Nice, Monaco, and Eze: The Top 10

10. The Beach: The bus ride from Aix to Nice was 2 hours, and I spent 1 hour or so glimpsing out the front window, waiting for my first view of the notoriously blue water of the Cote d'Azur. It didn't disappoint.

Upon arrival in Nice, the bus parked on the Promenade d'Anglais-- or the main walkway/rollerskating path/jogging path that lines the coast and stretches throughout the city. The sun was shining and the water was sparkling back at me. I felt the warmest I had in a month.

Some locals did as well-- a group of ladies were sunbathing topless with their husbands on the pebbly beaches. And, I saw a head or two bobbing in the waves of the Mediterranean. It was approximately 48 degrees outside.

9. Parfumerie Galimard: Sunday afternoon, we arrived in the quiet, hilltop village of Eze. Before exploring the village, we went on a tour of a perfume factory. Our tour guide was a skinny, glamourous, and sardonic French woman. She smelled lovely, and cracked jokes the entire tour ("Boys, see which ones the girls like so you can buy some for your many girlfriends back home", "Don't follow me, follow your nose", "My perfume is so delicious, the boys just eat me up. That is why I am so skinny")

She told us about "noses" a.k.a. perfume concoctors on the tour. Apparently, there are only 300 in the world. They work only 2 days a week, or else, their noses wouldn't be able to pick up subtle differences in smell. They receive millions of dollars for concocting blends for big name perfume companies. But-- alas, there is a catch (it was sounding like the perfect job, right?). They are not allowed to smoke, drink alcohol, or drink any tea or coffee and these "noses" are not allowed to swim in the ocean or in chlorinated pools.

8. Stairs (in general): What a weekend for walking up stairs! Nice is on a hill. Monaco is on two hills. Eze is a hilltop village. I swear-- I climbed too many stairs to count. The people who live in these towns surely have buns of steel.

7. Socca: Socca is a regional dish in Nice, made especially famous by the eccentric local Thereze. She is a heavily made-up, willy-dilly older woman who has a small restaurant in the very center of the Nice market. Her socca line is, minimum, 30 minutes long, and filled with locals and tourists alike waiting for her speciality.

Socca is essentially a salty crepe, made with a batter of garbanzo beans. It was good-- but the Socca experience was all about Thereze. She was doing a million things at once (wiping tables, warming up Pizza, cutting the Socca, serving diners wines and beer) all while speaking rapid French, cracking jokes, and tenderly serving her loyal customers. I would recommend Thereze-- the socca is just an added bonus.

6. Empire on a Rock: The Palace at Monacco was not nearly as grand or opulent on the outside as I would have supposed. But, with the changing of the guard at exactly 11:55, it felt much more official. Here is a quick video to demonstrate some of the ceremony.

5. Winding Streets of Eze: It was simply a charming place. The streets were narrow, cobblestoned, and almost dizzying-- I don't think they had a determined direction when they were first built hundreds of years ago.

Annie and I clamoured up to the top (more stairs of course) to the Cathedral-- which was a nice respite from the wind and cold. The views from the top were amazing. The village was quiet and peaceful and perfect for a Sunday afternoon where the best thing to do is wander aimlessly.

4. Monte Carlo: The first sign were the fountains-- they were massive and decorated with palm trees and tropical flowers. There were were three or four spread out in front of me and lit from all angles, as if leading to something.

Then, the cars. Ferrari. Porsche. The Mercedes looked like my Toyota Corolla compared to some of the models.

Finally-- it was in front of me. The building to which all the fountains and cars had been pointing. The Casino at Monte Carlo.

It was lit up as if there were a Hollywood movie premier, as I'm sure it is every night. There was a red carpet leading up to the grand building. Those walking in were dressed in tuxedos and evening gowns.

After dinner, we ventured in (wearing our most fancy of duds-- of course) to the lobby. It was impressive-- the most ornately decorate building I have seen in Europe. There were guards everywhere. Through an archway, we could glimpse men throwing 500 euro bills down on the blackjack tables.

We choose not to pay extra to enter the gambling area-- as what would be the fun in knowing that the cost to get in was worrying you, when such a thought had probably never crossed the minds of the 500-euro men? I prefered to observe, and found some happiness knowing that life would be very different if I had money like these people, but that there is a humanity in judging whether or not my budget can handle the 10 euro entrance fee.

Monaco often felt like this-- rich.

3. Nice Panoramas: The old city center in Nice is enclosed by two parks. One is on a hill, and provides the most amazing views of the coast, city, and Mediterrean.

Karinne, Haley, and I ventured up Saturday afternoon, and were given the most amazing reward for our climb. Every place in the park provided a new angle on the panoramic view. It was beautiful.

2. Miramar Dinner: On Saturday night, Pam (the Abroadco leader) reserved a rooftop restaurant called Hotel Miramar. The view was spectacular-- as the restaurant looked out onto Monoco's harbor-- and all the yachts resting there.

We sat down to dinner around 8:00, and left at 12:45! This is probably one of the reasons the dinner is so high up on the list-- I like to feel as if I am becoming more European.

We were served wine, tapas, heart-shaped rolls (it was Valentine's Day, after all), mustard chicken, fried potatoes, salad, and a chocolate cake/apple tart for desert. Three delicious courses in all.

Although it was cold (we were outside) the company was excellent. I really love my program and all the girls in it, and I love that sitting down to a long meal with them is so enjoyable.

1. Nice Carnavale: The pictures say it all! There were thousands of people lining the streets, music blaring on the speakers, and a feeling of excitement in the air while waiting for the parade to start.

It was a parade of flowers, and my whole goal was to catch as much Mimosa (a yellow flower that ushers in the start of spring in France, smells wonderful!) being thrown from the paraders as possible. I succeeded! Towards the end of the parade, those on the floats began to disassemble the structures and throw the beautiful orchids and roses off the float as well.

It was an exciting time, and really made my trip to Nice that much more special.

Here are the pics! Just click Cote d'Azur at the top of the page, then click slideshow.