French Riviera

Not feeling well and rain still couldn’t dampen the beauty of the French Riviera. A weekend was not enough time to explore the medieval cliff towns and sandy beaches that seem to fill this entire region. Only a five-hour bus ride from Florence, it felt like a different world. This was the first overnight trip I had taken with one of the numerous student tour groups that seem to thrive here. All in all they are a good option if you want someone else to do all the planning and if you want the cheapest rates. However, some words of advice they are not very organized and the majority of the attendees are more interested in the nightly activities then any of the cultural wonders that abound in the region. That being said, like anything in life, this trip was what you made of it. And we made it work, even if the room we stayed in also housed a few slugs.

The weekend was filled with drama, history and excitement. Each stop offered something new and unexpected. Eze was filled with drama. While here the rest of the group decided to take an impromptu tour of the perfume factory, without telling us. Imagine the fun we had running around in the rain searching for our bus, or a familiar face, to be confronted by the horror of being left behind. However, being the resourceful creatures we are, we decided to have a late brunch and wait for the next local bus to Monaco. After enjoying some delicious quiche and tea we stumbled upon our group and rejoined the tour. In Monaco we toured the palace, drove by the casino and then spent a delicious afternoon sipping cocoa and sampling chocolates. Finally, we paused in Cannes. Excited but tired I happily stood on the steps where the famous film festival airs and put my hands in the prints of several stars. It was a wonderful way to spend a weekend.