Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Nice was Nice

I thoroughly enjoyed my solo trip to France. It was relaxing, tiring, stressful, adventuresome, and eye-opening.  Between layovers and missed flights, it took a solid 24 hours to get to my destination in Nice, which is situated in the south of France, about an 1.5 plane ride from Paris.



I chose to stay in Nice, one of the bigger cities along the French Riviera (or Cote d'Azur), because of its relative affordability and easy access to other coastal cities like Antibes, Cannes, Grasse, and the principality of Monaco.  The Cote d'Azur boasts a solid train and bus system. 


When I arrived at the airport in Nice, I knew that all of the hassles of travel were worth it.  I got so frustrated with trying to fly standby on AirFrance from Paris to Nice that I almost just gave up and decided to spend the week in Paris instead.  I am so glad I didn't. Nice was the exact opposite of the grey, rainy skies that I had witnessed in Paris.  There were palm trees waving slightly with the breeze, and skies as blue as the sea.  And it wasn't hot, it was a perfect 75 degrees.  I boarded the airport shuttle bus which took us to downtown Nice and as we flew by the Promenade des Anglais, I knew I was in love.  


I got off at the closest bus-stop to my hostel and followed the directions down a street to my destination.  I found my hostel fairly easily and checked in as quickly as I could so that I could explore a bit before sunset.  So an insert about staying in a hostel... I really didn't know what to expect here. I spent a lot of time researching a nice one to stay in, and it turns out that I did an excellent job. The place was balla for what I thought it was going to be. When you first walk in, there was a lounge/reception area with a couple of TVs and a bunch of movies, board games, and magazines.  Off to the side was kitchen and eating area with plenty of appliances, dishes, and utensils so that you can make food if you want to (conveniently enough there is a Carrefour right next to the hostel).  Breakfast was included, c'etait comme ci/comme ca.... Mais c'est gratuit, alors. There was free wifi throughout, and the staff were super nice and helpful. Overall I would definitely rank it above a dorm room, and for the price of 40 dollars a night... Pas mal.

I spent most of the first evening wandering down the Promenade Des Anglais and some back streets by the hostel.  I passed out around 21h local time, so I woke up super early the next day. I took advantage of this early rise by getting a jump start on my explorations of the city. I took a shower, ate breakfast, and was out by 8. vOf course, as I walked around I started to discover that most things don't open until 10... But it was completely fine. I still had a nice time walking around and trying to get acquainted with "my" new city. I'm absolutely terrible at reading maps (thank goodness I live in the era of GPS) so I just wandered, using important landmarks (such as Chanel, Galleries Lafayette, and the seafront) to keep my bearings.  Honestly... I spent most of the day shopping in some form. Shopping is actually a fantastic way to learn the language and immerse in the culture... I'll maintain that.   I spent a lot of time in the open air markets, as well as specialty boutiques and the larger department stores.  

They say shop till you drop but by midday, I getting a legit headache from all the bustle.   So I went around to a Monoprix, which is sort of like a big box retailer, to get some water and Advil.  Well, apparently you can only get Advil from actual pharmacies in France.  Ok that's fair.   So I went ahead and bought my water and I almost died when I went to take a a big gulp only to find that I got sparkling water. Oy.  And for my headache, the pharmacist literally laughed at my request for Advil, and then he gave me some magic French medicine.   My headache was gone in like 2 minutes.  After all that I went for a late lunch to a salad bar. I had arrugala with mozzarella balls, sundried tomatoes, roasted eggplant, and balsamic. For dessert I got a noisette (espresso with a dash of steamed milk, much like the Italian/Starbucks macchiato).  And then I walked around some more... And some more... And then I walked by a patisserie with a beautiful display of Napoleons, my favorite French pastry. I wasn't hungry but I went ahead and bought one to eat later. I decided to wait until I climbed to the top of the castle ruins parc at the end of the Promenade Des Anglais to indulge myself. All those steps were worth a Napoleon.  








While I was overlooking Nice, I asked this nice French person to take my picture.  It turns out that he was a linguistics major who was training to teach foreigners French.  Perfect.  We spent almost an hour talking in half French half English... It was a really good experience engaging in the language further. The thing with French is that I can read it very comfortably, and I can say enough to get by in a French speaking country... but I cannot for the life of me understand what French people are saying... So that is unfortunate.  One day I'll be good at this though.  




Day 2 - Grasse et Cannes

I was debating which day would be the best to visit the Cannes Film Festival. With it being a huge international event and all, I sort of shyed away from going on the weekend.  And since it was already Thursday, I saw no time like the present.  All of my reading led me to the conclusion that it would be better to visit Cannes later in the afternoon so that I could explore the city, and then stalk the red carpet around 7 in the evening.  However, I woke up at a ripe age of 5h so I needed entertainment in the meanwhile.  

After flipping through a travel brochure, I read about a small town called Grasse, which was just north of Cannes. After checking the train schedule online, I discovered that it would be perfectly easy to visit both cities the same day, as there was a train to Grasse via Cannes. C'est parfait. Alors, to the train station I went.  A modest 18 euros bought my transportation for the day. I didn't think that was too bad at all.  Plus I got a nice view of parts of Southern France I otherwise wouldn't have seen.  



Grasse was pretty nice. I spent 3 hours there, most of which were spent climbing up the giant hill to actually get to the villa from the train station.  When they label something a "city on the hill", they aren't messing around.  I picked a bad day to wear wedges.  After about 30 minutes of winding upwards, I made it to the top of the city, where all of the action was. It seems as if I planned my visit during the rose festival, which was really pretty cool.  I should back up here and note that Grasse is the city of perfume. The reason why I was going was to visit the international perfume museum and go on tour of a perfume factory. So roses are sort of a big deal for this city. I walked through an exhibition of mixed medium (roses and other materials) fashion art before browsing the rose festival craft and flower show. 






I had a fun time stumbling back down the hill and to the train station. I boarded my train and promptly passed out for a good 20 minutes before waking up, freaking out about the possibility of passing my stop at Cannes. Luckily I didn't- I woke up just in time.  However it wasn't a good day to be groggy in Cannes. With the film festival, the city was packed, even as a Thursday. It was craziness to the max. Since I was exhausted and wanted to get out of the crowds, I cided to sit down for a nice early dinner. I went to a cafe on the Rue D'Antibes (the big shopping street). I sat by myself facing the busy street, stoked at the prime location for people watching. Sitting in cafes alone is ver common in France, bust thhere is almost an art to it that I obviousky haven't mastered, having no practice and all.  The french are so cool about it, i just felt like a dork. Whatever, i still enjoyed the ambience. After looking over the menu, I decided to go with the chef's recommendation- the poulet plat du jour. I sat in anticipation because this was the first served meal I had ordered while in France. Imagine my surprise when the steaming plate of provincial chicken was placed in front of me, only to discover that in France, they don't believe in cutting the feet off the chicken before serving. That's right, I had a plate full of chicken feet in front of me. Well, ok... Only 2 chicken feet. But still. I just had to get over it. When in France.... And the chicken was delicious.

I walked around Cannes for a while, snooping out the film festival scene. Many important looking people rushed by in tuxedos and bowties, but nobody that I recognized. I'm also not much of a film buff so I'm sure that that had something to do with it. I retreated from the crowds, heading to the seaside where another craft festival was set up. It was a lovely view: hundreds of sailboats lined up while artists were selling paintings of the same view.   



Completely exhausted, I decided to forgo the crowds of the red carpet and the public beach screening of a formerly released Cannes film winner (1962).

I passed out that night around 8.




Day 3 - The day I didn't go to Monaco

Early to bed, early to rise. However this is completely useless in the south of France as nothing opens until about 10 (and the complimentary hostel breakfast doesn't begin until 8). So I opted for laying in bed, researching my definition for the day. I settled on Monaco. In attempt to save a bit of money, I planned on taking the bus 2euro round trip versus 5euro round trip for the train). There was only one bus that left from my side of nice to Monaco and it was still a mile way. The distance itself isn't the problem, the problem lies in the increased length and therefore opportunities to get lost, which I'm good at doing. With the direct route pulled up on my iPad in hand' I set off for the bus station. Of course I couldn't find it. But that wasn't completely my fault, as it turns out the bus station was currently under construction. Ok... So I asked for directions and got some spotty French version, which I only understood half of. Directions already aren't my thing... Throw French in the mix and I'm gonna have a bad time. Then it started raining.

Luckily, I was right outside of an off-the-rack designer boutique so I peeped inside. To wait out the rain, I decided to try some stuff on. Of course I fell in love with a gorgeous Armani navy blue skirt suit. And of course I bought it. It looks great, and I'm a working lady now. I gotta look fancy to make that bank. It was only 75euro which is reasonable for a suit, and an absolute steal for Armani.

My purchase behind me, it was stilllllll raining. I walked along the street miserable for a couple of minutes (why didn't I pack an umbrella?) I almost jumped when I saw the sign for the contemporary art museum, which I had wanted to go to all along but figured I'd never make it there if i tried, also due to my lack of direction. I actually really like modern art... and this museum, although smaller and less renowned, was much more impressive than the Tate modem in London that I visited during spring break.



After the museum, and the discovery that it was still raining, I ducked into vieux ville, which is filled with touristy goods in winding, narrow alleys. I had already been here but the shops were mostly covered with terraces, making them quite an attractive option. Then, I smelled the most amazing thing ever. It was the socca stand. Now I had heard about socca.. A nicoise specialty that is sort of like a crepe made of chickpea flour. Oh my goodness, it was amaaaaaazing.




After the socca, I decided it was nap time. It was still raining and if nothing else, I wanted to change my clothes, as I was wearing a sundress and it was not sunny. I made my way back to the hostel, changed clothes, and made the 2nd veggie burger patty that was left over from dinner the other night (an experimental re-creation of the McBaguette.) while in the lounge area, I decided that this would be a cozy place to chill for a bit. I read some fashion magazines in French, watched the news, and chatted with everyone else who decided that today was a good day for vegging.



While I had the best of intentions of going back out to explore the other side of nice, I didn't. But that was perfectly ok. A group of us ran down to the Carrefour next door to buy baguettes, wine, and cheese (I also got some grilled eggplant in olive oil) and we sat around discussing life, work, school, travel, and shoes. It was a splendid evening.

Day 4 - Making it Monaco & a new obsession with Grace Kelly

After yesterday's failed attempt, I opted for the train this time... the train is more convenient and way harder to mess up.  Plus, on a round trip ticket, you can get on and off at the towns in-between if you so please. This left me the possibility of being able to stop at Eze and Ville-Franche as well.  

After I bought my train ticket I had to wait 2 hours for the next train. Must be a Saturday thing. So I ventured out for a snack, and wound up sitting in a socca cafe where I ordered socca with espresso.  Odd combination, but both delicious. (I swear you can get a good cup of espresso anywhere in France, even in a random snack shop).

Monaco was insane once I finally got there. The place is crawling with so much wealth it is ridiculous. The first thing that I did when I got off the train was walk around the Monaco Grand Prix race track, which surrounded the Monaco yacht club port.







As per usual, I decided to walk around randomly... not really knowing where I was going. I ended up in the shopping district (as it seems I always do), but a lucky turn around a corner led me to this building.. which was intriguing... 


...which turned out to be the Princess Grace style museum.  Bingo.  Monaco is actually a principality, and not a city of France.  So when American actress Grace Kelly married the prince of Monaco, she naturally became their princess.  Talk about a fairytale.  This whole museum was devoted to the beautiful and inspirational style icon. 


I then swung by the Monte Carlo casino (as if I hadn't seen enough casinos in Vegas the week before).  It was amazing to see the rich people of Europe drive up in their Rolls Royce's and Jaguars.  So. much. wealth.




Since being in Monaco was the closest I was going to be to Italia, I decided to find some good pasta.  I found a cute restaurant that served a cheap vegetarian lasagna, and it was delicious.  

Day 5 - More Nice Wanderings


Nice is a huge town and there was still much that I hadn't done.  It was sort of a dreary day so while I would have liked to have a beach day, I continued my tourism ventures by going to museums and souvenir hunting.




And before I left, I needed to find this amazing gelato place that I had read a lot of rave reviews for online.


...Which was a marvelous decision.  As it began to really pour, I went back to the hostel to rest up for my trip to Paris the next day.  I watched a couple of movies in the lounge with the other rained-in travelers.



Which was maybe an un-exciting, but a relaxing and enjoyable end to my stay in Nice.  The next day led me to Paris, which I will include in the next post....

Saturday, May 12, 2012

Why I'm Travelling France By Myself

As I'm writing this, my feet are literally throbbing from 3 days spent in Las Vegas and wearing uncomfortable (for the sake of cuteness) shoes.  However, most things I could comment on about my Las Vegas experience would come off as a social critique, and I'm not in that kind of a mood right now.  (To sum it up, I probably won't be back.)

Instead, I'd rather talk about the adventure that lies ahead.  In about 36 hours, I'll be heading across the Atlantic and landing in Paris, before travelling to the Cote d'Azur.  France has always been alluring... I knew I was in love with the Parisian life at the ripe age of 2, when my all-time idol was Madeline.



It was from my initial exposure to the cartoon that I secured my first trip to France: a trip to Paris for my 10th birthday.  Memories of creamy fondue, gargoyles, the Louvre, and of course the magnificent Tour d'Eiffel resonated with me years after I left.  I'll never forget how a rainy night turned into a snow-laced wonderland after climbing the height to the top level of the Eiffel Tower.  It was nothing short of magical.

It was another 7 years before I would return to the city, this time as a junior in high school and freshly educated of the mysteres of the Lost Generation (Ezra Pound had especially made une impression).

I was determined to not only visit "the sites", but to soak up the culture as much as I could.  I tracked down Le Select cafe, where Scott F. Fitgerald would frequently spend all day writing, just so that I could witness his inspiration.  



I thrived on the Champs-Elysee, shopping through the flagship Louis Vuitton store, along with other luxury fashion houses.  And we won't even talk about the wonderstruck that occurred in Au Printemps or Galleries Lafayette.  



And of course then, I saw "the sights", revisiting the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the Musee d'Orsay, Notre Dame, l'Arc d'Triumphe... etc...







Paris is magical.  And apparently the rest of France is as well.  So when I developed an itch to explore the country further, and since I have already explored the cosmopolitan city of Paris, I decided on a new destination: the south of France.  It's where the French take their month long vacations in August, and it was where I wanted to take my week long adventure in May. 

I'm not calling this a vacation, because vacations are things you go on to spend time with the people that you love.  This adventure is being embarked on alone.

Ever since I made up my mind to trek the French Riviera solo, I've received a lot of inquiries as to "Why...?"

And I just can't think of a good answer, except for that I feel like truly losing myself in my own wanderings and wonderings for a week.  I can't wait to explore open-air markets, museums, and boutiques;  I can't wait to search for the tastiest patisseries and sip on cafe au laits while indulging in a good book;  and I can't wait to tip-toe on the pebbled beaches of Nice and stroll along the Promenade des Anglais.  

Not that I wouldn't enjoy these indulgences with the company of others, but there is something special about travelling alone.  There is definite value in being able to be content by oneself... And there is magic when you discover not only being content, but joyful.  If you can be happy with yourself, you can be happy with anybody.  

I'll be gone for about a week and a half, and I'll be blogging along the way.  So stay tuned, and stay fabulous!