French Riviera/Pretending to Be Rich

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After our week of good food, heavy drinking, and great friends, it was time for a relaxing fews days to recharge our batteries. So, we were off to Nice! After a 14 hour train ride from Barcelona, and a few short layovers in Montpellier and Marseilles, we arrived at the train station and made the 2 minute walk to our hostel. I got lucky and got the room with its own bathroom, quiet roommates and no mosquitos. It was nice.

The first day, we explored Nice, trekked through town, viewed the fountains, walked along the Mediterranean, then walk up a large hill containing a medieval fort, a sweet waterfall and a brilliant view of the city. Most of the day was spent relaxing, drinking wine, and recovering.

The next day was for Monaco...we took the bus in the morning and it dropped us off right in front of the Monte Carlo Casino and Gardens...a place so fancy, we're pretty sure you need to be a multimillionaire to even get in the front door. Judging by the amount of security, we didn't even try. So, we went down to a restaurant overlooking the harbor instead and had an excellent meal ( an appetizer of hummus, wild mushroom risotto, and a red wine from Bordeaux). We ate our meal overlooking hundreds of yachts, the smallest of which was still far out of my price range.

We spent the rest of the day exploring the maritime museum, which I am pretty sure was in a scene from The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou, and the aquarium, which was pretty nice, but just like any other aquarium in the world.

All in all, the French Riveria was a beautiful place with spectacular views and beuatiful countryside, populated by the ultra-rich...I could get used to it.

Off to Paris next....will update soon.

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Photos

The View from the Castle
My panorama looks better, but its too big to upload.

The Monte Carlo
Too rich for my blood.