Nice, France

About two weeks ago at the park with Kristy, she mentioned a trip she was planning to Nice, with her friend Kim from home, for Carnaval. The whole time she was telling me about it I was dying to hear the words "You should come" and I did.  So without the proper "Oh, are you sure? I don't want to impose on you and your friend..." bit I practically screamed "When should I book my flight?" With a few logistical problems with the hotel we realized that an extra person needed to be invited so I could have someone to share a room with, the winner was Kerri, you might remember her from Porto. Alas, after 10 days straight of St. Etienne the only thing between me and the beautiful beaches of Nice were a tram, 2 trains, and a plane.  Having never flown into Nice I was surprised to hear the pilot say "Flight Attendants please prepare the cabin for landing" and looking out the window to see ocean. Ask anyone who has ever been on a plane with me and you'll find that I'm not the most confident flyer, I actually sometimes hope the flight attendants will see the terrified 8 year old inside of me and give me some wings and a tour of the cockpit, Life does not work this way so I have to keep my fears inside.  So I was partially terrified, partially fascinated at our imminent doom of a water landing until I saw just in the nick of time a runway. I was so relieved to see it that I forgot about landing being my least favorite part of flying.  As the plane was finding its way to it's final resting spot Kerri looked at me and said, "did you look up how to get to our hostel from the airport?". Obviously the answer to that was no so we had quite the time figuring our way to the bus station and to the correct bus. From there it was deciding which stop to get off on, and how in the world to find our hostel in the heart of the old part of town. All of these things happened almost too easily and in the process I found myself falling deeply in love with the town and feeling very much like it could be the next European town that I establish myself in. The old town has an untarnished character that I found so refreshing, and the French culture mixed with the typical feel of a beach town was absolutely intoxicating.  Have a look for yourself, hopefully the feeling is able to tranfer through the computer screen.

It turns out I was so entranced by the marvels of the old town that I forgot to take pictures, After walking around the town Kerri and I moseyed on over to the beach to touch the mediterranean. 

When the water receded back into the ocean the sound of the rocks clinking together was delightful.

Thursday night we went to one of the bars where we heard it was student night, this is Kerri, Kristy, and Kim getting pumped to go find it!

Friday we went to Monte Carlo, Monaco. A bus there costs one euro and an intense spell of motion sickness.

We made it just in time to see the changing of the guards at the palace.  I know that being a guard is an extreme honor, but it seems to me that it would be worse than being a Ryanair flight attendant (the job that was previously at the top of my list of worst jobs ever).

The girls on our way dow from the palace, Monte Carlo really is unbelievable.

The view of one of the ports from the path down from /up to the palace.

I love a good pigeon, as does my best friend Kaleigh. I thought this white one warranted a picture.

We stopped after lunch at one of the ports to sit on the wall and digest.  I was the last one to get off and suddenly I had three cameras pointing my way. Bah!

It was at about this point that my brain got the best of me.  Looking at all of the yachts (which got bigger, I just couldn't stand to take pictures) I couldn't stop thinking about the amount of money present in this town and just how ridiculous it might be.

Ahhh!

I've grown tired of the same pictures, so I've been experimenting with various poses and faces. A common reaction after one of my faces is "ugh, Claire! Let's do that one again." The poses however, got a few laughs and let's face it, who doesn't love a little attitude?

This is the casino, this picture is a bit off, but the fountains and landscaping are positively unreal.

At this point in the day Monte Carlo and I decided to agree to disagree.  While part of the allure of Monte Carlo is how impeccable it looks, it seems unfortunate for it to be at the cost of a good picnic. However, by the look of the locals I imagine sitting in the grass is an disagreeable activity, needless to say, I did not feel as though one day I might become one, so they can continue to live the way they choose. 

*Monte Carlo was one of my favorite places I've visited, I just can't seem to get past the obvious elitism, and I'm hoping that through blogging I can move on*

Another motion-sick invoking bus ride later and we were back in Nice for the sunset on the beach.

Friday night we found ourselves back in Kristy and Kim's hotel to research places for night two. This is the view from their window.  This is one of the main roads with loads of restaurants, a bit touristy, but nice just the same.

Saturday morning, before the parades began Kerri and I walked around the Carnaval area and found octopi floating in the fountain.

The flower parade was the highlight of the weekend for me, there were all kinds of music, kites, people on stilts, and of course flower covered floats.  

On each float was a woman or two dressed in ornate costumes throwing flowers into the audience. By the end of the parade everyone had a beautiful bouquet to go on the kitchen table.

round one of people on stilts.

My second favorite member of the parade, the first is on it's way.

I believe this is a depiction of Cerberus, the three headed guard of the underworld being fought by a knight of some kind, I wonder who won... 

This float had a swing, so cool, the girls were covered in "fruits and vegetables" this one has a blueberry skirt and strawberries on her shirt with a grape headpiece, the girl at the other end of the swing was wearing an artichoke skirt and asparagus shirt.

This was my favorite. 

So big and colorful. 

After the parade we walked up to an old fortress, walked up some stairs and marveled!

Gazing out at the view...not at all posed..

From the top of the fortress we walked back and found all kinds of paths, and ultimately a great park.  Reason # 1428 why I will live in Nice.

Let the parade of lights commence!

The floats for this parade were ornate in a completely different fashion, it was such a production!

After the parade we walked like zombies back to the hostel to collapse on our beds, standing almost all day is tough on the feet, I now have much more respect for those who work retail

Sunday, we relaxed, tried some socca (it was delicous) and went on our way to the airport for one of the roughest flights of my traveling career, I hope not to have one like that again anytime soon.

This trip was wonderful, getting down south where the temperatures are a little higher was very welcome. Next weekend my Mom, Grandmother, and sisters will be meeting me in Paris for a highly anticipated trip together.  I am hoping this week passes by quickly for I can't wait for the fun to begin!