Detour to Monaco

The long flight from JFK to NCE went fairly well.  A long haul, but being the red eye flight I was able to "sleep" for most of it.  I did watch We Bought A Zoo (which I totally recommend) somewhere in the middle.  We landed at NCE at about 10:30 a.m.  No trouble going through security and they actually even stamped my passport!  I've been to Europe three times now, and I have never gotten my passport stamped on my way in before this.  Always on the way home, but I know I've been to the United States.  Now I have actual proof that I've been somewhere. :)

It took us a little bit, but Cindy, Bryce, and I made it to the hotel.  We took a minor detour to the wrong Novotel location, but they helped us sort it out.  During the time we were checking in, I got a phone call at the front desk - it was Tim, another classmate, he was at the airport and would arrive shortly.  He had found Minda and Erica somewhere along the way.  It was beginning to look like we would find a nice group of classmates even before we officially began.

After we all checked in and had some down time to freshen up we walked over to the train station and began our side adventure to the Principality of Monaco, a sovereign city state located about fifteen miles to the west of Nice.  We learned a couple of interesting lessons while trying to catch the train.  First, our credit cards do not have the necessary chip in them to purchase tickets at the kiosk outside of the train station.  It took about four of us trying it to come to that conclusion.  Second, we had our first taste of town shutting down after the lunch hour.  Eventually the people working inside the office returned and opened their booth and we were able to purchase our tickets.

Once arriving in Monaco, we walked from the train station to the Palais Princier de Monaco - our tourist destination of the day.  Along the way we learned that the Monaco Grand Prix was just around the corner and the city was busy getting ready.

View of the street/racetrack

After climbing a huge hill (we later realized that this was just the first of many during the course of our stay in France) we arrived at the Prince's Palace.  The great thing about being a student is the discounts - 3.50 Euro for a self-guided audio tour.  That helped me out a ton, as I had forgotten to exchange my money when I was at the airport that morning.  We were officially meeting with the group at the airport the next day, so I was not worried about this, but it did I either had to bum from friends or use the little bit of change left in my pockets from the last time I was in France.  The palace had a no photography rule once inside, so alas, no spectacular pictures to show you there, but it was pretty neat.  Absolutly beautiful archetecture, paintings, and furnishings.  Lots of references to Grace Kelly - American  actress turned Princess of Monaco upon her marriage in 1956.  You can tell she is still well loved.  It is her son who is on the throne today.

Me outside of the Prince's Palace

View of the harbor and the Mediterranean Sea

Following our tour and exploring the nearby park, we were exhausted and decided to head back to Nice.  We could not take the train back to the station near our hotel (they did not stop there that late) so we caught a cab at the main station rather than trying to figure out how to catch the bus.  The bus would have been cheaper, but the cab only cost us about 8 Euro a piece, so it was not too bad.  At the hotel we picked up Marissa, who arrived while we were in Monaco, then found a restaurant at the nearby shopping mall and struggled through ordering some dinner.  Our waiter spoke pretty good English and had even heard of Minnesota so it turned out alright.  It was not the best meal, but it worked.  The rest of the evening was spent relaxing at the hotel and attempting to do some last minute homework prior to meeting up with the group the next morning.

The first of many postcards purchased

For more pictures from my day in Monaco click here.