How nice to be in Nice: August 2011

Friday, August 12, 2011

Final words

Right now I’m sitting on a flight en route to Seattle, my final destination where, in just a few short hours, I will be greeted by my parents. The last 5 weeks have been unbelievable. I’ve learned more and experienced more than I ever thought possible. It was my first trip abroad and a wonderful one. The French Riviera is beautiful and I met some really great people during my time there. It was a crazy adventure, one I wouldn’t trade for the world. I’m so grateful to my parents and my grandparents for making this possible. I appreciate so much that I was able to have such a wonderful travel experience. Thank you, I love you. I hope you all enjoyed reading about my adventures as much as I enjoyed having them!

The Last Supper and Magical Bus Drivers

For our second to last night in Nice our professor arranged a dinner for the whole group. We dined alfresco at a small but delicious restaurant. All the food was made to order, fresh and delicious. To start we had a salad of fresh greens, anchovies, onions, green peppers, hardboiled eggs, tuna, and a thick balsamic dressing. YUM. This was followed by gnocchi and slow cooked beef, so tender we didn’t need our knives. The meal was rounded off with a mind blowing raspberry tart. Such a good meal, we were all very full and satisfied after.

By the time we were finished with our meal it was too late to be picked up by public transportation, so our professor had arranged a private bus for us. Our trip back to our university confirmed my belief that French bus drivers are magicians. Let me back up and start by describing where we had dinner…high up in the hills above Nice through lots of twisting and turning roads. This was fine when we drove up in a small public bus, but when our personal pulled up in front of the restaurant our jaws dropped. It was easily big enough to accommodate 75 people, and our group is less than 25. With no better option we climbed aboard. After all, the bus had made it up hadn’t it?

We started off ok, brushing a few bushes, but nothing serious. Then came our first major turn. It took our driver several starts and stops to maneuver the bus around the stop. Buses in France are completely flat in front so drivers are able to get very close to whatever it is in front of them, be it a wall, another bus or the edge of a cliff, all of which we have experienced at various times throughout our trip. We all applauded when our bus driver skillfully handled this turn. He then gunned the giant bus down the road, making up for lost time. The other thing about bus drivers is that they are very generous with the gas pedal. They love to make up for lost time, honk at scooters and then slam the brakes. I’m amazed in 5 weeks of taking public transportation quite often I neither experienced nor witnessed any sort of accident.

But back to our trip down the hill. We made it down a ways without any more major incidents, until we came upon a major turn with cars parked alongside the road. First we trapped one car up a driveway (sorry!) and then we caused a major traffic jam of at least 3 cars behind us and 5 in front of us while we sat blocking the intersection. All of us on the bus were laughing hysterically as we moved back and forth making little progress. (If any of you have seen Austin Powers you can picture what we looked like). Finally our driver managed to park us in such a way to let the cars go so we didn’t hold them up any longer. Then several starts and reverses later we slowly turned the corner, barely missing some buildings on our left. Whew! What an adventure it was.

I am entirely convinced that the bus drivers in France are magical, which is the only way I can conceive them managing such large buses, small turns, narrow streets and no accidents in the crazy traffic. I thought Boston drivers were bad. I was wrong. Add in hundreds of little scooters zipping around in traffic with no regard for anyone’s personal safety, much less their own, and it was a nightmare. I’ve seen it all on scooters. Multiple people, no helmets, sandals, high heels, everything!

A Vacation From a Vacation

Lounging on the beach and soaking up French culture and history can tire anybody out and luckily our professor had arranged a short trip away from Nice for us. Corsica is a small island in the Mediterranean, a region of France, with a mix of Italian and French heritage. It was not easy to get too (a bus ride to the train, a train ride to the ferry and a 7 hour ferry to the island) whew! The ferry was huge though with plenty of ways to entertain passengers. There were several restaurants, lots of chairs and couches to lounge on, a shop, a movie theater, huge decks where we could soak up the sun, and a small pool to splash about in.

We finally got to Corsica, checking into our hotel, and crashed for the night. Boy, were we exhausted! The next morning we woke up early for a visit with the Corsican mayor. Our hotel had a delicious buffet of breakfast foods, a nice change from our typical corn flakes and baguette at our university’s cafeteria. Then we were off to Ajaccio, the Corsican capital. The island is very small and only has 1 bus per hour running past our hotel. Thankfully we made it with plenty of time to spare. When we arrived in Ajaccio we were about an hour early to meet the mayor, so we split up to explore. The town had a lovely market full of fresh foods and lots of shops and cafés. I picked up some postcards and spent some time walking through town. Then it was time to meet the mayor.

Our professor was friends with another professor who set up our meeting. The Corsicans were very excited to have us American students visiting. We met in the Napoleon Salon for a reception. We had the history of Napoleon and several beautiful old paintings described to us by a translator and then we were introduced to the mayor himself. He gave a wonderful speech welcoming us to Corsica and extending his hospitality and encouraging us to visit again. Our professor then spoke for all of us thanking him for his speech and hospitality. We ended with delicious aperitifs and mingling with the Corsican people. Then we set off into the town to explore. I spent a pleasant afternoon in the company of friends walking the streets of Ajaccio. Then we sat for a few hours chatting over pizza. My time in Ajaccio ended with the most delicious raspberry tart of my entire life. It was mind-blowing, easily the best dessert I’ve had in a while. I don’t know what I will do in America without all the patisseries! (Actually fit into my jeans I suppose).

The next morning I woke up and took advantage of the breakfast buffet again before heading to the pool. It was so nice to sit and soak up the sun, jumping in the pool every once in a while to cool off. Later in the afternoon I switched to the beach. In Nice all the beaches are rocky, so the sandy beaches of Corsica were a nice change, as were the hotel provided lounge chairs! I dozed off for a while and then woke up for a few hands of cards. The rest of my afternoon was spent chatting with people on the hotel patio. Early the next morning we woke up to catch a 7am ferry leaving Corsica. It was a rough start to the morning, but if this trip has taught me anything it’s that any type of moving vehicle knocks me out within a matter of minutes. My friend has a series of hilarious sleeping Isabel pictures. Although it was quite a journey to get to and from Corsica, it was a really wonderful way to spend some of our last few days in France. All the people we met were cheerful and happy to have us as guests. The island was beautiful and relaxing. I would highly recommend it to anyone in the area.

French Medieval Villages: Eze and St. Paul de Vence

If I could spend the rest of my time here in France wandering around a French medieval village I would be quite happy. Eze and St. Paul were two of my favorite places to visit. Beautiful, historical and interesting I could have easily spent several days wandering around each town, although each were quite small.

view of the Mediterranean coast from Eze

Eze is a beautiful medieval French village only about an hour away from France. I missed the first group tour with my professor because of how sick I was, but luckily several others also didn't make it to Eze so we journeyed there together. We left early in the morning anticipating a long bus ride. We were pleasantly surprised when it turned out to be about 45 minutes away from Nice! The bus climbed up through the mountains the entire way, so we were at a high altitude and the views were breathtaking. We could see all of the beautiful French towns and across the Mediterranean Sea far into the distance.

some of the beautiful architecture of Eze

The village was certainly a climb, lots of stairs and steep slopes, but entirely worth it. There were lots of cute cafes, galleries and shops, not to mention the beautiful old architecture and views. We spent a very pleasant day exploring the village. I picked up some fun postcards for my dad that were classic French recipes and took lots and lots of pictures. It was so much fun being in such a historical and beautiful place. Eze was very different than any of the French towns I had visited before. There was also an old church and beautiful courtyard we spent some time at. Further up the hill from the church was an old graveyard. It was amazing to see how old some of the tombstones were.

an old Catholic church in Eze

We ended up at a small café were we could rest our legs and enjoy each other’s company. I ordered a crepe nutella, my favorite, and “fresh squeezed orange juice,” or so the café’s sign promised. It turned out to be a can of Minute Maid, but I’m not one to be picky. It was delicious all the same. One of my friends showed off her jewelry purchases made by a local artist. We also chatted with a German couple sitting next to us who spoke excellent English. It turns out they vacation in France often. They drive down from Germany and stay for a few weeks. It was great to talk and joke about cultural differences with them. We gave them advice about their son going to an American college and they wished us well on our visit in France. All in all it was a wonderful way to spend a day and I’m very glad that I was able to see Eze.

art is everywhere in Saint Paul

Another French medieval village we were able to visit was Saint Paul de Vence. Unfortunately this one was a little bit more difficult to get too, but again so worth it. Thank god for French public transportation. 1 € and free transfers can get to so far! Again the first thing I noticed about this medieval village was the beautiful architecture. It was so great to walk around and see the cobblestone streets and the stone buildings. Some of my favorite sites were the beautiful shutters that cover most French windows, the stone designs built into the cobblestone streets and all the gorgeous flowers and vines that were everywhere.

gorgeous houses all around the village

one of my favorite statues

cute heart shutters

Saint Paul really reminds me of southern California

A friend and I broke off from the group and wandered the streets for a while. Saint Paul is a very artsy village with many galleries with beautiful artwork and statutes all around the village. I can’t pick between two of my favorite statues, one of a horse made entirely of horseshoes and another of a person, or what could be an angel, paused mid jump in front of the scenery.

I found a small print that I found very beautiful, of a field of poppies in front of French village. I can’t wait to hang it up in my room to remind me of my adventures in the South of France! My friend and I ended up a small restaurant with our stomachs grumbling. Sadly in my attempt to broaden my horizons and try something new I ended up with raw duck on my plate. Lesson learned, order pasta next time! The rest of my salad was good, however, and I did nibble on the duck just to say I had. Not my cup of tea. The meal quickly redeemed itself when we ordered crème brule for dessert. Need I say more?

a stone flower pot built right into the street, so pretty

horse statue made entirely of horse shoes

Saint Paul

my raw duck salad

We ended the afternoon with some culture at the home turned museum of impressionist painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir. (I told you it was an educational trip mom and dad). We first pulled up in front of sprawling greens, olive trees and flowers; a very beautiful garden that we got to spend some time exploring after touring the house. The house was actually the very house that Renoir lived and painted in. We got to see old furniture, his sketches and some paintings, and the room he painted in. Many of the plaques around the house were in English in addition to French so I was able to read up on my history and learn a lot about Renoir; a very pleasant way to end the afternoon.

Renoir's house

olive trees

Renoir's garden

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Ciao Italia

One of the first things that amazed me once moving to the east coast was how easy it was state hop in a relatively short amount of time. I was visiting my boyfriend in Connecticut and we decided to to go to the beach. I was very excited but confused when he told me Connecticut beaches were no good and we wouldn't be going to one. How, then, were we able to go to the beach? We just hopped into the car and drove a mere 45 minutes to a beach in Rhode Island!

Now that I am in Europe this novelty has once again impressed me, on a much larger scale....country hopping! First I went to Monaco, although being so similar to France I hardly felt like I was in a different country. This past Friday, however, I traveled from France to Italy. I say "traveled" when really all I did was get on a train (only €13 round trip!) and less than an hour later I was in another country! In America I can't do this. Even living in Washington State it would be a few hours drive for me to visit Canada, ditto living in Southern California and wanting to visit Mexico. Being able to go to another country so quickly and easily is still blowing my mind.

When I say how easy it was to go to Italy from France I really do mean easy. With the creation of the European Union and the implementation of the euro, travel around Europe has become a snap. I didn't need my passport to get into Italy and I didn't have to do any currency exchange! It almost didn't feel like I was in a different country until I realized I spoke even less Italian than I do French! Mon dieu...or should I say mio dio! Luckily my few words of Italian (always know your pleases and thank yous no matter what foreign country you are traveling to!) broken French and English and the friendly people were able to get me through the day.

A small group of us decided to go to Ventimigia, Italy, which is just over the border from France (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ventimiglia). We visited the most wonderful food market filled with fruits, veggies, flowers, meats, fish, pastas, and many other delightful goodies. I only wish there were daily markets like that in America!

After we had our fill of the sights of the food market we went to the shore to an even bigger market that sold everything you could ever want. Clothes, shoes, bags, kitchenware, cheese, cured meats, sun dried tomatoes, toys, jewelry and on and on and on! The market seemed to go on forever and my friends and I spent a pleasant few hours browsing the market. We each came away with some souvenirs. I got myself a beautiful red beaded necklace and a purse for my sister. I had to hold myself back from buying out the market, though!

Later that afternoon we walked along the beautiful shore, had some authentic Italian pasta, and made our way back to the train station. All in all a wonderful day!