Back to France

Our European adventures continued this last weekend and went back to France. This time we went to the south of France and visited the French Riviera. The French Riviera is a place that I've seen in pictures and movies and never believed I would actually see this dream of a region in real life.

Luckily, the south of France is right next to northern Italy, making the bus ride only 6 hours. We stayed in Nice for the weekend right in the center of the city and by the beach, truly great location.

On Friday we jumped on the train and took a short ride to Monaco. It is still a weird concept to me that a country smaller than some cities can exist. While in Monaco we obviously went and walked around Monte Carlo. We got to see some of the most beautiful views, biggest boats and luxurious lifestyles.

There were multiple ports and yacht clubs filled with amazing sailboats and yachts fully equipped with jet skis and helipads. The views of the ports and oceans were unbelievable and the buildings were so luxurious and beautiful.

While we were in Monte Carlo, we got to see the city getting ready for the Monaco Grand Prix. The streets were being filled with bleachers and stands to prepare for such a big event. We continued our walk up the hill to the famous Monte Carlo Casino.

The Monte Carlo Casino was lined with cars from custom Ferraris to Aston Martins to Rolls Royce. At this point the group broke off for free time and we were aloud to try and get into the casino. The casino is a bit different than others. As we approach the door, we see a man get sent away for wearing cargo shorts and not meeting the appropriate "dress code". Thankfully our outfits met "requirement" and we were able to go inside and take a picture.

After losing 5 euros in the casino merely because I had no idea how to work whatever machine I sat down at, we walked around the center of Monte Carlo more. Once again, I got to use my French all weekend, making me feel more comfortable and making it easier to ask people questions when we have absolutely no idea what we're doing and where we are.

Following a full afternoon of walking around Monte Carlo, we took a train back to Nice for dinner. We ended up getting back so late and were so tired that we walked next door to the Wok restaurant for some Asian food, which was actually amazing. The Nice night life is actually also very nice ;)

The second day was our favorite day. We woke up, got dressed up, went back to Monte Carlo and got to attend the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters tennis tournament at the Monte Carlo Country Club. While we were only watching the first round, players such as Nadal and Federer were also on the roster for the week.

The match that we watched was a French player vs. an Italian Player and we were ironically placed in the Italy section of the tournament. Unfortunately the Italian lost but it was still fun cheering for my current country. I also just loved watching a match on the red clay court overlooking the coast at the same time.

Sitting in the sun all afternoon definitely drained Emma and I and we headed back to Nice to walk around and find a place to eat. We spent the late afternoon and early night walking around the old town part of Nice filled with cute shops and restaurants.

Our last day in France included a final breakfast at our new favorite breakfast place in the morning and more walking around the city. We walked to the beach and through the famous flower market. After that we went up to a high part of the city that had a waterfall and a park. After walking around we went to a cafe called Paul that is famous for their pastries. While I can't get pastries, I got an amazing salad and the biggest macaroon I've ever seen for lunch. It was definitely a good last meal...
 

On our way home we stopped in Grasse, the perfume capital of the world. In Grasse we had a tour of a famous perfume factory. This factory does not sell to retailers, so you can only buy their perfume at this exact factory. Because of this, very few people in the world have these perfumes. I bought a scent that I absolutely fell in love with and the it shocked me when the lady told me how little people have this certain scent. I don't know what I'm going to do when I run out of my new perfume and no longer have a unique, signature scent.

Leaving this weekend was hard because it marked the last time I would be in France for the semester. Who knows when I will be able to return to Paris or Nice or anywhere else in France and speak the language. Hopefully I will be back sometime soon.