03/03/19 – Grasse, FR – Day 2

The time it took to get here was in total – over 15 hours. From getting to the airport to connecting flights to drama and language barriers, the journey was incredibly stressful and tiring. I flew from PHL to Madrid, Spain. Then a quick trip from Madrid, Spain to Nice, France. Flying from Madrid to Nice was surreal. The airport was only in Spanish, and not knowing Spanish, I mainly had to guess what was going on. The plane we then got on was miniature, one of the smallest I’ve ever been on, but luckily I had a window seat for the quick 3-hour flight. The plane went over many deep bodies of water, over massive mountains, and loads of small villages and big cities, until finally, we reached our destination, a seaside town in France only 40 minutes away from Grasse.

After arriving at the hotel, checking in and getting my bags sorted I fell right asleep and didn’t wake up until the next day. Today is my second day being able to walk around the small Italian-esuqe town of Grasse. Yesterday, I took a walk into town, which was about 40 minutes from my hotel. The city of Grasse is small and is filled with color. There are many parks and public spaces, as well as small pedestrian filled alleyways. The buildings surrounding those allies are mostly a dusty orange, appearing to be a common theme in most of the architecture in the area. I bought some things I forgot to bring, stopped to grab a coffee and walked around enjoying the view, the smell of the flowers, the feel of the old rubble and the sun on my face, and hearing the French all around me it felt incredibly peaceful and exhilarating all at the same time.

Today, I learned that the hotel used to be a park, so many of the grounds are perfectly manicured, covered in olive and orange trees, grande terraces and large balconies. So, after eating a delicious breakfast, I spent almost 3 hours walking around the hotel grounds, looking at the trees and mountains, having conversations with the staff of the hotel in French, and hearing the excited cheers and car horns honking from miles and miles away. It was a beautiful day filled with fantastic sites, delicious food, and exciting sounds.