Channeling Jackie O on the French Riviera

The study part of my study-abroad program finished up last week. To celebrate the end of our brush with the French education system, I traveled to the French Riviera with two of the girls from my program.

We flew in to Nice Monday afternoon and explored the city. We dropped our bags off and headed to the ocean. The beaches that run the length of Nice are not sandy beaches, instead they are gravel and stone, but the clear blue water of the ocean makes up for the lack of sand. The water reminds me of Lake Tahoe, how clear it is and how the water closest to the beach is a bright turquoise. We managed to pull ourselves away from the beach for a little bit Monday afternoon to explore the Lou Casteu park. The stairs up to the top were daunting, but our laziness was rewarded when around the corner we found a sign leading us the “ascenseur” (elevator) to take us to the top. The elevator dropped us off high above the rooftops of Nice at a public park with fantastic views of the city in each direction. After about an hour up there, we headed down the stairs (more manageable on the way down than on the way up) and had some drinks at a beach side bar and relished in the French Riviera life.

On the Nice coast

View from Lou Casteu Park

Steps to Lou Casteu Park

The sunsets in Nice are very nice

Tuesday morning we took the train from Nice about half an hour to Cannes and continued our adventure into the high class living that is the French Riviera. Our apartment was located about five blocks from the train station, which made day trips from Nice very easy. We visited an open-air market to buy some meat, cheese, and fruit (the only three food groups that matter here in France) for a picnic lunch and headed to the beach. The beach in Cannes is a real beach with sand unlike the ones in Nice and the water is just as pretty. We sat along a pier hanging our feet out over the water and proceeded to spend the next two hours developing deep sunburns. We walked up and down the streets of Cannes and walked past stores with names like Michael Kors, Chanel, and Salvatore Ferragamo—there is no shortage of designer shops in Cannes that’s for sure. Neither is there a shortage of high-class hotels. Each hotel we walked past had its own little restaurant across the street on its own portion of beach property. When our sun exposure had finally gotten the better of us, we took the train back to Nice and regrouped. We ventured into Vieux Nice for dinner and sat outside until 11pm, enjoying the weather and the charms the city has to offer.

Cannes

Cannes

Cannes beach

On Wednesday we were back on the train, this time going 20 minutes in the opposite direction to Monaco. And if we thought Cannes was high society, Monaco was over the top, on a whole other level entirely. One of the main draws to Monaco is, of course, the Monte Carlo Casino, and that’s where we were headed. We walked down from the train station to the casino but it doesn’t open until 2pm during the week so we went on a little self-guided tour of Monaco in search of some lunch. We walked through Monaco’s beautiful Japanese Garden and for the third day in a row found ourselves staring out into the blue ocean. We found a cute restaurant for lunch (accompanied, of course, with a glass of wine) and then headed back to the casino.

Stacey and Paige ready for the Monte Carlo

Monaco Japanese Garden

Was it my age? Was it my naïveté? Was it my small bank account compared to the rest of the Monaco population? Whatever it was, I did not have the sense to bring my ID with me that day. And so after walking in the doors of the casino, we were forced to turn back around leave. In retrospect, needing an ID to get into a casino makes sense, but maybe it's because I’ve been in Europe so long that I didn’t even think about that. However, we did find a smaller casino right next to the Monte Carlo that did not require ID so I was able to burn 5 Euros at the slot machine before we headed back to Nice. On the train, we decided that the only option was to come back to the Monte Carlo the next day, to experience the nightlife. Because there was no way we were going to come all this way to Monaco and not go inside the Monte Carlo.

Thursday morning we explored Vieux Nice (Old Town Nice). It reminded me a lot of Vieux Lyon oddly enough, with its colorful buildings and narrow cobblestone streets. On one of the larger streets we found a farmers market with vendors selling beautiful flowers, fruits and vegetables, as well as soaps and pieces of art. The farmers markets in each of the towns I visit have quickly become one of my favorite places to go. Purchasing goods aren’t necessary for absorbing the local culture!

Nice's Farmers Market

Vieux Nice

Thursday night we took the train back to Monte Carlo (IDs in hand). However when we arrived, we were once again turned away, this time for a different reason—our toes weren’t covered. My friend Paige and I were wearing sandals. However, we were also wearing dresses and so thought we fell within the dress code. We even checked the dress code online before we left! There was no mention about an open-toe policy. We couldn’t believe it. It was beginning to feel like the Monte Carlo just wasn’t meant to be this trip. Instead we went to a bar down hill from the Monte Carlo and waited for a couple of friends to join us before deciding what to do next. They were also in sandals and instead of trying their luck at getting into the casino just joined us at the bar. On our way out however, we told them to see if they could get im anyways. We watched them walk up the steps, and to our astonishment (and jealousy) they got right it. So naturally, we followed suit. WE MADE IT! It was a different man at the entrance this time, and he apparently did not have the same issue with our footwear. So, we happily paid our 10-euro entrance fee (rip-off though it was) and finally headed in to the casino.

What was the first thing we did once inside? Why what else but head to the bar. I ordered a vodka martini (shaken, not stirred) and my friend Simone ordered another 007 themed drink on the menu called the Vesper. Never again. Not sure how the vodka martini can be James Bond’s drink of choice, it is terrible. It has to be water in Daniel Craig’s martini glasses when he’s filming the Bond movies because there is no way he can drink all those with a straight face. I will be sticking to my fruity and girly drinks, thank you.

After throwing away 16 Euros on three ounces of vodka and one ounce of vermouth, I hit the slots to continue throwing money away.  It didn’t take long for the 20 Euros I had limited myself to to disappear into the abyss that is the slot machines. In my half an hour as a gambler, I learned that gambling is a two-process. Step one: pleading with the slot machines for your money back. Step two: acceptance.

My martini and I wondering where my Euros went

So my trip to the French Riviera set me back a couple Euros. I would also have to say it was one of my favorite trips so far. It’s pretty hard not to fall in love with the water, the high society, and the glamour. When I am rich and famous, I will be back. You can bet on that.