Nice/Monte Carlo/Cannes

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Hi everyone! I cannot believe that I am almost halfway done with my entire study abroad experience. So far, it has been an absolutely great time. Last weekend's trip was one of the most relaxing since I have been here in Europe. I went with my friend Marymar to the French Riviera. On Friday morning, we took a small Mediterranean airline named BluExpress from Rome to Nice, France. It was a beautiful flight, flying over the islands of Sardinia and Corsica. Right as we stepped off the plane in Nice, we were amazed by the beauty of this place. The palm trees, beach, and surrounding mountains are an amazing sight. The people there are all extremely wealthy too, and many headed off to take helicopters or private cars to the various riviera cities. As students though, we of course took the city bus into the city center. On our ride in, we were so enticed by the beautiful water. We quickly ate and checked in to our hostel, and headed straight to the beach. The beach was beautiful but a bit of a let down. First of all, it was a rock beach so it wasn't very comfortable to walk or lay out. Second of all, the water was too cold to go swimming. We decided to spend the rest of the day walking the boardwalk, and hiked 300meters up to a castle with an amazing view of the entire city. That night, we enjoyed a nice meal along one of the main streets, and called it an early night. The next morning, we woke up early and took the train to Monaco. For some reason, when the train arrived in Monte Carlo, the doors of our coach could not open. So there we were, stuck on the train until the next exit. The next station was a deserted town named Roquebrune. We had no option but to get off and try to take a train back in the other direction. After looking at the timetable, we realized no more trains came for 2 hours. Finally, we found a local who told us we could walk on a trail along the coast and that it would take about 40 minutes. The 40 minute hike was amazing and absolutely worth it! We got to see the unspoiled part of the French Riviera. We were so hot from hiking, and decided to hike down to a secluded beach to cool off. It was one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen. The water was so clear and the perfect temperature, so of course we went in (just up to our knees of course)! Now with our legs and feet wet, we continued our hike to Monaco. We arrived finally and were stunned by the beauty. This place is located in such a great part of the French Riviera, and has been so nicely developed. Everyone there has very obvious money. We spent the day walking and touring around. We took a boat through the harbor, and toured the grounds of the palace of Monaco. Once having walked the entire city, we decided to take the train to Cannes. Cannes actually is in the other direction from Nice, so we had to pass through Nice on our train ride. We arrived in Cannes, and decided to eat. After a nice meal, we walked through the center of town. It was fun to see some of the film studios located in the city, but other than that there aren't many sites. Again, it is obvious that the people here have major money. Unfortunately, the only things to see were designer stores and the beach. That night we went back to Nice, and went to a local bar for Salsa night! The next day, we slept in, and decided to have a relaxed day. Since it is not tourist season, all of the stores had great discounts and we ended up shopping all day. Got some great deals on really nice stuff. That night, we took the 45min flight back to Rome. It was such a relaxing trip! Tomorrow we are getting ready to go to London... which definitely won't be as relaxing! But still very fun!

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Comments

[Dad]

Monaco/Nice
Wow Christopher - great trip. The hikes sound great. I wonder if visitors from France would say the same things about La Jolla and Del Mar?