Last Day in France

After a wonderful nine days in France, we awoke to face our last full day of the trip. It started with mini muffins.

All pastries are better in France. I stand by that statement completely.

After breakfast we met with our tour group and got ready for a walk down towards the water.

The French Riviera is absolutely gorgeous. I am a huge fan of being on the water anyways, but this beach was like something I'd never experienced before.

I didn't realize that the beaches in Nice consist of all rocks- no sand! It was a little difficult to walk on, and I couldn't believe that people were laying on towels at this beach.

My mom was insistent on sticking her toes in the French Riviera.

So she did! She was the only one brave enough to go in the water- it looked too cold to me. It also was very rocky- she said it was difficult to keep your balance in the water!

After our side trip to the water, we headed to the flower market down the street. I wasn't particularly interested in perusing the flower market, but after seeing what it was like, I was glad that I had the chance to see it.

I couldn't believe the number of flowers in one place. The bouquets were so colorful and amazing. It's really too bad that we couldn't buy anything since we couldn't take it with us.

After we left the flower market, it was time to head to Monaco. When we first arrived in Monaco, we were able to go to the palace and see the changing of the guard. It was a very cool experience to watch the guards march past one another to change shifts.

We did a bunch of sightseeing throughout the morning.

We even were able to see the chapel where Princess Grace is buried.

When we were all done checking out Monaco, it was time to meet at the yellow submarine.
Yes, I'm serious.

Our tour guide Jeff kept talking about the yellow submarine and my mom and I could not contain our giggles. Who arranges to meet at a yellow submarine?! All I kept singing in my head all day was that song, "we all live in a yellow submarine...."

Next, we drove to Monte Carlo.

I have to say that I thought the Monte Carlo casino would be way cooler then it actually was. It has about two rooms, that's all. There are also only a few slot machines. I pictured it being way larger, I guess I am spoiled being nearby Foxwoods Casino and Mohegan Sun Casino, but I was very surprised when I saw the inside.

However, I guess the fact that it has real gold plated all along the walls makes it a bit cooler.

No pictures were allowed inside the actual casino which I was really bummed about so you will just have to settle for an outside picture!

Once we left the casino, we decided to grab some gelato.

and check out the super nice cars parked outside...

I'd never seen a Maserati and Jaguar that close before!

After arriving back at the hotel, we had just enough time to change into nicer clothes and meet in the lobby for our farewell dinner at La Bergerie D'Eze.

Dinner was completely delicious. I loved the beef stew and greatly enjoyed the table we were sitting at. It was a wonderful dinner and a great night on the hillside of the Maritime Alps.

Once we all finished dinner, it was time to go back to the hotel and pack our bags since the next day we were heading back home.

It truly was a once in a lifetime experience and I had a wonderful time with my family. I am so thankful I was given the opportunity to travel to France and see a ton of the country in one trip.

Grasse, Fragonard, St Paul de Vence, and Nice

We woke up early on Saturday morning to get on our coach bus and make the long drive to Nice. We had a couple of stops on the way to Nice however, including a "comfort stop" so we could use the bathroom, grab a snack or browse the store.

I really enjoyed looking at the American movies that were named different things in France. For example...

I found it hysterical that The Hangover 2 was named Very Bad Trip 2!

It's always funny to see that some of the American names for movies have changed so much, while others stay the same no matter where you go!

Our next stop was in Grasse.

The Fragonard Perfumery was an extremely fragrant place. The smell was definitely getting to some of the other people on our trip. I enjoyed the tour, we were able to see how the chemists put together the fragrances and watched actual workers bottling the perfume and making soaps. I thought it was extremely interesting. 

After our tour, we were brought downstairs for a chance to test the fragrances for ourselves. I loved a perfume called Belle Cherie, but didn't purchase anything. I may have to put it on my Christmas list though =)

Once we left the Fragonard Perfumery, we left Grasse and drove to St Paul de Vence. I had no idea where this city was or what it could potentially look like, and I was completely shocked by what I saw...

This beautiful city on the hill was absolutely breathtaking. The coach bus was unable to drive up the hill, so we had to walk in order to get into the city.

It was so worth it.

First of all, there was an amazing candy and cookie shop.

They were to die for.

Just an idea of the treacherous roads we walked up and down in the city. Literally the roads were all on an angle, it made for a very interesting afternoon and a sore legs at the end of the day!

The view was completely worth it however. You could see all the way from the French Riviera to the Maritime Alps, it was completely amazing.

We even saw a bride!

It was a wonderful day in St Paul de Vence, and we weren't really ready to leave when it was time to get back onto the bus.

However, we ended up being in a place just as beautiful within a few hours...

Nice.

We arrived at the Hotel Nice Riviera and it was easily the best hotel we stayed in throughout the entire trip. The room was beautiful, the service was great, and we were in an area where we could walk to great restaurants and stores easily.

For dinner we decided to walk to a local eatery where I decided to allow myself some good old American food. Complete with fries, onion rings, chicken fingers and calamari.

Also some chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream- yum!

Unfortunately, the fried food made me feel a little sick. It's amazing that eating un-processed food for a week can change your whole digestive system and make you feel sick when you start eating processed foods again. All that fried food-yuck!

On our way back to the hotel, we were able to see the structures that were built to represent the seven continents. They glow at night and lit up the main square in Nice which was really cool.

After a long day of travel and exploring, it was time once again for bed- because it was about to be our last day in France!