11:39
Nice, France - Munich, Germany
Sitting on the train in first class, this unbelievably beautiful French girl just sat down across from me (our seats face each other over a shared table) and she has a cat in a mesh carrying case (who is currently watching me type) who looks just like my old cat Streak. But I still have to talk about yesterday...
So yesterday (Thursday the 29th) was to be our last day in Nice. I had made a friend waiting for the hostel shuttle named Katerin (who lives in Frankfurt) a day or two earlier and she had an interest in trekking around Monaco with us. So the three of us hopped aboard the Monaco-bound bus that first stopped at a town high above Villefranch & Beaulieu in the hills named Eze Village. This place was a fortification atop a mountain (well, a steep hilltop, really) that if it were an island would've reminded me greatly of Mont St Michael.
Katerin & Jessica:
Katerin & me:
It had a cactus garden in the plaza on the very tip-top that they charged €5 to access (so we didn't go all the way up).
But the twisty, cobbled, medieval 'roads' that worked their way up the hill through the fortification were something else. We were told we should stop at a cafe called the Golden Goat--that it was a great place for a coffee because it's situated on the edge of a 1000 foot cliff. It certainly had spectacular views, but the sodas were €8, the coffee was €12, and those were the cheapest things on the menu! So we didn't stop for coffee, but we did stop for pictures.
The cathedral:
The 'roads':
The view:
Once we finished hiking about that town we continued on to the Principality of Monaco. The bus let us off right near the famous Monte Carlo casino--which we were able to walk around the lobby of (the casino they charge you €10 for the pleasure of the opportunity to lose your money, and since none of us were planning to gamble anyway, it didn't seem worth the price).
Me, in front of the Monte Carlo:
We figured that entrance fee was intended to keep the riff-raff (like us) from bugging the rich movie stars that like to gamble there. So I have no hard feelings toward the casino. It sure was a work of beauty. In fact, the whole country of Monaco seemed to be like a concrete jungle. Kind of like a Vegas, or Beverly Hills.
They were gearing up for the historic Monaco Grand Prix so there were bleachers being set up and protective fencing put along the road (they race a part of the street--not on a track).
We asked the tourisim desk how to get from the casino to the prince's palace, and they said we could spend €1 for the bus, or walk 45 minutes. We opted to walk. At the time, however, we didn't realize it would mean walking down one mountain and back up another. By the time we got there we were pooped. But we got there just in time--as we were admiring the palace, the price himself drove up (well, was driven, really) and right into the palace--and we saw him through the car window as he drove by. Katerin even waved at him, and he waved back! We think their wedding will be in the fall...
By the way, interesting fact about Monaco, did you know that Princess Grace who died not too long ago was actually Grace Kelly the movie star?
Anyway, after we had our fill of the prince's palace, we did a quick walk by the the cathedral, then Cousteau Aquarium, then headed back.
We finished off the evening by having an authentic dinner in France--authentic Indian! Ha! I had actually tried to find a one of the places in the Rick Steves' guidebook that served local nicquois cusine, but the first one we tried was closed and the second one required reservations. We weren't willing to trek all over town, so we had some delicious Indian food instead.
And that brings us to today! I'm just now sitting in the train station in Lion, France, waiting for the connecting train that will take us to Paris for our connecting train that will take us to Munich. It's going to be a long train day! But so far the first leg was nice--first class boasts bigger, more comfortable reclining seats...and that's about it. But it allowed me to take a quick nap. We have a cochette (bed) reserved for the final overnight leg to Munich, but truth be told I probably would've been happy sleeping in one of those reclining first class chairs. But I'll probably be happier to be able to get a real good sleep so I'm refreshed for a fun day in Germany!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Location:Somewhere between Nice and Munich
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