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Published: February 10th 2009
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Nice
an early view of the coastline Bonjour!
So last weekend the entire school (well, all that wanted to...so about 70 of us) took a trip to the French Riviera. The weekend was supposed to start with a rainy Nice, but the Mistral (northern winds) came in and saved our weekend weather! Nice is amazing. The water is the color of the sky, which is a stunning blue most days. There is a promenade along the beach where locals and tourists alike roller skate, jog, or just stroll along and enjoy the views. Nice has a great fresh market (which seems to be a linking factor between all Provencal towns). The strawberries were glistening and juicy red and the desserts were decorative and delectable to say the least. The old section of Nice is a relatively small area with a sort of "chateau" built into the hill that we climbed for even better views. From the top, we could see around one small peninsula and over the old fishing harbor of Nice. After, a group of us walked down on the beach towards the famous hotel, Negresco and then through the town streets as we poked in and out of shops, enjoying the beautiful buildings and the
Market
Fresh strawberries at the market salty air.
After leaving Nice, we headed to a perfume factory where we went through a boring tour, but then bolted out to climb the steps/mountain to the medieval town of Eze. If you can, picture in your head a stone hobbit village straight out of the Lord of the Rings, and that's what Eze looks like. The small city is situated on the top of a cliff, half of it seemingly about to fall off. The streets made of cobblestone twist and turn while the heavy wooden doors appear every so often for the random shop, restaurant, or house. A tall clock tower hovers over the top of the town and chimes on the hour. The little glimpse into the past is purely magnificent.
Eze was just a short adventure, and after we got settled into our hostel/summer camp dorms we changed into our Sunday best and headed to dinner. Once dinner was finished, we hopped on a bus and headed into Monaco for a night at the world famous Monte Carlo Casino!! Monaco is absolutely picturesque and the casino is straight out of a movie. Once the group of us got in, we sat down and
had a ridiculously expensive cocktail at the bar. After, we walked around the roulette tables, poker games, and blackjack tables to find the slot machines and the video poker games. I played five euro worth of video poker and slot machines, Ben played a bit more, and others various amounts. When it was time for the bus to come pick us up, it left without us, and four of us headed to a wine bar for a glass on street over near the casino. The next bus came after a few short minutes, and we headed back to dance at our hostel/summer camp. When I woke up the next morning I realized that our hostel/summer camp actually had a view of the Mediterranean, and contained an awesome amphitheater.
A quick bus ride after breakfast and we were in Cannes. To be quite honest, with all the hype of the film festival, I expected more glam, but in all honesty, the town is quite small. After a short photo shoot on the steps of the film festival's red carpet, we headed out to enjoy the marina. The night before had been long, and since most of us were tired and
View 1
From the top of the 'chateau' hill climb the sun was shining brightly, we hung our feet over the edge of the dock and just rested for a while, taking in the sunshine and views of all the spectacular boats. Once we got hungry enough, we headed for a walk down the Croisette (the road on the beach) where we searched for a restaurant facing the water. Once we found one, we sat down for a meal that lasted almost two hours. Eating and talking, we just spent our time enjoying the atmosphere and the location.
The ride home was quick for me, as I spent it sleeping, but I thoroughly enjoyed the weekend. I'm hoping, since Nice is just a two hours from Aix, that once it's warmer, I'll be able to go back for a swim! As for Monaco, I'm too much of a worrier and a play-it-safe girl to go back to gamble. Cannes is a maybe, but Nice was by far my favorite out of all the places we visited this weekend. Stay tuned for my next blog...Ben and I are off to Venice next weekend for Carnivale!!
A Bientôt!
Libby
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Mom
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new career?
Maybe you should consider a career as a travel writer!