French Riviera

A few weeks ago we signed up for a trip to the French Riviera through a company called Bus2Alps. We were not sure what to expect but we were excited for a relaxing weekend, since the company had already planned all of our activities.

On Thursday night we took an overnight bus to the French Riviera, with our first stop in Nice. We arrived at our hostel at 5am so we were all pretty exhausted. After sleeping for only four hours, we woke up at 9am for a  tour of Nice.

We saw the man square and walked through the market in the center of town. The market in Nice was a lot different than the market we have in Barcelona. There were more flower stands and soap stands, so I was able to get presents for my mom and my grandma! After walking through the market and exploring the town a little bit more we took a hike up the mountain to a waterfall. The views from the top of the mountain were spectacular!

After spending the day in Nice we went to one of the bars in town that night, Wayne’s Bar. The nightlife in Nice is definitely different than it is in Barcelona but it was nice to have some change for a weekend. The bar was really cool and had a cover band playing all classic American songs. After the band played, a DJ came on stage and things got a little bit wild with people standing on the tables and dancing! Since we were still extremely tired since we had gotten four hours of sleep the previous night we went home pretty early so we would be well rested for the next day.

We woke up around 10:30 the next morning. The entire program took a bus to Eze, a town about twenty minutes away from Nice. We spent the first part of the day in Eze and it was beautiful. First, we stopped at the Fragonard Perfumerie and took a tour of how the perfumes are made, which was really interesting! After taking the tour, we walked around the town which was built up on the hills so the sweeping views of the landscape and the sea were unbelievable. We walked up through the town to the secret gardens, at the top of the mountain, which was really cool to see. We spent the remainder of our time in Eze walking around the town and taste-testing the candied almonds that were being made in the market. We also had lunch on a terrace that overlooked the magnificent views of the sea.

Before we were required to meet back on the bus I insisted getting crepes that were being made at a stand on the side of the street. Although none of my friends wanted one, I had to get one…and they thanked me later. While I was standing at the crepe stand waiting to get my delicious treat I looked to my left and in one of the cafes was… Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban!!

They were sitting at a table having a coffee. My friends and I were all excited that there were celebrities in front of us and we went back and forth debating whether or not we should go in and ask for a picture. Before we knew it, though, they walked out! We told them we were studying abroad and asked if we could get a picture with them. They were both so nice and that was definitely a highlight of the trip!

After getting back on the bus, giddy from meeting two famous people, we drove another half an hour to Monaco. Monaco was definitely unlike anything I had ever seen before. The money that exists in that city is absurd!! We went to the Fairmont Hotel and had drinks on the terrace, overlooking the ocean. Afterwards, we of course had to stop at the Monte Carlo Casino! It was beautiful inside… I wish I could have taken pictures! We tried our luck but unfortunately lost some money instead of making money!

Before leaving Monaco we stopped at a restaurant near the casino and had some coffee. We also took a walk along the port and looked at all of the yachts, which were truly spectacular.

After leaving Monaco we went back to Nice and all went out for an amazing dinner in the town center! It was one of the best dinners I’ve had in Europe. Since we were all so tired from traveling and touring the entire day we went back to our rooms early so we could rest up for our next, and sadly, last day on the French Riviera.

On our last day, Sunday, we packed up all of our things from our rooms and took the bus to the last town we were visiting, Antibes. This town was definitely my favorite! It was a quaint town with a lot of cool shops, which were unfortunately closed since it was Sunday. The market, though, was open and it was amazing. They had so many things that I hadn’t seen in any of the other markets including sunglasses, jewelry, crepes, olive spreads, among many other things! We had lunch at a cute little restaurant along one of the streets and it was sooo good! After spending the day in Antibes we got back on the bus and headed back to Barcelona!

To say the least, it was one of my favorite places I have ever traveled to! It was so much fun to just relax and spend time with my closest friends and I would go back in a heartbeat.

Parent’s Come to Visit!!

Last Wednesday my parent’s came to visit me in Barcelona! After a rough start, having had their flight delayed which led to them missing their connecting flight, they finally made it… eight hours later than expected. Once they got here they took all of my roommates and I out for a nice Catalan dinner in the Gothic Quarter.

After a good night sleep, we woke up Thursday morning and had a fully packed day ahead of us. We had a 10am pass for La Sagrada Familia that we had purchased online ahead of time. After two hours of touring Gaudi’s masterpiece we walked up Passeig de Gracia and then had lunch on Las Ramblas. After lunch, I took my parent’s on a walk through La Boqueria, which my dad was fascinated by. Needless to say, after a long day of touring we slept very well that night!

On Friday, I showed my parents the main areas of Barcelona that we had not been the previous day. I took them to Placa d’Espanya and Montjuic, which they LOVED! We also took a tour of Palau de Musica, which was incredible to see! After a long day of walking around we went to a really nice dinner at Botafumeiro, an incredible restaurant off of Passeig de Gracia. After dinner, I took them to Dow Jones to meet all of my friends and to celebrate my friend Morgan’s 21st birthday!

My favorite day that my parents were here was Saturday. We got up that morning at 7:30 and met my friend Morgan and her mom, who was also in town, in our hotel lobby. We all took the hour long train ride to Montserrat. After getting off at the wrong Montserrat stop, we had to take a gondola up the hill to the main square. We stood in line and waited to see the Black Madonna.

We were most excited about hearing the boys choir perform, but it was a big disappointment when we learned they were actually on a trip away from Montserrat that day. After exploring the main areas of the square, we ate a small lunch at one of the restaurants  near by. After lunch, we decided to take the hike up the hills of Montserrat. The views were spectacular and I would advise everyone to take that trip if possible! It was an area not only of great religious importance but also of extreme beauty.