Nice, France--Day 1

May 16, we left Austin for Chicago, London, and finally Nice, France. Chicago is a place we've both been anxious to visit, but this didn't count--it was beautiful from the air--I got some amazing skyline pictures and then accidentally re-formatted my memory card and they were zapped. Very frustrated, but at least it was on the way there and not on the way home!

Russ and I never really wanted to go to France--they don't have the best reputation here in The States, especially Texas! I was worried about how we would be treated, but was comforted in the fact that Lotta spoke fluent French (in addition to Swedish and English).

We got off of the airplane in Nice, grabbed our bags, walked through the doors, and there they were--our Swedes! It didn't feel like 2 1/2 years had passed since we'd seen them--there was so much to see and so much to say!

We picked up a rental car--a Picasso--and headed to the house. First stop was a bakery that a cab driver had told Lotta was the best in town.

We had one of everything--to go!
We continued our journey to the house. I'd seen pictures, but they just didn't do it justice. Mine won't either. You can't smell the roses, the lavender, the rosemary...or the wine!

We said hello to everyone at the pool (Anna, Dick, Marcus, Tisa, Tiffany, Patricia, and Jonas), had a tour of the house, changed into our swimsuits, and headed down for pastries...and wine! I don't like chardonnay, but I apparently do in France! We hung out at the pool until the sun started to set, drinking, talking, eating those yummy pastries, cheese, bread, etc. And that is where my memory of that evening ends. Ha! Russ blames the wine, I blame jet lag!

(Lotta, Anna, Patricia)

(Thomas, Marcus, Russ)

(Tiffany) (Me and Lotta) Notice my empty glass!

The next thing I know, I wake up at something-o'clock, my husband is in bed next to me, I am wearing my bikini, with my cover up, and I'm wide awake. It's dark outside. My watch, which Russ set to France time, isn't right, I know because it says 8 a.m. I got up, took a shower, washed my hair, brushed my teeth, even shaved my legs! I sit down on the couch, check my phone for emails, and start going through the pictures I'd taken on my camera. I see these:

(I'll call this one Sleeping Beauty!)
(Tiffany, Russ, Thomas)
(Thomas and Lotta)

(Tisa and Marcus)

(Patricia and Jonas)

I missed all the fun! No, really I was thankful they let me be. Russ was worried about leaving me solo in a foreign country (but Anna and Dick were in the house and they shut me in pretty well too!). I didn't budge. So glad I didn't wake up all by myself!