The international crowds in search of sand, sea and that golden Provencal sun are arriving in hordes now and the town is filling up.

With the hot sun and gentle breeze on my face, I reflected on the day. Absurd really. But I needed to break the seal of sounding stupid. I'll get used to it.

The pebbly beach is scattered with the constant sunbathers and students, but the glassy indigo water seems to be untouched for the moment.

As he is setting off to cover conflicts in the Middle East, I am packing my bags to return to Nice just in time for the warmth of spring.

It's not Provence, but the view from Northwest is pretty nice.

After wrestling with the subways in Paris, trains in Italy and street maps in Ramallah, getting lost in a place where I can speak the language seems luxurious.

As I made my way back up onto the main road, I saw huge Christmas trees strung with lights set up in the big square and a Christmas market full of people buying candied apples and hot cider.

People often talk about how friendly and hospitable Americans are, but I think Palestinians, at least the ones I've met, are miles ahead in this category.

I am in the West Bank, a place fraught with political tension and controversy, oceans away from my friends and family and I feel more at home than I have in a long time.

After we polished off the tiramisu and coffee, we strolled out onto the pebbly sand and, at that moment, with the Mediterranean Ocean drenched in golden autumnal sunshine, and the beach empty but for us, Italy sure seemed a lot like paradise to me.

All of the quirky rules and formalities here give a sense that people are doing the same things -- in the same places -- that they have been done for centuries. This is precisely what I find so fascinating about this country.

It started out tasting like very strong blue cheese, but the flavor quickly went from pungent to spicy and then seemed to coat my tongue and the inside of my mouth like peanut butter.

A cab ride, lots of excess baggage fees, a red eye, a few buses and 12 hours later, I arrived in Nice ready to start my new life.

I made the decision to move to France, quit my job and found renters. The big things posed little problem. It was the little stuff that proved hard to handle.