Oh wow, you're in Nice? We were hoping to make a side trip there. My mother in law was there in the spring and she said it was AMAZING and that we should really try to go there. We've actually been talking about how to incorporate it into the trip (we only have about three weeks vacation time - maximum).
As for language barrier....hm, I AM from Canada so I know some very very basic French, I also studied German and Spanish in school. Thinking about doing a quick Italian study before I go.....helps if you can at least get your point across. I'm assuming a lot of people speak English but I don't want to be ignorant and think THEY should have to understand ME.