We then walked to the central square to watch the ceremonial "changing of the guards," which is about a five minute process. After this we walked around the narrow streets of the small village looking for a place to eat. We decided upon a little sit down restaurant where most of us ordered crepes. My egg and cheese crepe was good but could hardly be called a lunch portion. We got back on the bus and headed west along the coast to Nice. Before we got there the bus stopped at a great vantage point for pictures. From here it was possible to see the entire coast of Nice.
We got back on and took a quick bus tour of the major attractions. Seeing Nice's rocky beach coast (Cote d'Azur) was beautiful. There were a few fancy casinos and hotels along the strip too. We checked in to our hotel and threw our stuff in the rooms before meeting back at the lobby for a walking tour. We spent about 20 minutes with the group before splitting up to explore on our own. The small streets gave off an inviting vibe as we walked through. We found a very cool pirate-themed candy shop and looked around at all the different types of novelties. We eventually made our way to the pebbled beach and hung out there for awhile wishing it was warm enough to submerge ourselves. Instead I decided to take off my shoes and roll up my pants to enjoy the water as much as possible. The rocks were pretty big and uncomfortable on the feet. We got our feet soaked enough to tell the water was pretty cold. After the pebble massage and foot ice bath, my feet felt very nice. Here's a nice action shot:
We made our way back to our hotel to get ready for a "typical French set menu" (or at least thats what our itinerary said). The tables were already set with an appetizer dish. I think our group of students filled every table in the restaurant. I sat down with some friends and dug in. The girl next to me didnt want hers so I gladly helped her out with it. I was still very hungry and it seemed to take forever for the waitress to bring out the main course. It was most likely because they were embarrassed of their "typical French meal" that it took so long. The plates started to be passed out and we saw what looked like fried chicken and steak fries. What is this, a kids meal at Friendly's??? It turned out being a small portion of breaded turkey and French style fries (does that just make them regular fries?). I was not satisfied at all and neither was my stomach. Good thing a lot of the girls around me couldnt finish their meals because I gladly accepted leftovers. Now it was time for desert, the only part of the meal that was actually good. I really have no idea what this typical French desert was called but it was basically two round crescents filled with a frozen pastry on the inside, decked out in warm rich chocolate on top. I was very happy with it, and even happier when another one of my friends said she didnt like chocolate. Yup that means I took that too and split it with my housemate Tyler.
After dinner it was time to get ready and look for whatever kind of nightlife Nice had to offer. Almost all of us planned ahead and brought a bottle of wine, but not far enough ahead to remember the opener. So we went downstairs and had the bartender help us out. When he opened my bottle the cork immediately started cracking. The bartender asked me in a French accent, "This bottle is shit, no?" I laughed and agreed entirely with what he was saying. We hung out in a neighbors room for awhile and then went out. We walked around the town for awhile to find a decent place. We used the tram system to get around, which was free because apparently no one cares to check tickets at that hour. We stumbled upon a nice bar which was half billiard. It had four pool tables beyond the bar. We didn't stay too long before wandering home while checking out the sights at night. Near one of the tram stations were some really cool poles that must have been at least thirty feet high with figures meditating at the tops. Each figure was a different color and would slowly change colors. I thought they were very cool. It was a cold walk back and I was so happy and tired when we got back to the hotel that I immediately passed out in my comfortable hotel bed.
The next morning I woke up and went downstairs for the continental breakfast. It wasn't too bad; cant complain about hot eggs and bacon. Then we were off to St. Paul de Vence, a small village built on a rocky outcrop. We walked around the place for awhile and took pictures of the great view from atop.
From there we left for Cannes. I was really excited for this city because of the famous international film festival held there every year (and because it reminds me of that one Entourage episode). This was the farthest point west along the French Riviera we would travel to. It was not the nicest day out, but the weather cleared up somewhat throughout the day. Obviously Cannes along with all the other cities visited was another elitist and expensive city along the coast. We explored the building where the film festival is held and tried to make our way inside. We ended up at the attached convention center where we were put through metal detectors. We made our way downstairs with the large crowds of people. I dont think any of us expected what we would observe next: an entire floor full of video game nerds!
We had unknowingly walked into a nerd convention. The entire floor was filled with every video game system and countless other card and board games. There was something for every weirdo there. It was a lot of fun to explore this endless room and notice the interactions of everyone there. The coolest thing we saw had to be the fifteen-foot Foosball table. I dont know how it was possible to score a goal, but it looked like a lot of fun. We continued exploring the building and made our way up to higher levels of the convention center with great views of the harbor. We then snuck into some unoccupied theaters as well as one of the grand auditoriums. All of them were dark and empty except for one theater playing a jap-anime movie for one viewer (no it was not Masto). After walking around in there for awhile we finally spotted the red carpet from inside so we walked out and got some pictures on it:
We looked up and down the "bricks of fame" (similar to Hollywood's) for actors and actresses we might be familiar with. Considering they start in the 60s there were not many. It was now time for lunch and we had seen a McDonalds across the street from where the buses parked. We knew lunch at a typical restaurant in Cannes would be expensive, so naturally we had to go. I am also trying to become an international Mickey Deez connoisseur so it was necessary for my studies. Not even exaggerating, it was the best meal of the weekend. I ordered two cheeseburgers, a snack wrap, fries, and a beer. I had always heard they serve beer at European McDonalds so I had to have it. There were two other quirky things about this McDonalds: orders were taken electronically by a person with a hand-held device approaching customers in line. Once you get a ticket with your number and pay the cashier, they begin assembling your order. The other funny thing was the bathroom. At the top of your meal receipt is a toilette access code. I'm not making this up; you have to punch the code into a keypad for the door to open.
After lunch we got back on the bus and left for our final tour spot. We went to a perfume factory called Fragonard, one of the two companies that run the perfume game in France. This is legit stuff, they sell to all the biggest carriers in the world. We took a quick guided tour and learned how the production of perfume and cosmetic products went. The factory was at the base of Eze village (a small town similar to St. Paul de Vence) so after the tour we climbed the mountain to explore this little town. Very reminiscent to the previous hilltop town we visited, we walked the streets and took pictures of the amazing views. This was the end of the trip. Time to go back home to Firenze.
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