Quotes from the weekend in Monaco 

“My dad gave me a Swiss Army knife and now I’m an alcoholic”

Stop. Close your eyes. Take a deep breath through your nose and relax. Now, think back to times past and remember the worst possible smell you can recall. Burnt hair perhaps? The power of scent can be terribly awesome and can haunt you for years. The bus ride from Nice to Monaco on Sunday February 10, 2008 will never be erased from my memory.

About three bus stops after boarding I was paralyzed by vicious aroma. An old man made his way the back of the bus. His stench preceded him, something reminiscent of a pungent cheese long past expiration. My nostrils stung and my eyes pooled with tears. I am not sure who this man was or why he smelled the way he did. If you look at the pictures you can see the severity of the situation. Everyone on surpassed the point of revulsion and covered their faces in trepidation. The bum sat contentedly warming himself in the sun.

Aside from the bus fiasco our trip to Monaco was incredible. As usual the group hopped a train after class on Thursday. We arrived in the Village of Eze by 9 and went to check into our hotel. According to expedia.com the hotel was only 2 km. The description neglected to mention the topography of the town. Our hotel was 2km vertically and sat atop a cliffy ledge. The buses stopped running at 7 and we had to take a taxi. We were over charged but were relieved to find our lodging very pleasant.

Our rooms came equipped with kitchenettes and dinning tables. We saved quite a bit of money by cooking our own meals. Our balconies offered breath taking panoramas of the Mediterranean. Each morning I caught the second half of the sunrise.

The village of Eze is a famous French medieval town. The first night there I walked around exploring the cobble streets and cathedral. The remains of the castle or fortress located at the highest point of the town had been converted into an “exotic garden.”  The second night there we were given a private tour of the night sky. From the town’s church yard we beheld a spectacular view of Nice. The lights flickered along the coast and could have easily captivated me for long sit.

  We woke up early Friday morning and headed down to the bus stop. The bus ride to Euro was only 1 euro. We were happy to avoid unnecessary 40 euro taxi rides. 20 minutes later we arrived near the famous casino. Monaco is known for its gambling, cars, yachts and Princess Grace (Hitchcock’s Grace Kelly.) the Monte Carlo Casino was designed in 1863by the same architect who designed the Paris Opera, Charles Garnier. Most of the architecture in the area is flamboyant but creative. I saw countless cherubs and rooftop terraces.The terrain offered few flat lots and most structures climbed to high rises. After the Casino we walked a pass overlooking the sea stopping occasionally to photograph some kitschy modern art. We made our way all over stopping for some crepes and rose in a pretty touristy portside alfresco café. We walked to Monaco’s castle and enjoyed some spectacular views.  The castle was not open for tours, only in the summer.

Molly Carrie Erin Jenny Jenna and Stuart all went to the Princess Grace Car Museum. I opted to walk around solo and sit in the sun. I found my way to a pier looking up at Monaco’s Aquarium. They told me the cars were nice but I feel confident in my selection. We walked back up to the castle area again and made our way to Monaco’s cathedral and burial spot of Princess Grace. The church was interesting for a few reasons. It mimicked a lot of the neoclassical architecture we saw elsewhere in Monaco but used Gothic Revival materials. I thoroughly enjoy trying to guess the period of a building. This one through me for a loop but I still guessed within 20 years of its construction. 

After the cathedral we made our way to the Oceanography Museum. We need to make stickers for our college ideas that look European so we can get the student discount. Fortunately full price admission was worth the expense. Stuart Molly and I spent a good hour or more in the basement aquarium.  The highlight of the museum- Molly’s flash accidentally went off and woke up an octopus. Two floors up, we found the Whale room. Harpoons and baleens scattered around the room.  The giant whale model reminded me of Wes Anderson’s The Squid and the Whale.

After the Oceanographic museum we took the bus back to the hotel and made dinner. Later that night after a few glasses of wine we wandered back into the village and found our way into the exotic gardens. Our stay was illegal and short lived. I wish I stayed on the edge a little while longer. A few people in the group went back to Monaco for a night at the Casino. They did not return until noon the next day. Seems they spent the night with a very hospitable high roller.

The next day we woke up early to enjoy Eze in the day light before preparing for another day in Monaco. Stuart took the bus and a giant Vera Bradley bag full of everyone’s dress clothes. We bought tickets to a soccer game and planned to go out afterwards. The plan made perfect sense except for the fact that the train station in Monaco does not rent lockers during the down season.           The rest of the group decided to walk to the lower Eze down a mountain pass. The views were incredible. The pictures can speak for themselves. I love the picture here of Carrie looking out over the ocean.  We enjoyed an hour hike to the bottom of the cliff  and caught a bus to Monaco.

The group headed to another exotic exhibit. I saved myself 3 euros and sat in the sun looking out over the city. After an hour or two I reunited with Stu, still carrying the massive blue bag. He carried it around Monaco for the rest of the day and got a few sideward glances. The rest of the group had continued on for a tour of the Observatory Caves.

We walked down to the docks and sat in the sun before meeting the group at a sushi restaurant. I enjoyed walking all over in the sun and caught the sun set looking over the ocean before heading to the game at 8. We met up with some other VT students who had traveled to Nice for the weekend. Two of the girls came back with beer they bought in the stadium for 2 euros. The rest of us quickly jumped at the deal. Some of the boys left to buy rounds and ordered several before noticing the “sans alcohol” signs posted above the booth.  With out a refund they passed out the drinks to those already enjoying the placebo.          

 After the game we went back to the hotel and had a quiet night of BBC and pasta. I woke early the next morning to see the sunrise from the village- just another perk of being a morning person. We checked out of the hotel and took the bus to Nice where we encountered the horrible smelling man.         

We stayed just over an hour in Nice checking out the pebble beach and vibrant market. I had forgotten my Hugh Johnson book and couldn’t decide which bottle of wine to compliment the baguette I bought for the train ride. I saw a French couple buy a bottle and quickly followed suit. To pass the time on the train I had a small photo shoot with my purchases.