One last post about Nice....

So my final week in Nice has proven to be quite nice.  I have had a few good excursions out of the city and also some lovely time on the beach.  I have been able to do a little bit of all the things I love best.  There were medieval towns that were explored, some really amazing beach napping and people watching, and some champagne on a train.  This week has proven to be a good end to my time in Nice....now on with the stories I suppose.
Monday I was able to have a nice lie in and get up later then normal.  It was some much needed rest after the weekend.  My friend Mariapaula picked me up and we drove into the town of Antibes.  The town was quite lovely.  We parked and walked along the water then down into the heart of the old town.  As we were walking I realized how much I really enjoy the quaintness of these small towns.  Not that I don't love the hustle and bustle of the bigger

Sea wall in Antibes

 towns but there is such a peaceful genuine quality to these smaller towns.  I also loved the gorgeous sea wall here that was very rocky and reminded me a bit of some of the coastal locations in Oregon I love so much except much warmer weather.  The coast walk into town was beautiful.  Even though the day was quite warm and muggy there was a breeze by the water that made it bearable.  The beach here also had more of a sandy look about it although I have heard that looks are deceiving and it really isn't sand it is just very small pebbles.  Ok, now sand is one thing, but small pebbles, that just sounds awful to me.  I would hate to think if those pebbles getting stuck...well ok I will stop there,let your imagination take you where it will.  Needless to say I did not give the pebbles a try for good reason.  Also we didn't

Door in Antibes

 really have the time on this trip.  As we left the coast and headed into town I fell in love with all the quirky unique streets, apartments and doors that led to these homes and apartments.  Unique doors are something I have loved since my first trip over to Europe and the love affair continues.  I love how they all are so different.  Fun colors, beautiful ironwork and such unique handles which are many times located in the center of the door.  The best part is you get to use really cool skeleton keys to open them.  Yes really the keys we all thought died long ago and were not used are alive and well here in France.  I know I mentioned in a prior post about my issues with these antique keys but I now have mastered the usage and have a genuine respect for the beauty of these keys.  They no longer make me appear as though I am a robber because I can't make them work.  I wish I could have one to open up a beautiful victorian home back in the states but sadly I feel like that will not happen...I will have to be happy with getting one as a touristy keychain from my travels.
Mariapaula and I had a nice day just walking the streets of this town, having some gelato and then heading back into Nice when it was time for her to pick up her eldest son from school.

Rue Obscura

    The next day I headed off for a day on the train.  My end location was Monaco but I was going to stop off along the way.  I intend to hop off at a few different locations but I started my day later then intend and also wasn't to intrigued with any other spot then my first stop which was Villefranche-sur Mer.  This little town was so adorable.  I happened to be there right during the lunch hour so it was really quite because everything closes here in France from about 12:30-2:30.  There were a few cafes open but not much else.  That was completely ok with me because it allowed me the space to just walk around with out being bothered.  I spent my time just climbing all the steep winding cobble streets to see where they

End of Rue Obscura

led and looking at the different views I stumbled upon.  One of the coolest things this town had was called Rue Obscura, a "vaulted passage", which was kinda like an underground tunnel.  It is lit only by lanterns.  It is so dark on the inside,even in the middle of the day but then it opens up onto the sunny seaside.  I spent some time walking the seaside before I headed back to the train to finish my day up in Monaco again.   The first time I went to Monaco, if you recall, was kind of an overcast day and also I missed getting to see the Jardin Exotique (Exotic Garden) so I was headed back on a sunny day to the garden.  The train ride was nice and I really wasn't as nervous as I thought I would be traveling solo with a purse.  The day was gorgeous and the view was nice so I had no real worries.  Once I got off the train in Monaco I started following signs to the garden.  The first time I went and followed the signs I had not problem....this time was a bit different.  This place was much farther then I anticipated..not to mention although the day was sunny it was also super hot and muggy so this long walk up lots of hills was kind of

View from Jardin Exotique

rough.  Lets just say by the time I got there I was thinking this place better be amazing or I am not going to be a happy person.  As I arrived, payed my entrance and walked in I realized it surely was worth all the trouble.  The views were amazing! I had only seen the views from the Princes Palace and now I was up much higher and the Princes Palace was in view.  It was stunning.  The gardens themselves were also nice but not really my thing.  They felt a bit to much like a desert but I suppose that is what made them exotic.  There were signs around talking about all the plants but unfortunately I was unable to read them since I

Another View from Jardin Exotique

am still not fluent in French.  I did really like just sitting on the benches enjoying the different views and reading my book.  Definitely seeking shelter from the sun and muggy heat.  Upon entering the gardens the lady told me that my ticket included a tour of the caves...I had no idea there were caves.  I got quite excited to go and find them.  As I walked in search of these hidden illusive caves I did have one last notice of the gardens and that is there really are tons of different types of cactuses.  My brother would have loved this bit I think...sorry Bryce I wasn't able to get you a new one for your collection.  It definitely made me reminisce on my wonderful times spent on the front porch of my brother and sister in laws house in Sierra Madre with all the potted cactuses surrounding me while I sat in the sun reading my book...ahhh good times...ok back to the task at hand...find the caves!
Finally after winding my way through the garden and following signs in French, making my best guess at what they said, I found the entrance to the caves...Yes!  There was a big chain across blocking the entrance..No!  I figured instead of

Inside the Caves

making myself look like the stupid American tourist right off the bat I would just take a seat with the few other people that were in the area and wait to see if I could figure out the deal.  Right after I sat down there was an announcement over the load speaker but only in French...Ahhh..but by a stroke of luck there was a family, that must have spoke both French and english, walking by me and said the guided tour would start in 10 minutes.  Crisis averted and no damage done to me as an American tourist.  Walking through the caves was great.  For one it was really cool (speaking of temperature level) and also it was just really neat to see all the different levels of the caves.  I haven't been in anything like this since I was little and went to Shasta Caverns just outside of Redding, Ca.  I forgot how impressive these caves can be.  It was such a great little surprise for me.  Now the guided tour was of course in French so I didn't understand the majority of it but I surprised myself at how much I could pick up just by the few words I do know and my understanding of the mannerisms that go along with the words.  I definitely understood when he was talking about stalagmites and stalactites. I know this is totally going to show my nerdy side but I really loved this tour.  I could have spent hours down there just looking at all the different creations that had been made there over the course of hundreds of years and the fact that it is constantly changing and creating new formations just blows my mind!  To think that I could go back in 20 years and it might look very different is really neat to me.  Ok, I am done nerding out on you guys...it was really great though!  Once I finished at the gardens I took the bus back down to the Casino and took one last walk by the line of gorgeous cars in front, then headed down to a bar in the harbor to meet my friend Alberto (Zdenka's husband) for a quick drink before we headed back to Nice.  I was there early so I settled in with a glass of wine and my book till he arrived.  We chatted for a bit then hopped the train home and ended the night going our separate ways home.
The rest of the week really has just been packing up for my move.  I suppose I should let you guys in on the change to my travel plans.  I was originally supposed to finish out my summer here in Nice but due to some housing changes and an amazing offer to go work with a family in Spain I will be leaving Nice tomorrow for Palma De Mallorca.  I will be spending the next month there helping them and also having a bit of holiday.  Next time you hear from me I will be in Spain...luckely my Spanish is much better then my French.