May 22, 2015

Falling in love with Nice and Monaco!

I think I have just fallen in love with the French Rivera!  Even though I have only been here for 2 days everything is just perfect and amazing!  The landscape,  the weather (omg the weather!),  the people -  I love it all!  I cannot stop smiling everywhere I go!

So after arriving at my hostel yesterday I met a Japanese girl Yuri and we went out exploring. Yuri is a musician from Japan and she is on her way to Dublin to perform.  She was on her laptop when I arrived if you can believe it!  While we were walking around we met some other travelers and went to a bar together.  After a bit Yuri and I broke off from the group and went to the beach.  CATSU CATSU! 

In the morning I had a quick breakfast and took my bike to Monaco.  The ride over was just stunning.  The landscape and weather was a match made in heaven!  I can't even describe how beautiful it was along the riverside. I think it might possibly be the most beautiful place I have ever been in. The nice thing about riding my bike over is I get to stop by the little towns and enjoy the views at my own pace.  If I had taken a bus or train I would have missed hidden jems like Ville frache just outside of Nice.  The ride was only about 25km long (one way),  50km altogether and there was some hills.  It was really enjoyable and a nice warm-up for my longer days. 

In Monaco the Grandprix was on so I got to explore the town and catch a once in a lifetime even in person. There was also pavilions sponsored by Marlboro for various games. I got to try Occulus Rift for the first time.  After redeeming my game points I got a Ferrari hat and a duffle bag!  This is perfect cause I was looking for a hat for my bike trip!  And the duffle bag is really well made but too big for my trip.  So I think I will give it to Nico in Canne when I go there tomorrow.  And of course the Grand prix was the highlight.  You can buy tickets to see the race. But I found a better and cheaper solution ☺.  After walking up a hill for a bit I found a vantage point that gave you a great view of the race below.  I will let the pictures speak for themselves! 

After my tour in Monaco I headed back to Nice and had nice supermarket bought dinner at a hostel I was not staying at.  Met some interesting people like Will who is looking for work as a deck hand on a yacht.  I also met a bunch of stuck up people like the hostel staff from Argentina and some weird Norwegian girls. 
Finally I'm back at my hostel now writing this and doing some research for plane tickets.  It looks like I was overly optimistic about my trip.  I don't think I will have the time to make it to Porto. The main problem is the time-line.  I need to be back in Strasbourg before July 1st. So now I'm looking at flying back from Barcelona and passing by Toulouse instead.  It's hard to tell the exact amount of time I need,  but I need to buy the tickets soon before the fares rise! 

Yuri and I

look at this view I am in love!


trying Occulus rift for the first time






My new girlfriends in Monaco haha



















Peace from Nice.

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