Day 2: Monaco
We woke up nice and early to make a day trip to Monaco. We took a bus through the mountains into Monaco, so it provided us with a "free" scenic tour of more of Southern France. Once we got off the bus, we headed to Monaco-Ville. We first passed by the Musée Océanographique de Monaco, which had a large statue of a baby in front of it... It was quite amusing. We then headed over to see la Cathédral de Monaco, and later explore the streets of Monaco-Ville.
Along the way we got to see breathtaking views over Monaco -- the buildings, the port, and the mountains (I loove mountains!). We ended up at le Palais Princier de Monaco, the current home of the Prince of Monaco. We got to visit parts of the palace and were given audiophones which explained the history of all the pieces in each room. I have learned that I find the history of royal families very interesting so getting to learn all about the Princes' Palace was very enriching!
After a quick late lunch break, we headed over to Monte Carlo. We went to see the Hotel de Paris, and then went to the Casino de Monte Carlo where we spent a good few hours. We didn't gamble, but we watched other people's games. There was an old man there who just dropped 500€ bills like it was no big deal. It was very fun to watch! After the casino, we headed to Le Cafe de Paris for dinner where we ordered salads and a small bottle of wine.
After dinner, we started to make our way home by looking for the bus. Now this is where it gets a little crazy. It turns out we missed the last bus, so we decided to take the train back to Nice instead. Upon arrival to the train station, we discovered the last train got cancelled. At this point we were freaking out a little but we met a young English couple and a German family who were also in the same boat so we just worked together to figure out what to do. They eventually ended up sending a bus to take the place of the cancelled train. However, since it was the last bus back to Nice for the night, it was absolute nightmare to board the bus. People were literally pushing and shoving to get onto the bus, and once on the bus, people were cramming multiple people into one seat in order to try to fit as many people on the bus as possible. There was yelling and crying and the exchange of multiple languages at once... it was chaotic, to say the least. After waiting 2 hours, the bus finally leaves and heads back to Nice. A nice man ends up helping us find our way back to our street, and during the walk, he and I had a very broken French conversation. He understood/spoke very little English, so I once again, used my amateur French skills and hand motions to try to keep a conversation. Eventually we found our way back to our hotel and passed out for the night.
We woke up nice and early to make a day trip to Monaco. We took a bus through the mountains into Monaco, so it provided us with a "free" scenic tour of more of Southern France. Once we got off the bus, we headed to Monaco-Ville. We first passed by the Musée Océanographique de Monaco, which had a large statue of a baby in front of it... It was quite amusing. We then headed over to see la Cathédral de Monaco, and later explore the streets of Monaco-Ville.
Tiny streets in Monaco
Metro station. Artsy.
Musée Océanographique's big baby
Cathédral de Monaco
Port Hercules
In front of the Princes' Palace
Monte Carlo casino, complete with luxury vehicles lining the front
Hotel de Paris in the evening
Salade Parisienne at Cafe de Paris
After dinner, we started to make our way home by looking for the bus. Now this is where it gets a little crazy. It turns out we missed the last bus, so we decided to take the train back to Nice instead. Upon arrival to the train station, we discovered the last train got cancelled. At this point we were freaking out a little but we met a young English couple and a German family who were also in the same boat so we just worked together to figure out what to do. They eventually ended up sending a bus to take the place of the cancelled train. However, since it was the last bus back to Nice for the night, it was absolute nightmare to board the bus. People were literally pushing and shoving to get onto the bus, and once on the bus, people were cramming multiple people into one seat in order to try to fit as many people on the bus as possible. There was yelling and crying and the exchange of multiple languages at once... it was chaotic, to say the least. After waiting 2 hours, the bus finally leaves and heads back to Nice. A nice man ends up helping us find our way back to our street, and during the walk, he and I had a very broken French conversation. He understood/spoke very little English, so I once again, used my amateur French skills and hand motions to try to keep a conversation. Eventually we found our way back to our hotel and passed out for the night.
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