According to Lonely Planet, the French Riviera is the “playground for the rich and beautiful”. Seeing as I am neither of these things, I was a bit hesitant to spend 4 days there. Never-the-less, after my school program ended, myself and 7 friends travelled to Nice to take in the sites and sounds of the coast. Our first day brought us to Cannes for the Cannes Film Festival. As a lover of movies, I was very excited to see the most prestigious film festival in the world. Although there were no stars present during the day, it was nice to see the Red Carpet and all of the busyness that surrounds it. I also stumbled upon the water Red Carpet: a dock which ushers stars from their boats to the festival. This is present during a scene in Entourage in which Vince and the boys arrive to a premiere on their yacht. It was interesting to see it up close and in person.
The following day, we trekked north to Monaco for the Monaco Grand Prix Formula One race. Monaco, one of the smallest countries in the world, has one of the highest per capita GDPs, meaning it is a very wealthy place. I quickly saw how. All the streets are nicely built and very well maintained. It seemed that every car was either a Ferrari or a Bentley. Because of the race, much of the city was blocked off. We didn’t have tickets, so we did our best to see bits and pieces of it, eventually deciding to watch the finish in a nearby cafe. Afterward, we walked down to the track and marina to see the yachts. The girls were invited on the yacht of the winning team (Team Red Bull). Surprisingly, us guys were not. Instead, we walked throughout the city and found Casino Monte Carlo. Portrayed as Casino Royale in the James Bond movie, the casino is very high end and quite a cool building, much like the rest of Monaco.
The final two days of my trip were spent on beaches. The first, Juan Les Pins, is a small town near Antibes that is considered by many to have the best beaches in all of France. We relaxed and layed in the sun all day long. The following day was spent on a beach in Nice. Nice is entirely made up of rock beaches, so renting a nice chair and umbrella was necessary but enjoyable. With some cocktails and good company with Jen, Katie and Robert, it was a nice way to end my trip to France and my last trip in Europe.
Despite a “minor” travel snafu (and by minor I mean one that cost me an entire day, headaches and hundreds of dollars), we made it back to Rome safe and sound. I thoroughly enjoyed my time in the South of France and would love to come back. Next time, however, I hope to have a lot more money in my wallet. My own yacht wouldn’t hurt, either.