Bonjour! I'm blogging today from my hotel room in Nice on the French Riveria. It's a bit trite, but Nice is nice. I arrived yesterday afternoon (after a seven hour layover in Amsterdam -- more on that in another entry) and forced myself to walk around and stay up. The Vieux Nice (old Nice) is my favorite part of town, with narrow streets and lots of cool little shops and restaurants.

The beach scene is pretty wild and a bit different from the ones I'm used to. First, the beach is stony, not sandy. Big (albeit mostly smooth) pebbles all over; you need a mattress or you'll be unhappy. There are also a mix of private and public beaches all along the strip. The private beaches are fenced off, and appear to provide nicer chairs, food, bar, etc. And, of course, there's topless sunbathing. Viva la France!

I too the train to Monaco today on my friend Angie's advice. Turned out to be good advice. Monaco is like a French Singapore -- it's very small, very clean (almost too sterile), and rich. Actually, Monaco is grossly rich. I met a great British lady on the train. She had a fascinating background and was nice company as we walked around town together for a while.

I have lots more to write about and photos to share, but now, I need to get some work done so I'm ready for my meetings tomorrow. Right after the meetings I'm off to Paris for a day, then back home. Stay tuned for more exciting travel news.