France, Part 18-IAU Trip to Nice, Monaco/Monte Carlo, St. Paul de Vince and Cannes.

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Note: All the events in this entry occurred in early February 2007. For more updated trips and entries please refer back to this blog at a later date. An updated trip or entry will NOT include a note like this! Thanks and enjoy!


When I first moved to Aix-en-Provence and started studying at Centre d'Aix, I was informed that students had the opportunity to go on trips sponsored by the program (for mor information, please refer to the entry entitled "My Move to Aix-en-Provence"). The first trip was scheduled as a weekend trip along the French Riviera and would include the following destinations: Nice, Monaco/Monte Carlo, St. Paul de Vince and Cannes. Even though I had already been to Nice and Monaco/Monte Carlo (for more information, please refer to entries entitled "Christmas in Nice," and "Day Trip to Monaco/Monte Carlo,") I was looking forward to a return trip to them, but I was also interested in seeing Cannes and St. Paul de Vince so I decided to pay the small fee of 10 euros to go on the trip.

February 2, 2007- The first day of the trip arrived. Camille came into my room to make sure that I had gotten up by 6 AM GMT in order to catch our bus, which was scheduled to leave the Tourist Office around 8 AM GMT. I was up thankfully, but now I had to double check my backpack to make sure it was packed. After eatting my huge habitual breakfast of baguette, madelines, Nutella knock-off spread, banana, apple and orange juice I bid her goodbye and picked up the bus. I arrived in centre-ville 30 minutes too soon, so I decided to pick up some magazines at a local tabac or mini mart and wandered around the Cours Mirabeau. Finally the bus showed up and I found a seat.

As our bus pulled into a parking lot, our ex-pat American tour guide gave us a brief history of Nice: "Nice was first settled by Celts back in the Bronz Age, and later became a possession of the Ancient Greeks. During the Middle Ages and beyond, it became a possession of Italy until Italy was unified in 1860, when it was given to France. Today, Nice is France's Miami because it is the number 1 retiree destination in the country! Eighty-percent of the population here is retired from another part of France and also from other parts of the continent. We're going to give you three hours to look around, and please meet us back here at that time. Thanks!"

We got off the bus and headed to our respectful destinations. I begin my tour of Nice in Vieux Nice. I'm already familiar with this part of town from my 6-day Christmas vacation here (for more info please refer to blog entry entitled "Christmas in Nice,") so I just made it a priority to visit shops I didn't see during the first trip. I begin my visit at a shop selling traditional Southern French table linens that are handmade in the shop. I end up buying two table cloths with a black olive motif, one for my mother and one for myself because hers were only 20 euros each in comparison to the 45 euro minimum ones that I found in Aix-en-Provence. I then decided to tour the famous outdoor market. It was the second largest market that I encountered during my 9 months abroad in Europe. It included several vegetable stands, fruit stands, spices, olives, capers, Italian pastries, pasta, wine, olive oil, cured and pickled vegetables, and flowers. I then take a break to eat a snack of socca, a chickpea pancake common to Southern France (for more info please refer to my blog entry entitled "Day Trip to Monaco/Monte Carlo") and then decide to get a cup of gelato at a local gelateria nearby. I then decide to take a walk along the Promenade des Anglais, where I run into three of my classmates. They invite me to join them to visit a graveyard and also the same park/citadel ruins that I had seen during my first trip (Please refer to my blog entry entitled "Christmas in Nice"). In order to get these two destinations, we decide to take the 10 flight of stairs up to the top. The journey up was arduous, however it was worth it in the end because we got gorgeous views of the beach and we got to play on one of the jungle gyms with some local children. The graveyard was also worth a visit because of the high decorative grave stones and moselieums. By the time we arrive downstairs and finish our tour by heading back to the bus.

After everyone gets back on board, the bus leaves the parking lot and heads to our hostel located in Cape d'Ail. On the way, we pass by this lovely view of the Mediterranean located at Villefranhce-sur-Mer. Everyone, including myself, swoons over the scenery so much our tour guide orders the bus driver to pull over so that we could get a chance to take pictures. Ten minutes later, we get back on the bus and head to the hostel. We finally arrive in Cape d'Ail and are assigned to two-three different rooms, where we share a room with 6 people of the same gender. After I put my backpack in the room, I then go to the cafeteria with my roommates in order to eat a special dinner the hostel prepared for us, as well as the single allocated glass of alcoholic punch. After eating dinner, we all got back on the bus to go to Monaco/Monte Carlo. I spent most of my time in the Monte Carlo district, walking around and talking with one of my roommates at the hostel. We then head home and I then go to bed.

February 3, 2007- My roommates and I wake up around 7:30 AM GMT in order to catch the famous sun rise that the owners of the hostel advised us to witness. After taking a few pictures we head to the cafeteria for breakfast, and then are taken to look at the 1960s replica of a Greek theater on the hostel's property that is still used to this day for dramatic performances. After touring this and the gorgous garden out back, we decide to get on the bus and head towards St. Paul de Vince.

1 hours to 2 hours later, we arrive in St. Paul de Vince. We are dropped off at the edge of the Medieval walls of centre ville. The tour guide gives us two choices: see the art museum or visit centre ville. I opt to tour centre ville because we were only alloted 2 hours for our visit. The first site I visited was a souvenir shop where I bought some saintons, which are a special type of figure commonly used in Provencal Nativity scenes. Afterward, I make my way towards the entrance of the Medieval walls, where I come across a dirt field in front of a brasserie where local men were gathered to play boule, or the traditional game similar to bowling common among men in France (for more information, please refer to my blog entry entitled "A Day in My Life.") Once I am inside the Medieval walls, I encounter very narrow, cobblestone streets in an urban, historical setting. After taking a few pictures, I decide to go down a random street, where I encounter another traditional Provencal table linens store. I decide to buy place mats to go with my table cloths. While picking out my place mats, I begin a conversation with the shop owner, who is impressed by my French proficiency. She could tell that that I was an American by my accent when I spoke French, however she let me continue because she found my conversation skills were stronger than even other European tourists she had encountered! I then tell her my story, and why I was in France. I then tell her that I'm interested in international politics and entering the field. Her response was, "have you thought about working for the UN in Geneva or Strabourg? Think about it, Danielle, you're tri-lingual, you've been living in France for 7 months, you have Model UN experience, you are earning your bachelors in Political Science-someone like you would be valuable and you could really help make a difference in the world!" I told her I would think about it and thanked her for her advice.

I then head down another street, where I begin to encounter a lot of art galleries owned selling works by local artists. I was then reminded of the introduction to St. Paul de Vince given to us by our tour guide: "St. Paul de Vince is one of the hottest inland destinations along the French Rivieria, frequented by celebrities like Johnny Depp because of its natural and architectural beauty but also for its local art scene. St. Paul de Vince has always been a thriving artists community, as exemplified by its art galleries and its museum...." I decided to go into one that was selling handmade paper. I end up buying three items from there-all with pressed flowers, signed by the artists but also with the name of the city on it. I then head back to the bus, which then pulls out towards our next and final destination, Cannes.

On the way, the words of the shop keeper back in St. Paul de Vince echoed in my thoughts. "Have you thought about working for the UN?" I actually hadn't before then, despite my UN experience. The reason why I became a political scientist was because I was interested in working on Capital Hill, and the purpose of this experience abroad in France was to hopefully hone my French language skills and do some traveling. However, I realized that I enjoyed having international experiences, whether it meant speaking foreign languages, using foreign media or through traveling or living abroad. I also reflected on my Model UN experiences, and the regional conferences I had attended and just how it had made me aware of international political issues but also the policy and institutional mechanisms of the UN. I really enjoyed and looked forward to those conferences because it was like participating in a play, however I was learning about the UN in a way that made this organization personal and real for me. I loved participating in Model UN and felt auspicious about going back to it upon my return. I also knew that I wanted to continue traveling, and would not mind living in another foreign country in the future, so I begin to think, why not aim for getting involved with the UN someday? Why not switch my focus to international affairs/relations with my studies? I'm already heading in that direction, and I like everything I do that is related to the world as a whole. I've always loved geography and anthropology ever since I was a little girl. Anything international has always peeked my interests ever sinceI could remember. I'm a third generation American on both sides of the family, and let's not forget the fact that my maternal grandfather was a Holocaust survivor (for more information, please refer to the blog entry entitled "My Arrival into Warsaw"). I then began to reflect on my trip to Poland and how much I learned about the impact that WWII and the communist era had on its people but also its cities (for more information, please refer to my blog entries related to my travels in Poland, especiallly those entitled "Warsaw: A Memorial to the Polish Spirit" and "Aushwitz.") That trip inspired me to actually make an effort to combat human rights issues around the world, especially since I'm blessed to be alive thanks to my grandfather's determination to fight for his survival. However, I also remembered how many Poles were psychologically reliving the WWII and the restrictions forced upon them during the Communist era, even though they happened decades ago. Why should people have to live like this? I thought. Why should people still live in fear despite the success of a sustainable peace enforced afterwards? It also made me aware of the importance of human security, which is a concept that enforces the importance of human rights to create a successful, happy society. I knew these were UN and important issues in international affairs, and I came to the realization that I had a lot of experiences, skills, personal preferences and also geneological history that made me a worthy candidate for getting involved in international politics, and potentially with the UN. I then made the resolution when I got back to the US that I would start getting prepared to enter a Masters program in international relations and build up my career so that I could eventually get involved with the UN and/or similar institution.

We finally arrived in Cannes around 4 PM GMT. We were only given 2 hours to tour the city, which I felt was insufficient however I had no choice but to make this work. We were dropped off in a parking lot near the Vieux Port, so I decided to follow the signs towards Le Croisette, which is Cannes's famous boardwalk next to the beach. On my way, I saw a charming little antiques/local artists market that I decided to tour. I began to talk to some of the local artists, and even bought a few pieces to put aside to use towards my future home. I then go back onto the path and make my way towards La Croisette. I finally encounter the famous theater where the Cannes' famous film festival takes place every year. After taking a picture I take a stroll along La Croisette. I then decide to actually go down to the beautiful sand beach and walk along the Mediterranean. I tried to look for shells but I couldn't find any, that's how fine and clean the beach was. After taking a few pictures for myself and another tourist, I then decide to back track. I still have an hour to sight see, so I decide to head back to the Vieux Port and see if I can visit Vieux Cannes, or the Medieval part of the city. After walking up a hill I finally find what looks like preserved Medieval and 18th century buildings, in comparison to the more modern 20th century looking white buildings along La Croisette. All I have time for is to admire the architecture and take pictures, however I'm greatful for the fact that I was able to see this part of Cannes as well. I find my way back to the bus and we head back to Aix-en-Provence. Once back in Aix, I take the bus back to Camille's apartment, eat dinner, watch some TV with her, and then go to sleep.

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Photos

View of the Beach, Nice Feb. 2007
This photo was taken from the citadel ruins park, during my second visit to Nice with my study abroad program. For more information on my first trip to Nice, please refer to the blog entry entitled "Christmas in Nice."

Random Tower, Citadel Ruins/Park Nice Feb. 2007
This photo was taken near the citadel ruins/park in Nice. This was a side of the park that I hadn't seen before during my first trip (for more info, please refer to my blog entry entitled "Christmas in Nice,") but I also thought this would make a nice picture.

Casino du Monaco at night, Monte Carlo District
This was taken during my second trip to Monaco/Monte Carlo of course. For more info on my first trip, please refer to blog entry entitled "Day Trip to Monaco/Monte Carlo".

Sunrise over the Mediterranean, Cap d'Ail
This view was taken from the balcony in front of our hostel's dorm.

Train Station, Vieux Cannes, Cannes
This is a very interestingly decorated train station that I found in Vieux Cannes that had famous cartoon characters painted all over it. I just had to take a picture because of how unique it was.