Chapter 5: Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous

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Last time I wrote, I believe our group was heading to Nice on the train. So, I'll start from there.

Despite our good intentions, it was hard to leave Barcelona without one more good night with the gang. So, at least 2/3rds of our group was still a little buzzed when we woke up at 6:00am to make sure we caught our 8:45am train to Montpellier. There is no word in the english language to decribe how disgusting I felt leaving that hostel without a shower. But, with again no trouble at all, we made our train. I'm beginning to think that the universe might be building up our confidence for a big letdown concerning trains, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

The whole day was spent on trains or in stations. Our first layover was in Montpellier as we waited for our connection to Marseille. Montpellier is the 2nd most populated city in France (or so Jared tells me). Me and him walked around while Tori chilled out at the station. It wasn't much of a jaunt, as we still had our entire lives on our backs, but it was a nice place. We eventually caught our connecting train from Montpellier to Marseille. Again, we watched the countryside, listened to our music, and tried to get some sleep. We got to Marseille in one piece. I havn't much to say about Marseille except that the McDonalds in their train station is above average. One more train from Marseille to Nice, and we arrived around 10:30pm, very tired. Luckily, you could literally throw a stone from the train station and hit our hostel, so we checked in and went to go crash out. We met some very nice girls from Germany in our room, who gave us the rundown of the city's hotspots as they were packing their things to leave the next morning.

The next morning, we found out that this was not exactly the dream hostel it looked the night before. In a very unfortunate catch 22, you have to keep the window open to keep the room a livable temperature, but in the night, the mosquitos come. I woke up looking like I was wearing polka dot leggings. The little f#@^s ate us alive. But, we were excited to see Nice, so we decided to just grin and bear it. After a shower, we walked around the neighborhood.

Nice is not a big city by any standard. In fact, it reminds me of a nice little resort town, poised on the beach front. If I was ever forgetting this, the resort town price tags reminded me very quickly. Nice is a town for the rich and beautiful, so I couldn't help but feel out of place (as I'm not rich, but very beautiful). We walked along the beach, literally walking towards the streets that looked the most interesting, eventually finding our way to Lou Casteu. Lou Casteu is technically a castle, but the castle is at the top, and unless you walk the 200+ stairs up there, you'd think it was simply an oddly named cliffside. We put in the effort as it appeared to be Nice's best spot for a photograph. It was a hike of epic proportions, but the view from the top was worth the effort. On the sunny day that it was, you could see all of Nice, and follow the coastline until it vanished from sight. A breathtaking vista to be sure. We grabbed a cold beverage (mine was a lemon slush thing), and headed down the mountain. As you might expect, it went quicker on the way back. Wiped out, we went back to the hostel for a ciesta (as we were still pretty used to them). That evening, we ate cheap from this swinging new place in town called the grocery store. They had all kinds of food, like beer and chips, and baguettes, and it was all for under 5 euros. I have a feeling we'll be eating like normal people a lot from now on, so the grocery store will be a favorite of ours for the next month. Thankfully, they are all over the world.

After dinner, we just walked the lively main strip, right along the beach. We walked for about 30 minutes, found a way down to the now deserted beach, and just sat there, watching the waves roll in and out as the moon hung above us in the clear sky. We didn't talk much, but it was because we didn't want to ruin the mood. It was so tranquil, it was nice just to sit and think for a moment. Then we started throwing rocks into the sea, and then it got cold, so we called it a night and went to bed. Or at least tried. Enter the roommates from hell. A japanese couple came in at 11:30, guns ablazing, turned on every light possible, stayed up until 2am, and woke us up at 7:30 with their effing hairdryer. Even the guy used it. 10 minutes of hairdryer that early in the morning is enough to drive a man to horrible things. Thankfully, I kept my wits about me, and kept my 0 manslaughter streak unbroken.

The next day was Monaco. If you think Nice is pricey, you aren't even allowed into the principality of Monaco. Decadent is the only word I can muster for this place. Maybe too decadent. After a 45 minute bus ride, we got off right next to the Monte Carlo casino. It felt oddly like being in a James Bond movie...surreal almost. We spent the day just walking the streets, trying to avoid spending money. We succeeded mostly, except for an exceptional meal with a view of the sea, and tickets to the local aquarium, hailed as possibly the best in the world. The meal was phenominal, especially with their cheapest wine. For a moment, I tasted the life of a billionaire...ah, but such a life is not for me just yet. We all savoured that moment, knowing full well we may see it again. The aquarium was top notch. I mean, at the end of the day, it's just glass tanks and fish, but some of these fish were crazier than any fish I'd ever seen. The sea plays host to some strange and fascinating creatures.

We bussed home, had another, even cheaper meal at Le Store Groceri, and went to bed. The next day, we trained to Paris, where I am right now. In the end, Nice was nice, but nowhere I could really see myself at the end of the day. It's a beautiful town, as is Monaco, but the people there are rich and know it. Without that kind of money to back you up, 2 days is about all one can spend in this region. So for now, I'll leave with my taste of a life of luxury, maybe to return someday. In the meantime, look for me humming to myself. I wanna be a billionaire, so frickin' bad...

Signing off from Paris, France

Ben

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Photos

Thats a Nice Fountain
This joke will never get old

Monacoast
Too....many....puns...

I Found Nemo
He's right there

Fish
It has a scientific name, but I have no idea what it is