train travel units with my students, and I could feel the vocabulary coming back to me. We had to figure out quelle voie our train would be departing from or on raterait (would miss) our train.
One confusing aspect of our departure was that there were two trains departing at the same exact time for Nice on the same track. It took us a moment to realize that ours was the second train. We rolled our suitcases quickly along the lengthy platform before finding one of the last cars marked 1st class. There is nothing more stressful than rushing or running late to get on the train. As you may or may not know, unlike airline companies, trains do not wait! We breathed a sigh of relief once our luggage was secure and we had found our seats.
We decided to splurge on first class, only twenty or so euros more expensive, so as to have a quiet and comfortable ride with lots of room. This was key, because, you know, Team No Sleep needed to recoup some lost R&R from the past few days. In the quiet 1st class car, we put our seats all the way back. I had an airline blanket and a few sleep masks that I had purchased or inherited from Hawaiian Airlines. I put half of the fleece blanket on the already dozing Claire, and the other half on me. We slept for several hours, awaking just in time to see the stunning blue Mediterranean sea stretched out ahead of us from the window of the train.
Once deboarded from the train at Gare de Nice, I felt the laid back and relaxed culture of Southern France envelop me almost at once. Our apartment studio was just off of Rue Massena, and even though it took a lot of strength and effort to get my heavy luggage up the stairs, it was worth it. The apartment had the perfect, simple setup for us - kitchenette, window to the street, a sizeable bed and clean bathroom.
Starving from skipping breakfast and sleeping through our five-hour train ride, Claire and I headed to a mediterranean restaurant called L’ybane within the hour of arriving at our apartment. There, we scarfed down most of our hummus, falafel, and pita plates with some chilled white wine. I asked, in French, if we could take the leftovers of our meals to go. The waiter said this was out-of-the-ordinary, but yes he would pack them up. I researched it and found that leftovers aren’t really a thing in France. Huh, good to know!
The rest of our evening consisted of touring la vieille Nice, studying architecture and taking in the sweeping views of the French Riviera. We walked through Place Massena and researched and drooled over the musicians that would be coming just a week after us to perform there for the French holiday, Fête de la Musique. This holiday is nationally recognized in France. Place Massena, Paris, and various other locations in France would be holding large-scale, free outdoor concerts on June 22nd. Some of the musicians that would be playing in Nice included Youssou N’Dour, Black M, Maître Gims. and Pirate de Coeur. Quel bon groupe! Again, ideas for French curriculum based on popular music ebbed and flowed through my mind.
I won’t bore you with details of the rest of our evening. Just know that pizza, moules-frites, balcony beverages, and dancing were involved.
Alana
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