Blogs from Monaco, Europe - page 15

There is a feeling in the air when you arrive at the Monaco, Monte Carlo Train station. You walk down the marble hallways and sun hits you in the face as you walk onto the street. The air carries a certain aroma, it has the smell of money. Everywhere you look there are Ferrari's driving the streets, luxury yachts filling the harbour and a lot of high numbers on menus. Only a stones throw from Nice (which is isn't exactly a run down city itself) Monaco is, as they say, a playground for the rich and famous. The first thing we did was go to the Monte Carlo Casino. After our €10 entry fee, we stand at the doorway to the plush gaming room. No photos are allowed in there of course but we did play ... read more

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Laura and I are still in Nice. Yesterday we travelled to Monaco and Monte Carlo. We visted the castle and saw the changing of the guard (i want to touch the cannon) and also went to a very poorly kept zoo. Colchester beats it by far but still we got to see a hippo! The train ride was absolutely beautiful along the coast, the train looks like its floating on water when you can't see over the edge! The cliffs are just amazing. We were planning on heading to Sardinia today but looking at the boat prices we are decided against the idea for now.. It is impossible to find out any trains times around Italy! So.. we went to the train station this morning and decided that the next stop will be Rome. Yes thats ... read more

Having planned a weekend in Paris to see the Chili Peppers and an impromptu weekend in Rome to meet up with my friend Claudia (upcoming blog), I was only left with one weekend in Nice. So, what did I do? I left Nice, of course! Well, in a different way though. I went on three day trips—Cannes, St. Paul de Vence, and Monaco (Friday, Saturday, Sunday respectively). First stop: Cannes. Four of us from school decided to go to Cannes for the day, enjoy the city and the beach, and then go out for dinner. Well, of course, every other day that week (coincidentally enough, all of the days I had classes in the afternoon) had absolutely gorgeous weather, but the afternoon I have off and the afternoon I decide to go to Cannes... cloudy and ... read more

Antibes and particuarly Monaco where really something else. The wealth and extravagence of the whole place was overwhelming - yes, even for me! However, I have to say that the French people in general, with some exceptions where an arrogant bunch of wankers that needed an attitude readjustment! The house in Antibes was gorgeous but stank of poo (even worse than Alicia), but we overcame all the challenges and ended up having a great time. Peter and Simone (more Dutch rellies!) joined us for a week and were great value and lots of fun. Old Antibes especially was really beautiful, with a very characteristic little village full of restaurants and cafes in really small lane ways. The Grand Prix was awesome and the atmosphere vibrant. I thoroughly enjoyed this part of the trip and my expectations ... read more