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Published: August 17th 2005
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hey guys! we are now in barcelona and we are enjoying it here but first we would like to update you on on our stay in the Cote d´ azur which is a coastal area on the mediteranian in the south of france.
Nice (pronounced Neece)
is a relatively small town in on the coast and this is where we stayed for three nights and traveled from there to neighbouring areas. we stayed at a hostel which was a bit far away from town which was a pain but public transport was relatively good so we managed to survive. on the first day we did some sight seeing and the city is really beautiful! we went and visited the old part of the city which is where the city started and then expanded. the old part of the city is made up of multi storey houses all sitting right next to each other with little alleyways between them. in the ground floor there are heaps of shops and restraunts and the place is always lively. better let the pictures do the talking!
they have a famous daily market that starts from the morning till about 1pm on the streets of
old Nice. the place is packed with stands that have so many interesting things on sale as well as food , fruits, flowers, sweets etc. we bought some food there and had a good lunch.
Monaco
is a small town with nice scenery and beaches, but that wasn´t the highlight of it at all, Monte Carlo (a suburb in Monaco) added a whole new meaning to the words 'Bling Bling'. Ferraris, Bently's , Lamborghini's, Porche's, Mercedes's everywhere you look! and were all clustered at the biggest attraction in Monoco... the Casino! A big square with the Casino and the Paris hotel has a fleet of dream cars coming in and out of it showing off some serious bling bling. We wondered whether we were going to see any of these cars during day before we left to Monoco as no one gambles at night, but we were told that they will be cars galore because they like to show off and they did to our delight. Ahhh the sound of those engines driving past us slowly was the highlight of our visit. we spent a bit of time standing just drooling at the cars and taking pictures. we stood
next to the hotel which is a 5 star hotel and watched as all these flash cars drop off people to the Hotel including some arabs that we noticed.
the cars are beautiful, the people there were beautiflul, the place was absolutely beautiful! near the hotel are the botiques for some of the top labels including Gucci , Prada etc and you can see these these beautiful people coming out of their amazing cars walking into the shops....... the life of the rich and famous...
Since we´re in a classy place we decided to dine in style so we went to a restraunt on the wharf. Looking to try a popular french dish we asked the waiter to which he responded "you can try ze snails, it is very nice, i love it but i dunno maybe you no like it?", so were orderd the snails entree, we got a ceramic dish with 12 snails in 12 cavities bubbling with heat in olive oil and garlic, what can we say guys, WE LOVED IT!
we then had a walk around the city and the place is really beautiful. it is a coastal city with tall buildings along the coast
and the city itself is surrounded by cliffs. we then hit the beach there which was packed with people.
Cap D'ai
We topped off our stay in France on our last day with a relaxing day at the beach of Cap D´ai which lies halfway between Nice and Monaco. we heard about it at the hostel and with a group of people there for the day swimming, sunbathing, and sleeping on the sandy small beach surrounded by rocky cliffs. we spent the whole day there and towards the afternoon the restraunt close by had a live band and was playing chilled out music. it was a great atmosphere and we really didnt want to leave but our train to barcelona was that night!
we went to the beach almost every day there and you really cant resist it with the great weather ,atmosphere and sun. unlike the sun in NZ you dont feel like you´re being fried when you sit under it. we have quite a tan now and look much darker than before! actually quite a few people in Nice thought we were spanish and were talking to us in Spanish on the bus and on the street
so we should fit in just fine in Barcelona!
we got back to the hostel, showered, had dinner the with the same friends we met and then said our goodbyes and went to the train station.
have we talked about how much walking we are doing? that is one thing we have been doing HEAPS of. we average about 5-10Km a DAY with 5 being minimum. this is quite normal in order to go sight seeing and to get to places but coming from Auckland the land of cars it is quite different but we are now getting used to it and have a lost a few kilos in the process!
the two hostels we have been to so far are not too bad but we probably wont go to hostels again and that is because of the atmosphere there. the majority of the people there are quite young 17-20yrs old and they are still in party mode. to them being in a foregin country is just another excuse to drink and party so they stay at the hostel most of the time, party late in the night and then wake up late with a hangover and they hardly
go out to do or see anything and then go out again at night to the clubs. on top of that they hang out with people with the same country as them so they dont really get to see much of where they are. i mean we went out at night once or twice but not every night! this makes the atmosphere at the hostel annoying sometimes but you do tend to meet a few like minded people who you can hang out with.
One thing with the french..if you dont at least make an effort to speak french with them the majority will not be helpful or even pay any attention to you. but once you throw in a couple of french words you can start getting a response from them. we have met some very helpful/friendly locals and some very unhelpful/unfriendly ones to!
We have met a few interesting people along the way and have heard good stories as well which and this definetly adds taste to the trip.
We are now in barcelona and we will be heading to Granada after this so we will update you on it when we get there.
till next
time!
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Di
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Oui oui!
Once again I am left green with envy. Don't know about those snails tho guys; what was the texture like? Comparable to anything? Meanwhile, my bowl of cereal and milk is turning to a texture not too dissimilar to raw snails. So I shall sign off here. Happy travels until next time. Hasta la vista, baby! :D