Here are some pictures from our first week together in France…
SATURDAY — Eze, Monaco
Pulling in to the hillside town of Eze on the grafitti’d train.
Attempting to find the nearest bus stop. We had been told by students who visited Eze the day before that we HAD to pay 5euros and take the bus 20min up the mountain where we would be met with a beautiful garden which would pale in comparison to the view overlooking the Mediterranean down below. Apparently our bus ride up to the top of the hill was not meant to be because our timing was off. It was 45 min until the next bus went up, 20 min to get up to the top, and the next train we needed to catch to Monaco was shortly thereafter. Too shortly thereafter, in fact, that our bus trip plans were squelched as we headed back to the train station and decided, “we’ll see it next year.”
The train – in very French fashion – didn’t show up until 25min after it was due to arrive. Thus, Dan and my trip to Eze turned into an hour-long detour on our way to Monaco. We took plenty of pictures at the train station in an attempt to appease our boredom and distract ourselves from the fact that we were a mere two train stops from Monaco and still had to wait so long to get there. So close, yet so far away…
We made it! (P.S. – NICEST train station I’ve seen in Europe.)
This church we stumbled upon has been there since the year 304 (!!). America is so young.
Dan being a good Catholic…dipping his fingers in the holy water and doing the 1-2-3-4 thing.
Dan paid 1 euro and we lit a candle together. We walked through the church passed all of the wooden pews, finally taking a seat in the second row at the front and prayed together. I thanked god for sending Dan to me…both in France and in life…and wished for god to continue granting us his “traveling mercies” (b/c I ALWAYS remember my youth group leader in middle school mentioning that in the group prayer anytime we got on a bus. Gotta love the Methodists!). I don’t know what Dan prayed about.
After our brush with religion, Dan and I headed straight to the Monte Carlo casino. Our arrogance was palpable as we strutted along the shoreline flaunting our cash in euros. Breezing by the single security guard at the door we perused the casino’s interior and its clientele. We were the only Americans in there. However, Lady Luck spat in our faces quicker than you could shout, “Le Blackjack!” Within seconds we were down a combined 25euros on the daggum slots (i.e. the world’s fanciest trash cans for money). Our spirits were still high despite our misfortune as it was a cool feeling to simply be gambling in the ACTUAL area of Monte Carlo in Monaco versus its American counterpart, the infamously charred hotel/casino version of Monte Carlo in Vegas.
This is the shopping mall in the Monte Carlo section of Monaco. Yeah, this area has some money…
Dogs are allowed in restaurants, stores, hotels, and offices….but heaven forbid they be allowed in the park!
Here are a few more pictures from our afternoon/evening in Monaco:
SUNDAY — Antibes
A street performer came to the outdoor restaurant where we were dining for lunch. He set up shop for a 15-20min performances perfectly situated behind Dan’s chair. Dan didn’t mind too much as he was engulfed in the spicy/pepper olive oil that they serve here (Warning: To all Customs agents who may read this do not be alarmed when Dan’s suitcase is weighed down by bottles of these on the return trip). Also, the performer ended his set with the crowd-pleasing song choice of, “La Bamba.” Viva France!
After lunch we walked along the harbor and into the city’s walls. At first glance I thought these flags said “Arby’s”. Ha
As soon as we entered the Antibes’ walls we found ourselves being welcomed by a jovial, seemingly impromptu parade.
Typical street in Antibes. Love it!
Here’s another cute little alley.
We bought three paintings (3!) from this artist at the open-air market. One of a nearby street in Antibes, one of Cannes’ harbor, and one of the Monte Carlo Hotel where we visited the day before. They are all gorgeous and distinct in their own way. Thank you to our artist friend, Vincent!
Beautiful city walls along the Med.
Gorgeous, yet treacherous, water and rocks below.
Napoleon wuz here.
The afternoon quickly digressed as soon as we reached the landmark Absinthe Bar… (see below) …
MONDAY — Cannes
We ventured over to Cannes Monday afternoon after Dr. Kohn’s journalism class let out. It was rainy the whole time we were there, so we didn’t really get any pictures. We did however shop like CRAZY and eat a good meal at Cafe Roma.
TUESDAY — Nice
Tuesday morning we let our rebellious sides run wild and grabbed a train to Nice without paying. (Read: heavy sarcasm here. No one ever pays for trains around here. Riding for free is well worth the risk of being fined – which is rare. I’m waiting for the day when my making statements like this comes to bite me in the ass…)
Anyway, we spent a couple of hours walking and shopping in the lovely city of Nice. P.S. – This was probably the fourth time I’ve been to Nice in my life and it was the 1st time EVER since I’ve been that the town and general infrastructure was not under construction. Nice is now actually nice. Hats off, local government and construction teams.
For Dan’s birthday we went out to eat at a restaurant on the beach (literally ON the beach…our table/feet were in the sand) called Le Jetee. I had salmon and Dan had steak. Some highlights: listening to the calm waves of the Mediterranean hit the beach as we ate, watching the sunset from the dinner table, the amazing waitstaff and how nice they were to us — our waiter even surprised us with two complimentary birthday shots at the end of dessert.
Off The Duff 