TJSL Notes from Nice

Nice is nice in the summer, and during the next few weeks we'll find out just "how nice" as TJSL students and professors participating in the law school's annual Summer Study Abroad Program in Nice, France share their experiences and some photos. The program at the University of Nice Law School, under the direction of TJSL Professor Susan Tiefenbrun, runs from June 21 to July 18. Click here to view more information about this year's program.

A Message From Professor Susan Tiefenbrun

TJSL Professor Steve Semeraro, who is teaching Comparative Antitrust Laws: Monopolies and Restraint of Trade, arrived in Nice on Saturday, June 20, is sending daily blogs. TJSL Student Courtney Darnell also has signed up as a contributor.  (Photos by TJSL Student Jeremy Evans)

So, sit back and enjoy the Nice experience from a few of our own.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Professor Steve Semeraro's Daily Blogs from Nice

Nice Blog 23 - The last day of the program has arrived. Final exams will be followed by a farewell party hosted by the French students. They will be preparing some local dishes, and everyone will bring whatever wine they have left in their apartments. So, as I sit in my office getting ready to proctor my exam, I am thinking about last times. The last walk up the hill to the law school. Our last chance to see the non-TJSL students, at least for awhile. The last time the entire faculty (and spouses) will crowd into the tiny back seat of Prof. Tiefenbrun's little Euro rental car like so many circus clowns. Oh wait, last night was the first time for that one. And believe me, once is enough. Although I'm looking forward to returning to San Diego and seeing my friends and places again, I know I will miss Nice. And I hope that I will be part of this program again.

Nice Blog -22 - "It's like no fireworks I've ever seen, Grommet." (My apologies to the non-Wallace-and-Grommet fans, you don't know what you're missing. But stick to the shorts, and avoid the feature film.). One of the few things that I've missed about home is the fireworks. We were privileged to attend the mayor's party for Americans on July 4, but no fireworks. So, I anxiously awaited Bastille Day, when I knew that they would have a display. Actually, from the beach, we spotted a couple of displays on July 13 from Villefranch and Antibes, but they were really far away, and Professor Tiefenbrun said not to expect much. Apparently, the shows hadn't been very good in recent years. But the Nice fireworks this time were simply amazing. The greatest display that I ever saw, prior to this one, I watched from Liberty Park in Jersey City, New Jersey. Those fireworks were shot from barges in Manhattan over the Hudson River. What made them special was the variety of types of fireworks. I never saw a comparable show until last night, which had even more unusual forms and colors. Some fireworks formed waterfalls. Literally, solid waves of color covering hundreds of feet of sky and cascading down like water falling from a high peak. Others formed palm trees that started with streaks upward that formed the trunks and then branching light from the tops that shaped the unmistakable tree-form that lingered tantalizingly for seconds before fading again to black. And it all came, rapid fire, for about 20 minutes with almost no break at all. We watched from the beach just a few feet from where the waves were crashing. Then, when the big show ended, the private beaches started their own little shows. I wanted to stay for them, too. They reminded me of the fireworks that we'd set off in the backyard at July 4th parties in Jersey when I was a kid. It's prob ably even legal here.

Nice Blog 21 - Did I mention that the food is great here? No, I know what you're thinking. "That soup and salad that I had a Soup Plantation last night was pretty good; maybe Nice is like that everyday." Admittedly, the clam chowder at Soup Plantation is pretty good, particularly with a dash of Tabasco

Profs. Marybeth Herald, Ken Vandevelde & Susan Tiefenbrun

sauce, but you're not even close. "OK," you're probably thinking, "maybe, it's like those chicken fingers and onion rings that I had at the Statute of Liberty last year." Again, I've had that. It's good, but not really in the same league. And I'm not just talking about the restaurants, which are great but usually expensive. I'm talking about every food stand, every guy walking down the beach selling stuff from a tray, and everything you buy at the supermarket. The produce, the meat, the coffee, the juices, and the bread (bien sur) are all beyond anything that I could have imagined. The cuisine is also very international. I mentioned a Chinese restaurant in a prior post, but you can find almost anything. In particular, the Italian food is as good as in Italy. Professor Herald recommends the Indian Food. I even saw a Somaliese place in Vieux Nice. Seriously (alright half seriously), I would come back just for the food. Of course, the beach is great too. The water takes on a kaleidoscope of colors as the angle of the sun changes throughout the day, and the hues vary with the depth of the water from light green to aqua to turquoise to dark blue. This seems to be a phenomenon limited to the beach in Nice, because I haven't noticed it in the other communities we've visited. The water is warm and with ocean-like surf, although not big enough for actual surfing. It's also highly salty, which makes you very buoyant. It is easy to swim way out and stay there for a long time. The rock beach takes some getting used to, but it has its advantages (you don't get sandy, for one), and it is really pretty comfortable to lay on the rocks with just a towel. There are also plenty of private beaches where for a few Euros you can get a chase lounge for the day. Most of them seem to have American names, like "Miami Beach." Prof. Teifenbrun negotiated a special deal with "Florida Beach" for program participants. Yesterday, we rented some bikes and road to a beach down the Promenade from where I have been going. Coincidentally, we ran into about a dozen students lounging on the beach there. At first, I felt a little embarrassed about the big blow up tube that I was carrying. But then, I noticed that the students had a couple of tubes too, along with a big, blow-up, orange dinosaur.

Nice Blog 20 - So, Provence. The plan was to do what I call (no one else does as far as I know) the Provence Diamond: Aix-on-Provence, Arles, Nimes, and Avignon from Friday through Sunday. And I thought the guy going to Italy was ambitious! Well, we did start in Aix, and it lived up to its rep as both a college town and a sophisticated town. Lots of students zipping around on loud motorbikes and sharply-dressed locals who speak perfect English and are happy to help. Apparently, the question "Ou est ici?" really amuses them. But when you can't figure out where you are on the map, what are you going to say? The Musée de Garnet had a great exhibit showing Cézanne's influence on Picasso with lots of great art and photographs of the artists. I had seen paintings by both before, of course, but never really appreciated either of them, and I certainly was not aware of the connection. Of course, starting on a high note has its downside. It's hard for anything to live up to it. So the xteenth Musée de Oh-Who-Cares-Anymore is just not going to cut it. The French do love their museums. They have one dedicated to just about anything you can think of, and probably a couple that you can't. So, the best things tended to be unplanned. In Les Baux, a small mountain town that we decided to stop in at the last minute, we came upon something called "Le Cathedrale de Images," which is a limestone cave on which they project a series of artworks set to music. As luck would have it, this year's exhibit is also dedicated to Picasso. Don't think of a cave wall like a movie screen. Imagine a prism-like collection of walls at various odd angles with images coming from every direction, and a cavernous series of rooms totally surrounding you. Now, you're getting closer! Amazing. Arles was a gritty place where we spent Saturday night, but it did have two huge ancient Roman structures - a circular arena like the coliseum in Rome and another half-circle open-air theater. Although both are still in the process of being restored, they use them anyway. A sort of awards show was going on in one, and the other was set up for bull fighting. Since Nimes's claim to fame was another coliseum, we decided to skip that and head directly for Avignon. But someone in a roadside store recommended to my wife and daughter a place that sells essential oils in St. Remy. So, we had to stop there. They liked the perfume shop, as well as the candy store nearby. On our way out of San Remy, we came upon a middle-of-nowhere, not-in-any-guide-book town called Rognanes. There seemed to be something happening, and we saw a few people in historic costumes. So, we stopped to check it out. We came upon a crowd of people all obviously and anxiously awaiting something. They lined the streets, hung out the windows, and crowded the rooftops and terraces. What could it be? Just then the crowd started to applaud, and three men on white horses came riding by with the horses in full gallop. And then, just a few seconds behind the three riders, a team of 8 or 10 horses pulled a large carriage decorated with flowers and sticks. It was sort of like a parade float, but they came through at breakneck pace. The crowd went wild, and I loved it. After that, the Palais des Papes in Avignon could only disappoint. A stop in another small, touristy, but interesting, hill-side village - Menerbes - capped off the trip, and we were back in Nice. Whew.

Nice Blog 19 - As week 3 drew to a close, virtually everyone couldn't wait to get out of town. Call me crazy, but I thought that my apartment on the beach at the French Riveria would be a pretty nice place to spend a long weekend. But nooooooooooo. Aside from a few dedicated students (who I guess had already blown their travel budgets), everybody is high-tailing out of this death trap for greener pastures. The famous Italian cities and Spain, particularly Pamplona for the running of the bulls, are the two most popular student destinations. The faculty members are all headed off in different directions. Professor Tiefenbrun and her husband, Jonathon, are headed south to Rome for a little sight-seeing and then the Isle of Capri for some much needed R&R. Professor Vandevelde, on his own now because his family went back to the U.S., is headed East to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Italian Riviera. Professor Herald and her husband, Joel, (their son has gone home) will head north to Prague, and my family and I are off to Provence. Yes, Provence is a very big place. You won't want to miss the next installment.

Nice Blog 18 - Week 3 brought another special guest, Nicole Lenoir, a former French cabinet minister and currently an EU competition lawyer. We also had scheduled a private audience with the mayor, or so we thought. The story goes that about 6 years ago, the mayor of Nice heard about the TJSL summer program and invited the students and faculty to City Hall to celebrate inter-cultural exchange between the United States and France. Each year, he is said to present the faculty members with a gift and wish the students well. Professor Tiefenbrun says she received a book of Matisse prints as a gift one year. So, Wednesday night, the four faculty members and about 20 students made our way down to City Hall. We were shown into a large open room that was almost fairy-tale like. Features were painted on flat walls in pastel colors like something from your grandmother's copy of Sleeping Beauty. They had a table of appetizers and drinks set up, but we were told that in France it is polite to wait until the speaker is finished before eating or drinking. So, we anxiously awaited the mayor. In a few minutes, a young women of about 20 came into the room. Turns out, she was an intern in the mayor's office and was going to be his representative for the evening. Why? Because she had just returned from her junior year abroad at Georgetown. France to the U.S. and U.S. to France, one had to admit that there was a certain symmetry to it. Well, the gift part was true anyway. We all received leather planners with Nice insignia. Pretty nice, actually. On the way back to my apartment, I met two students walking down the street. I asked about their plans for the upcoming 5-day weekend. (Yes, that's right, we do have it tough, don't we?). The guy said that he was only taking 3 days, and would be visiting Venice, Rome, and Florence. Now that's an ambitious agenda, I thought. But then, I contemplated my own plans. Stay tuned.

Nice Blog 17- Today was my big day, sort of. I invited Dr. Philip Marsden to join the program as a special guest lecturer in my class and as a lunch time speaker. Generally, Prof. Tiefendbrun finds the guests, and they tend to be pretty impressive folks - Supreme Court Justices, the President of the International Court of Justice, that sort of thing. I met Philip a few years ago when I presented a paper at an antitrust conference in Chicago. We hit it off in part because we both practiced extensively prior to entering academia. He works in London at the British Institute of International and Comparative Law. But would he connect with the students? Would he impress the faculty given the level of competition on the special guest circuit? I thought he would, but I didn't know. Well, let me tell you, he hit an absolute homerun. His lecture in my class was the perfect counter-point to my American-law focused presentation of US and EU antitrust, and his lecture on competition and trade during the lunch hour was very well received despite the jackhammer that started up in the middle and the ill-timed fire alarm that brought it to an abrupt end. He showed real class in pressing on with good humor despite the disruptions. My favorite part of the day was when Philip took questions and one of my students pulled a key quote from a case that we had discussed in class a few days earlier and asked Philip how he could reconcile that case with his description of the European approach to antitrust. Yes! For a law professor, it doesn't get any better than that.

Nice Blog 16 - Today week 3 began, and we were treated to an amazing lecture by the recently retired President of the International Court of Justice, Roslyn Higgins. The English jurist is brilliant and had lots of interesting tales to tell from her 16-year run on the court. Afterward, she went out to lunch with the faculty and indulged our curiosity, answering our questions about issues ranging from how century old boundary disputes are resolved to the meaning of self-determination. OK, I know, but I shouldn't have to keep reminding you that there's a reason we work as professors.

Judge Roslyn Higgins

Toward the end of the lunch, Professor Tiefenbrun asked the judge what her plans were now that she had retired. She smiled, leaned forward just a tad, and said, "To sit back and smell the roses." 

  Nice Blog 15 - The Tour de France is rolling through Nice! We had heard that the race was staring in Monaco this year, but we didn't want to buck the crowds to see the time trial on day one. To our amazement, we found out at the last minute that the first race stage ran right down the Promenade des Anglais in front of our apartments. The street was closed at 11 AM, and surprisingly wasn't very crowded in front of my building. As we waited, it reminded me of waiting for a parade when I was a kid. But then, they started to come - cars, trucks, and vans advertising every European product under the sun. More cultural differences . . . back home, my neighborhood banned the throwing of candy from the floats in our memorial day parade which travel at about 2 miles an hour. The theory, I think, is that the flying candy might hurt someone. Here, they zoomed by at about 50 mph and pegged us with everything from key chains to laundry detergent. We survived. Just a few minutes before the riders passed, a guy in his mid-20s came out wearing a bathroom and slippers with a sign that had the name of some business school. As the leaders approach, he threw off the bathrobe and slippers.  At this point, he was wearing nothing by his underwear and he ran off chasing the leaders waving the sign and screaming "aller, aller." Not a bad scheme for getting on TV, I guess. I'm just glad that it wasn't a TJSL sign.

Nice Blog 14 - It's July 4, and we're all a little homesick. NOT! But just in case we were, we were honored to be invited to a party in honor of Americans that is held each year at the mayor's mansion in Nice. The head of the nearest US military contingent made a speech about how instrumental the French were in helping the US win its independence. In much better French, the mayor thanked America for liberating France during WWII. Afterward, the French military band played a selection of great American classics like Barry Manilow's Coppa Cabana and an inspired version of the Star Spangled Banner. We just kept saying, "it's really the thought that counts." Our hosts set up a really nice spread of appetizers and drinks for everyone to enjoy after the speeches. We all started to line up as Americans do for these things. And then we learned a little lesson about the French, at least the older generation. They don't line up. It's more like the storming of the Bastille. And once they get in front of an appetizer tray that looks appealing, they're there for the duration. It was a very interesting lesson in cultural relativism. I don't say this very often, but I wish I had a camera to capture the moment.

Nice Blog 13 - The hardest thing about this program is deciding where to go on weekends. There are just so many choices. Today, Prof. Herald and her husband and my family and I went to Monaco. On the train platform, we met a group of students. "Hey, going to Monaco," we asked. "No," they said, "been there, done that." They were going to the Italian market on the France/Italy border. Imagine that - "no, I won't be going to Monaco today; I'm bored with that." Well, let me tell you, Monaco is really wild. It's like another country. Oh, wait a minute . . . It oozes money from every pore. I must have seen a half dozen Ferraris, an Aston Martin, a Bugotti, and several other cars that Prof. Herald's husband described as "costing more than I'll earn in a life time." Slight exaggeration there, I guess, but 3 bedroom apartments in this place sell for upwards of $4 million. We saw the exotic gardens, which look just like San Diego, as well as the castle and casino (the cheeky American parts anyway, we weren't dressed well enough to get into the back rooms where the real action is). Did you know that they have 2 cent slot machines in there? 2 cents! Anyone could gamble at those stakes. I actually had 2 Euro cents in my pocket and was going to take a spin, but no, the machine wouldn't take actual coins. I would have had to put money on a card. Forget it. I'd rather be outside taking in the sea views and varied architecture from every corner of this spectacular modern city-state. Prince Albert sends his love.

Nice Blog 12 - Negotiating the restaurant scene is part of adjusting to life in Nice. This week, my stumbling French caused me to lose out on the last table at a really nice (and pretty cheap) brasserie. Needless to say, I was not the most popular person in the family after that move. But misfortune often breeds good blogging material, and well . . . we ended up at a Chinese restaurant that Prof. Keller, who came to Nice last year, had recommended. The food was great, but that's not the story. The people who worked there spoke neither English nor French all that well. Since I've been accused of the same short-coming, we got along just fine. Especially when, mid-way through our meal, a guy from the kitchen walked out and came back 10 minutes later with a big heaping bag-O-Kentucky Fried Chicken with all the fixins. The entire kitchen and wait staff sat down at a table right next to us and dug in. My daughter, who has shared more than few of the Colonel's best with dear old dad, asked, "Was Colonel Sanders French?"

Nice Blog, 10-11  - As week 2 draws to a close, all of the classes are in high gear. There were no special guests this week, so everyone's focus was on the core program. Of course, we are all happily, if somewhat hazily, remembering two wild parties at Prof. Tiefenbrun's apartment. She has a wonderful place overlooking the beach, and she invited the students over for wine, bread, and cheese, on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon, half one day and half the next. Truth be told, I missed both of these soirées, but I heard plenty of stories.

And I can't let another blog pass without noting that this Nice Program will be remembered as the one during which Michael Jackson died. Had I not been here, I wouldn't have given his death very much thought. Sure, I liked the Jackson 5 as much as any little boy in the 70s. But I never owned one of his solo records, and hadn't heard his music in years. But the French won't let it be that easy. They adored MJ, and have been playing his music everywhere since his death - in restaurants, on the buses, on the beach. It's inescapable. Today, I went parasailing for the first time with my daughter and her friend, and you know what was blasting on the stereo: "You've got to feel that beat, and we can ride the boogie." Yes we can. For guys of my generation, there is a suppressed memory of a Michael Jackson from before he became the freaky, plastic-surgery-deformed King of Pop. He was sort of like the big brother that we didn't want to emulate, but in some ways couldn't help ourselves. The Michael Jackson who recorded "Off the Wall" was all that. Escaping the shackles of a dominating family that had ridden his coattails since he was six years old, he produced an album so extraordinary that we couldn't help but fantasize about entering adulthood with a similar fury. With the possible exception of the similarly tragic Judy Garland, no child star has ever blossomed into adulthood so magnificently. We never admitted it, of course, but when MJ breaks down during "She's out of My Life," we felt a sense of kinship. We had all been there, and in that moment, it really didn't matter if you were black or white. MJ was a gentleman when jerk-with-charm was the only contemporary role model that we had. Bruce was a generation ahead of us; Billy was too, and he was a jerk to boot; and Prince, come on, no one called themselves Prince in those days. If you weren't there, you couldn't possibly know how it was. You would be too influenced by what Michael Jackson became: from that stupid white glove to so much worse. If only the brilliant super-nova who made Off-the-Wall hadn't black-holed into Thriller and beyond. If only the glorious Roman candle who didn't "go around breaking young girls' hearts" could have avoided descending into the flickering madness inducing duality of trying to perpetuate a childhood he never really had while thinking he could be a parent himself. And of course, he broke our hearts in ways too painful to mention long before he passed away. We will never forgive him for that, and probably would have forgotten him. But the French, whose hearts can break again and again, play the music and make us remember.

Nice Blog - Day 9 - And week two begins. It was tough to get rolling today after a tiring weekend. But we did our best. I'd like to say that we all competed in the European Iron-man competition, which was held in Nice on Sunday. But most of us spent time on more cultural pursuits. As for me, I explored the French Riviera with my family, who arrived Friday. This, of course, changed the dynamics of my life somewhat. My idea of sight seeing is . . . well, I don't willing go sight seeing. I head out and encounter with as little pre-planning as possible. This approach worked out reasonably well on Saturday as we stumbled into the outdoor French Communist Party convention, complete with food, music, and political debates. If my French was better, I would have been there all weekend. I loved the Les Amis de Liberté (Friends of Liberty) banners that were everywhere. That's a souvenir that I could get into. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any for sale. Now every excursion doesn't work out this well, of course (I'll spare you the details), and the Communist Party convention isn't everybody's idea of a good time on the Riviera. So, as you've probably guessed, my family quickly decided to take over the direction of our travels. So, I find myself at Eze Village, which is a beautiful medieval ruin that sits on a mountaintop just West of Nice. The old castle has been reformatted into an exotic plant and sculpture garden. It's actually pretty cool to explore all the catacombs, and the views are unreal. But it was overrun by British and American tourists. One can often find examples of the sublime within the throws of utter madness, and so it was at Eze village. On this day, I found two. The first was labeled, innocently enough, a "Contemplative Place." We walked down to discover a series of wood chase lounges attached only at the base to the ground and extended out as if to float over a pond. Reclining on the lounges, you could look out over Nice and points west. Relaxing there for a few minutes, amazingly with no one else around, was pure joy. The second sublimity, from the highest point on the castle, I saw a rooftop in the town of Eze. It was simple enough: just a table with a couple of chairs, a cloths line, a small satellite dish, and the most drop dead gorgeous view of the Mediterranean coast line that you will ever see. I'll bet that just about everybody else who is part of this program felt the same way at some point this past weekend. This place does that to you. Now back to work.

Nice Blog - Weekend 1 - Day 6-8: "I think I'm gonna like it here." My daughter was recently in a production of Annie, and that song from when Annie first goes to Daddy Warbucks house just keeps running through my head! It is hard to believe that the first week of classes, more than 25% of the program, is already over. A couple of interesting encounters today: I got to talking with a few students who I didn't recognize. It turns out that they are part of a five-student contingent from Buffalo Law School, who learned about the Nice Program from a website called

SummerPrograms.com. They said that they wished their teachers back in Buffalo were as good as the TJ professors in this program, and they promised to talk us up when they get home. Hopefully, Buffalo will become a regular contributor to the program. Another surprise, a guy who is starting at TJSL this fall just happened to be hiking the French Riviera and heard that we were here. He sat in on my comparative antitrust class and Judge Levale's final lecture on copyright law. Tomorrow, the students will visit the local French court with the French students serving as interpreters for the Americans. After that, I heard some students talking about a trip to Spain and other exotic locations. Professors Tiefenbrun and Vandevelde will be headed to Paris for the weekend, and Professor Herald will be in Rome. As for me, I like it right here.

Day 4-5 June 23-24 , 2009

Day 4-5 - So Nice requires some balance. There is so much to do here that enjoying yourself can easily become a full time job. But the academic program is too rigorous to phone it in. What separates this program from a lot of others is Professor Susan Tiefenbrun's experience as the director. During orientation, she provided some sound advice. First off, attendance at class is

Professor Susan Tiefenbrun

required and skipping the guest lectures over the lunch hour is really bad form. So, Prof. Tiefenbrun recommends that students take care to wind down for a couple hours after the school session, perhaps by going to the beach, and then take 2-3 hours to prepare for the next day's classes. That leaves the whole evening for fun and games, especially because it stays light really late here. "But," she emphasizes emphatically, "you can't expect to be out drinking until 1 in the morning and do well in this program." The collective Scooby Doo "rut row" was palpable. Everyone got the message though, and classes have been very engaging. I've had lots of good interaction in my Comparative Antitrust class among TJSL, non-TJSL American students, and French students. I've also sat in a little on Prof. Ken Vandevelde's International Investment, and Prof. Tiefenbrun's International Human Rights, which have been great. Prof. Herald and I teach at the same time, so I haven't gotten the chance to see her Comparative Constitutional Law class. But the student feedback has been very positive. Judge Pierre Leval's lecture on copyright law today was fascinating. He engaged in some role playing exercises with students to illustrate the history of, and limitations in, the law. I am looking forward to Part Duex tomorrow.

Day 3, June 22,  2009

Nice Blog - Day 3 - The first day of classes, and I think everyone is still recovering from the trip out and a weekend of good times in this beautiful city.

This morning, I went out on my balcony to have a cup of coffee, and I saw a man wearing a formal coat and tails riding along the beach on a bicycle while carrying a brief case. That vision captures this city on many levels. I enjoyed attending a good portion of Professor Tiefenbrun's Human Rights class and meeting several French students who had not made it to the party the night before. My antitrust class is pretty heavy lifting for this setting, but I'm working hard to make it interesting. After the regular classes, Professor Tiefenbrun taught a French class for about a dozen students. Professor Herald and I also attended.

Afterward, some of us visited the thousand year old ramparts at Antibes, a nearby town. Tomorrow, Judge Pierre Leval begins his lecture series. One thing that has become clear: there's never a dull moment in this program.

Day 2 Sunday, June 21, 2009

Day -2. Well, things are just rushing ahead full steam toward the start of the program. The second day literally kicked off with a bunch of students feasting on strawberries at midnight at Professor Susan Tiefenbrun's apartment on the Promenade des Anglais. Even though I'm living just a block away, somehow, I managed to miss this party!

For me, and I'm sure most of the students, Sunday was spent exploring. The beach - the water is so much warmer than California - the neighborhood (mid-Promenade, for me), vieux Nice (the old city, which reminds me of Sienna, Italy). Professor Tiefenbrun reports that Nice was part of Italy until the mid-19th century.

At 5 p.m., we all headed to the law school for a welcoming reception. Everyone was in good spirits, and the representatives of the Nice law school were really nice, bien sur. Professor Tiefenbrun loves that pun, "Nice is nice," she says. The students were all really excited about the fascinating international studies to come. Surprisingly, a few were even thinking about doing some fun stuff while they are here. They'll probably be studying too hard of course, but a little day dreaming never hurt anyone.

After the reception, several of us went to vieux Nice for a fish dinner (they have some wild kinds of fish here) and gelato. What a night. Apparently, there was a music festival going on with loud rock bands and DJs blasting around every corner. Special Nice Program guest, Judge Pierre Leval, and his wife came along with us. They are wonderful down-to-earth people, and we enjoyed some great conversation about law, France, and life in general. I am looking forward to the Judges lectures Tuesday through Thursday of this week.

Day 1 Saturday, June 20, 2009

Welcome to Day 1 of the TJSL Nice Summer Program Blog. This won't be your typical summer program update blog. We'll be going for the subtlety behind the experience; the sublime; and, of course, the ridiculous. There's plenty of that latter on Day 1! Read on.

So, I arrived at the airport at O-dark 30 sharp this morning, and I'm looking for where to check-in. I approach a uniformed attendant to ask if this was the line for international travelers, and she said, "what airline?" "Delta," I respond. "Oh no," she says, and now I'm paraphrasing only slightly "this is a different airline. See that goat rodeo over there? That's where you belong." Dejected, I prepared to dive into the heat when I'm rescued by my knight in . . ., well actually a non-descript guy with an open collar shirt and no airline ID that I could see. Still, I trusted him when he said, "if you printed out your boarding pass at home, you can go in this shorter line."

So, that went well, but my luck was short lived. I soon faced the longest security line I'd ever seen. There was a rumor that the line on the other side of the terminal was shorter. What the heck, I'll give it a try. So, I schlep my old school, non-wheeled-carry-on luggage downstairs, and backup only to be greeted by . . . the longest security line I had ever seen. After briefly considering the trek back, I find myself in-line. Almost immediately, a woman begins screaming flight numbers and urging passengers on those flights to move to a shorter line. She's literally pushing the people forward and yelling, "you go child, go for it." This is different, but ok. Only then, I realize that these flights she's calling out have later departure times than mine! Yikes. I consider asking whether I can move up too. But just then a bedraggled fellow approaches her and says, in an inappropriately nasty tone, "who can I talk to." Without missing a beat she says, "you talk to me, and if I didn't call your flight number, end of the line buddy." So, I kept quiet.

The line moves fast enough, and I'm through with just enough time to run back half an airport to my gate. But wait, I hear, "Excuse me, sir, is this your bag? It has been identified for further search." Perfect. He assures me that he's won the prize for fastest supplemental search security guy, and he lives up to his billing. So, I'm off as fast as my old school luggage let's me go.

Gate 41, of course, is the very last gate, and when I arrive, just a few minutes before departure time, there's no plane there! What's up, a last minute gate change? "Gate 39, just two away," an attendant says. Another lucky break.

The flight to NYC was one of the easiest cross country flights I've ever had. I listened to a couple of old Springsteen concerts that I had just downloaded to my i-Pod and watched the U.S. Open on seatback TV. There were just enough turbulents to keep in their seats those fat guys who walk up and down in their stocking feet as if the plane aisle was their own personal mantuary.

So, "it was a cold and wet December day, when we touched the ground at JFK," not really, but I've always liked that Bono lyric. And through the windows, it could have been. It had that claustrophobic, low-cloud grey look that New York often has in December. As we were getting off the plane, a young woman couldn't get her sweater because it was stuck behind some bags. I climb onto the seat to get it for her, and she says, "thanks [pause], Professor Semeraro, right?" And I say, "yea" as in "who are you?" I shouldn't have been surprised, but she was a TJSL student also on her way to Nice. I'm thinking, do I lose the bonus for helping a stranger now?

For the layover, I decide to find the most American food that I can for lunch. I know what you're thinking, but I couldn't find French fries. I settled for a Stromboli - because archeologists recently determined that no one in Italy has ever eaten one of those things -and a bag of Mrs. Vickers Sea Salt and Vinegar chips. The latter were pushing it though, because they're made in Texas, and if Gov Perry has it way . . ..

After I eat, Marybeth Herald and her husband Joel, who were also on the flight, invite me to go with them to the Delta Lounge. Open bar and free buffet. But I'm full from the spicy salami Stromboli. I have two glasses of water from the pitcher of ice water on the bar. [That's the sublime part right there, pay attention.]

Great flight to Nice, and another Springsteen show to keep me occupied; a recent one this time, and I read several essays in "Hart's Post-script." Hey, I'm a professor, after all.

When we got to Nice, Marybeth and Joel took a taxi to their apartment. But I decided to try taking the bus. Getting it was easy, except that I quickly discovered that the downside of speaking a little French is that people think, well, that you speak French! When the lady at the bus-ticket window answered me in French, I couldn't get a word. Of course, then I was done. Couldn't remember a word of French. When I said that I didn't understand, in English, she responded, in perfect English, "oh, I thought you wanted to speak French." Arg. At this point, I'm thinking, "what good did all those lessons do!" (But read on, they help later.)  

The bus has a very clear listing of all the stops and goes right down the Promenade des Anglais, where I'm staying. I'm admiring the pebble beaches as we drive along the coast, which are very unusual for a Jersey/Cali guy who's used to sand beaches. A group of French women are chatting about their vacation, and I'm trying to see if I can catch a few words. Then, I realize (luckily soon enough) that the bus doesn't actually stop at all the listed places. I saw my stop coming and told the driver, in English, arg. So, now I'm lugging all three bags - none with good wheels - but I'm happy to be close to my new, temporary, home. Something doesn't look right. I'm walking the wrong way! OK, I turn around. Lug, lug, lug, and then, opps, I've gone to my apartment, but I've passed up the place where I need to stop for the key. Back I go again. Ring the bell; the guy I am supposed to meet isn't there. His wife answers, which is fine, except that she doesn't speak a word of English beyond "OK." This is where those French lessons came in really handy. She showed me to my apartment. I still had trouble understanding a lot of what she was saying. But we were able to communicate well enough. So, I'm back to feeling good about learning some French. My apartment is small, but very charming with a peek view of the beach from the tiny balcony. I'm just settling in. Tomorrow is the big welcoming party. Now that's going to be sublime.

Courtney Darnell's Blog

Week 2- Settling In, but not Settling Down

Bonjour All!
Greetings from the sunny beaches of the French Riviera! Where the beaches are half-naked and we are half-students half-vacationer extraordinaires. We have become quite acclimated to our French-styling living (it's really been a struggle) and can order an Orangina or a croissant chocolat with the greatest of ease.

With our comfort we have been branching out a bit more and seeing what all Nice, and the rest of the world has to offer. Many students have been rushing off as soon as that bell rings on Thurs. afternoon (our apologies professors) to: Monte Carlo for some gambling (Merci Stafford Loans), Cinque Terre for some Italian coast hiking, London, Dublin, and many others. Monday morning is usually pretty rough or lacking "seats in the seats," but our kind professors are understanding and encourage us to experience. We thank you!

We had the pleasure of being fabulous and drinking champagne and enjoying gorgeous beach views from professor Tiefenbrun's apartment last week. It was a great way to all get together; French and American, professor and student (repping Buffalo, Seattle U, and TJ of course) and drink and be merry. We had far too many bottles of wine, delicious cheeses and many laughs. We also realize our professors get the hook up, and we had to be kicked out we wanted to stay and enjoy so long.

The announcement that we were at the halfway mark in the program, and we had finals in less than two weeks hit us pretty hard. So hard, that we all rushed home to gather all the baguettes and Rose wine we could get our hands on and Carpe Diem French-style as much as possible. The program has gone by so quickly...not hard to believe though considering the fun we are having and the experiences we have been lucky enough to take in.

This weekend is the French holiday, so we have a 6 day weekend....not too shabby. We also have, however, finals next week...dun dun dun...so were therefore advised to bring our materials with us whatever it is the Eurail takes us. We'll give it our best shot profs.

Nice is apparently one of the most active cities in the world! We have seen the Ironman competition right on our very beaches, and the Tour de France right on our very Promenade. Unreal. Tour de France is indeed the shortest lasting spectator sport ever....the riders were there and gone in 3 seconds but were grateful for the opportunity. And yes, we saw what we think was the yellow flash of Lance :)

We were also obviously here for the death of Michael Jackson. It's very impacting when a group of 15 of us were taking over a small French bistro, to receive texts from the U.S., and hear waiters and patrons in French and English gasping immediately at the news. For many of us he was the soundtrack of a generation, and for others a legendary man. The people of France and all of Europe glorify him and we have heard more MJ in the streets, restaurants, bars, stores, than probably all our years put together in the states. I'm sure we will all always remember where we were for that day in history.

Either because news of Nice's greatness has spread worldwide, or the present company being so awesome, we have had non-program Thomas Jefferson students come join us in the festivities of Nice! We have rolled out the red carpet for stars like Sterling Williams, John Baez, Jeff Schmid, and many others! We have even had family and loved ones come play. Each has brought a little piece of home and have been a pleasured facet to our group. We love having you guys!

Hats off to Pejman Kharrazian for organizing a beach BBQ last night! I think it's safe to say the entirety of the Nice program was present and we had a blast. As part of the Carpe-Nice agenda we camped out on the pebble beach and kumbaya'd under the full moon. (Not sure he planned for that part, but we were pretty impressed) We even joined some locals playing the bongos and some of the boys awed us with their skills.

Au Revoir ‘til next time! With love from Nice!

~*Courtney*~

Nice- Week One

Bonjour! Shockingly enough the week one mark has arrived for the students here in Nice. A week may have come and gone, but the excitement of our bearings and adventures to come is only just beginning to settle in.

As we dropped our huge packs (or rolled our over stuffed luggage) and came to a long overdue halt at our hotels, the long hours of travel and jet lag were swept away by the Mediterranean landscape. We were surrounded by hustling French men and women with fresh baguettes, the smell of the salty water only a block away, and the thrill of the ability to call this our home for the next month. We had arrived!

Although there are three student residence, the majority of students chose the Citea and have therefore proudly taken over the hotel much like a sorority or fraternity would conquer a dorm in the US. A well behaved Greek abode of course :) We are just a short trek from our school, which makes the morning walk to classes Mon-Thurs a breeze. Not to mention the smell of fresh baked pastries, which trigger Americans to swarm much like a child would to a candy store, help ease the pain of resisting the urge to pull a Ferris Bueller and skip out everyday.

The people of Nice are very friendly. They are patient when (some of us without the gift of French fluency) our grammar reaches the extent of "Bonjour" and "Merci" then comes to a screeching halt. We have dined on paninis galore, enjoyed lovely French wines, and are slathering Nutella on everything we can grasp. I am pleased to see every cheeseburger in Nice is named The American. We've made our mark. We have also realized that the French are genius in the sense that they can eat all of this glorious cuisine because they walk everywhere!

Students Enjoy one of the Cafes in Nice

Many students spend the days going for runs along the Promenade (the street along the beach), on the pebble beaches, exploring the city shops and markets, or eating at many of the outdoor cafes.

Oh yeah, sometimes we go to class!

We have had the pleasure of a 3-day lecture series by the Honorable Judge Pierre LeVal, who is not only a very credible and successful, but humbled with a great sense of humor. His topics of dictum, copyright, and the role of judges have been very interesting and informative. Despite the 75 degree weather and sunny beaches at the noon hour, he kept our full attention and made us more than appreciative of the chance to soak up his wisdom and personality.

As far as nightlife shenanigans; our first night we were all worthless wastes of space from travel so TJ's finest took the night to regain our dignity and hygienic composure. Our second night the masses walked to Old Nice for the street music festival. I was pleased to hear the Titanic theme song played in a very euro tech fashion and something that may or may not have been a struggling rendition of one of Bon Jovi's. Also, many students went to a local Irish pub in Old Nice to root for America in the U.S. vs. Spain soccer game. Correction football game, apologies. Go USA! We proudly walked around Nice a little taller that day, but no one seemed to notice.

Tomorrow we will be visiting the French Court to observe a trial. Luckily we have tolerant French students who will translate for us. More to come, much to report!  Au Revoir!

 A Message From Nice Program Director, Professor Susan Tiefenbrun

July 7, 2009

We can hardly believe that the second week is already over and we are in the middle of our third week on the French Riviera.

Last week all the students came over to my apartment for cocktails, and we were able to chat and get to know each other while tasting some great fine wines and some great French cheeses while staring at the Mediterranean sea from my window! As my husband predicted, by the second week the women students are all looking oh so French, and the men students are all eating Brie and loving it!

Last week we had our second French class, and many students are finding it quite easy and fun to communicate in French whenever possible. But most people on the Riviera speak English. Our needs here are being met quite easily, and we are very comfortable. The weather is not too hot, and the sea breeze is delicious. Today the famous Mistral winds blew, and the sea was treacherous but beautiful to watch from the stylish Promenade des Anglais.

On Saturday many students and faculty attended the July 4th celebration at the Villa Massena. We were all invited to that special party by the new Mayor of Nice. He also is holding a Reception for all of us at Town hall tonight at 6 pm.

Veste et Cravate, s'il vous plait! On Monday Judge Roslyn Higgens of the World Court spoke to all our students and faculty about the great decisions of that court and the almost perfect compliance rate. She spoke about the structure and jurisdiction of the court, and how it decides boundary, maritime, and even human rights cases brought by states against states. She is a superb speaker who was very impressed by our students' excellent questions. Today we heard a great lecture by Dr. Phil Marsden from London on European Competition Law.

Tonight Noelle Lenoir arrives from Paris, and we take her to Monaco to see the fireworks and to dine at the home of a former French Constitutional Council judge and French National Assembly President. Tomorrow Noelle Lenoir (first woman judge on French Constitutional Council, former Mayor of Valmondois, Member of the French Senate, Cabinet Minister of European Union Affairs) will speak in two of our classes and give a public lecture on what the French Constitutional Council does and how it relates to EU law. After this blockbuster week of French activities, classes, and fun in the sun while studying international law, we all leave on Thursday for a 5 day vacation! I go to Rome and Capri. Others are off to Paris, Florence, Cinque Terra, the Italian Riviera, Barcelona, Madrid, Majorca...you name it! Last night some of us went to Antibes to see Cosi Fan Tutte, Mozart's comic opera buffa with full orchestra and great singers all done outdoors in the gardens of a sumptuous villa tucked away in the woods near the sea. This is definitely the life! We work hard and play hard, and we all learn from each other. More to come next week. Regards, Professor Tiefenbrun

Dear Students, Professors, and Staff:

 The Nice Program 2009 is going very well, and this is just the beginning! We have three more weeks of exciting events. There are 55 American students from many different law schools all across the country, and 9 students from the University of Nice who come to us from many different countries in the European Union (Germany, Hungary, France) and from Morocco and Tunisia, among others. The students all attended a Welcome Reception with wine, Champagne, French pizza and other wonderful hors d'oeuvres at a villa on the gardens of the Nice Law School. The Dean sent a representative in his absence while he is in Viet Nam, and several French law professors attended as well as almost all our students. Monday Orientation went well followed by our first French lesson (taught by yours truly). It was lots of fun. Tuesday Judge Pierre Leval gave one of his three lectures for all to attend, and his lectures on Dicta, Copyright Infringement and Intellectual Property were fascinating. All the students and professors took pictures with Judge Leval in front of the Chagall mural on the second floor of the law school. Friday we all went to the French Court and observed a fantastic armed robbery case being argued before 3 judges and a jury of 11 persons (actually only 9 vote and deliberate) by a very articulate French lawyer dressed in elegant black robes and speaking with full theatrical force and persuasion. The police officer handling the accuseds gave us all a very interesting background talk right after the case. It was a great day for us in court! Right now all the students are enjoying their first three day weekend. Many are in Paris. Some are in Italy, and some in Spain. This is the first week of the Nice 2009 Program, and I will keep you all informed. Classes seem to be going very smoothly as well, and students tell me that they are enjoying the international law focus in each class.

A bientot. Professor Tiefenbrun