Nice and Monaco

So this past weekend I packed my bags and hopped on a train to France. Eight hours later I was standing outside a train station amid palm trees and salty breezes. Beautiful ancient French architecture lined the streets as a passing tram beeped at some mindless tourists.

That night we chilled at the hostel and drank 1E wine. It was wonderful. We got to know some of the other kids staying there before retiring to our room. The hostel was great. Housed in an old monastery, the room was simple but had a fantastic view of Old Nice and the Mediterranean Sea. Complete with free breakfast and Internet, I could not have asked for a better first hostel experience. The staff was positively delightful and helped us in every way imaginable. The beds were comfortable and the weather was so great we were able to sleep with the window open.

I awoke the next morning to the first light of day peeking through my window and a morning dove cooing outside. It was the most peaceful thing ever. We got ready in record time taking shifts in the bathroom (there were 9 girls, so you can imagine the chaos). We were out on the town by 9:00. We took the tram to the shore and stopped to take in our first view of the Mediterranean. It was absolutely stunning. The beach was composed of water-smoothed stones that met the brilliant blue water at the foam barrier. The waves crashed around the cove welcoming the daring few into its chilly embrace. Teasing the waves, we ran to the waters edge trying to salvage our shoes and feel the water at the same time. The sun warmed our bare shoulders and glinted off the waves as we headed back to town. We wandered through Old Nice and the fresh fruit/flower market. Consuming an entire street, the market had everything from fresh bread to the most brilliant produce you've ever seen. We continued to the end of the street and hiked up a winding path to the top of the hill overlooking Nice. Here there was a Chateau and a waterfall. The views were absolutely incredible. It looked as if it was directly off a post card. You know how you always buy post cards but never see anything quite as beautiful as the picture on the post card? Well this was not the case in Nice. The view was breathtaking. The waterfall provided a tranquil hideaway and we stopped to take pictures and enjoy the moment. From here we descended the staircase and headed back into town. Upon reaching the market again, we purchased the most divine strawberries ever to grace the surface of the earth. I'm not kidding when I say they were the most incredible things in the world. It was the kind of pleasure that makes you close your eyes and smile just to enjoy it a little bit longer. They were perfectly sweet and firm.

We walked with our treasure toward the bus station where we caught a bus to Monaco. Grace Kelly was the Princess of Monaco before she died tragically in a car accident. The tiny country was spectacular. Not to mention the drive along the French Riviera. The views of Cap- Ferret were out of this world. Tiny stucco houses were tucked up in the hills with white picket fences and vines growing up the side. I was stunned by the amount of beauty we witnessed on our journey.

About halfway there we stopped in the tiny Medieval town of Eze Village. The old stone buildings and Terra-cotta roof tops were stunning. The red of buildings contrasted beautifully with the green of the palm fronds and the brilliant blue water. Gardens were near every building adding more color to the town. The tiny village consisted of narrow cobblestone streets, barely wide enough for two people to walk side by side down. Molly and I explored the church which was painted inside to match the water outside. It was beautiful in its uniqueness. Near the church was a memorial to the children of Eze Village that were victims of the Nazi's during WWII. This was the first evidence of the war aside from the mixing of different architectural styles that I had come across. It moved me in its simplicity and for the first time made it seem real. We stopped at a snack shop before getting back on the bus and got french fries. I mean, come on, you have to eat french fries while in France!

After getting off the bus, we ran into a father and son from Australia who were backpacking Europe, Japan, and the US. Jeff, the father had quit his job and sold his business to see the world. We talked about our plans and their plans and the fire situation in Melbourne. They were delightful and eventually we went our separate ways. About a half hour later we ended up randomly running into them again at the Monte Carlo Casino. Monaco was equally as beautiful. The Monte Carlo Casino was the highlight of the trip with gorgeous gardens and fountains. It was amazing to walk down the street and see all the fancy cars and fancy jewelry stores. There was not an ounce of poverty in that area to be seen. It was incredible- like living in a bubble that protected you from all the bad things in life. We walked along the port and up to the palace, stopping in the harbor for some panini's and crepes.

We took the coastal route back to Nice which was beautiful in its own right. Upon returning to the hostel we discovered that Jeff and his son Mike were staying there. It turns out Mikes girlfriend worked at the hostel for some extra cash while they were traveling. We ordered some food and got to know our Aussie friends a little better before heading to bed.

The next morning we got up early and headed to the harbor to meet our scuba instructors. Nervous and excited we stood outside the dive shop waiting for the guys to show up. We tried to reassure each other that the water wouldn't really be all that cold and that it would be worth it. However, as soon as the instructors showed up, they confirmed our fears that the water would indeed be EXTREMELY cold. Oh well! I was excited anyways. I've wanted to scuba for years and just never got around to it, since its so expensive in the states. But here you didn't need a license because they stayed with you the whole time. We got our wet suits and jumped aboard the boat. Before the boat pulled away we helped each other jump into the clingy suits. If you've ever tried to put a wet suit on, you understand. If not, let me just tell you it is quite the debacle. It takes a while to get the thick fabric high enough up your legs to be able to fit your arms into the holes and pull the suit up and over your shoulders. Out of breath and corseted into our only protection from the frigid water, we made our way to the front of the boat for our lesson on how to use a regulator. The sun warmed us to the core as the suit absorbed the heat. Between the sun on my skin and the wind in my hair, I was in heaven. The view of Nice was equally as lovely from the water as it was from the hill-top. Once we reached our spot we took turns going out in the water. I was second to embrace our latest adventure and eagerly spit in my mask and tightened the weighted belt around my waist.

I put my feet in the water and squealed. Oh man, the water really was that cold. I braced myself and jumped in the water. Instantly the cold seeped in at my ankles and wrists and traveled through my body. Trying to remember how to breathe I swam towards my instructor who grabbed my hand and attached the tank and vest like a backpack. He asked me if I was OK and I smiled and nodded my head. He walked me through how to breathe again and then deflated my vest, causing me to sink. Not prepared for how terrifying that experience would be, I freaked out and started hyperventilating. I suddenly was extremely claustrophobic and felt like someone was holding me underwater. I couldn't breathe and motioned to my instructor that I needed to get up to the surface, NOW! At this point I was maybe three inches under water, but it didn't matter, it freaked me out. Once I got to the surface, I was able to calm myself down. He reassured me that I was fine and after regulating my breathing, we went for try two. I focused on inhaling and exhaling for a minute or two until it became natural again. And then I relaxed and began to enjoy it. We swam towards the coral and spooked a school of fish. My guide began to rub the coral to attract more fish and I just about had a heart attack! How was is that a man well versed enough in diving had absolutely no idea that contact with coral kills it? I was mortified. He kept motioning for me to touch the coral, but I refused. He eventually gave up and handed me a sea urchin. It was cool to hold it. He pointed out various different kinds of fish and what not. We explored the reef for a while before heading back to the boat. After we left the reef up became down and down became up as both directions were the same hue of blue and there was nothing to indicate which was which. That was a little scary. Our only clue was which direction our bubbles went when we exhaled. But I did it, and I was ecstatic. Our guides name was FiFi. I don't know why I feel the need to include that except that I think its hilarious that that's his actual name. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect to meet a french guy named FiFi. hahaha.

After my turn I got back on the boat and soaked up some sun before changing out of my wet suit and into dry clothes. We enjoyed a glass of wine as we made our trek back to shore and were sure to take a picture of the crew before we left.

That night we were going to hit up the FR night scene, but soon discovered that drinks averaged at 10$ a pop. Since none of us had that kind of money, we headed back to the hostel. On the way back we saw the waterfall we had hiked to the day before. It was all lit up and was absolutely spectacular.

I have decided that Nice is the most beautiful place I have ever been and I hope to return someday...