bonjour from Nice! we are here for an hour between trains en route to Marseille. Kat is very happy to be somewhere she can speak the language (I am too; but not quite as radiantly as Kat is). we were dismayed to discover, however, that French keyboards are VERY different from North American ones. like, more so than Czech keyboards. that was very unexpected. it is a difficult adjustment to make. to illustrate, our names on this keyboard, typed as we would normally, are Qlyssq ?qckenwie and Kqthijqh Ng. that, by the way, is my long way of saying that this will be a very short post, because it is taking me a very long time to type.

so we are only in France for a couple of days right now: we are going to Marseille to see some of the Tour de France in person, and then heading to Barcelona (where we will also catch some of the Tour). as many of you may already know, the start of the Tour de France (which was yesterday, for those of you not aware) marks the beginning of a thrilling few weeks for my family. I'm pretty excited to be able to see some of the Tour in person, although it feels very weird not be getting up early every morning to watch with my parents. we watched some of the first day in our hotel last night, and I know I don't speak the language, but I think that the Italian commentators lack the charm of Paul, Phil, and Bobke. perhaps the French and Spanish will be better? regardless, I'm totally psyched to see Lance Armstrong in person tomorrow. stay tuned.

ps. don't worry, Jess (and anyone else who might be concerned): I recovered from my jellyfish sting very quickly. sadly, it's not the first one I've had in my life, so I more or less knew what to expect. my leg muscles hurt for much longer than my stung foot did. my body was seriously unimpressed with my decision to hike, and expressed its displeasure accordingly.