Cannes and Monaco

Saturday morning we woke up later than we had intended, around 10:30 AM. Our plan was to head to Cannes, a 30 minute train ride away, lay out on the beach for a good portion of the day, then maybe head to one of the two islands off of the coast before heading back to Nice. Because of the late wake up and the fact that we had to wait 40 minutes for a train - we didn't get into Cannes until 1:30 PM. Nat had joined our group for the day, since we all had gotten along so well the night before - I was glad she came. 

When we emerged from the station, we were confronted with a city very similar to Nice. Buildings with only 5 floors or so, shops at ground level, lots of palm trees and fountains throughout. We got a map of the city at a tourism office, headed to a grocery store to buy food and drinks for the beach, and finally, a little bit after 2:00 PM, walked onto the sand. 

Unlike Nice, Cannes beaches are not plagued with rocks, but rich with soft, welcoming sand. Also unlike Nice, in Cannes, tops are optional. That's right - boobies galore. Now I wouldn't say that the beach we were at was entirely nude - but speckled throughout the crowd were 5 or 6 bare chested ladies, many of which over the age limit I would establish, if I were to own my own naked coastal property. Also, gentlemen, forget the casual board shorts, speedos and manties (man panties) are all the rage on the south east coast of France. Pretty much I enjoyed the view of the sea, but didn't let my eyes wander too much, for fear of what they might discover. ("Grandma boob at 8:00," Charlie would warn, for instance). 

The sun was out and shining brightly, but a cold wind prevented the weather from being optimal - Mark and I were the only ones who went into the water, although he quickly returned to the shore. I stayed out a lot longer, thinking of my mom, who will swim in any ocean or sea regardless of temperature (seriously). Eventually I returned, and with all food and drinks consumed, we decided to head to the port and gawk at the ostentation of  multi-million dollar yachts.

Once you get over the incredulity that someone could own something so enormous and expensive, the yachts are pretty neat. Each has its own self-aggrandizing name, like the "Passionata", and I very much enjoyed pronouncing these with utmost pretentious intonations (Pah-show-nah-tah). This field trip only took us around half an hour, and with the sun receding, we decided to call it a day and head back to Nice.

Everyone was pretty wiped out, so once back in the room, we showered and laid down for a bit, in preparation for another night on the town. Page 405 of the Music Television Euro-guide established our itinerary - O'neil's Irish Pub, then possibly Thor and The Oxford - so that's exactly what we did.

Walking from our hostel to Vieux Nice (the club district) we came across a large group of people, standing in a semi-circle near a Piazza, with a band playing dance music out in front. I was with Charlie, and I can't recall how or why we decided to do this, but both of us thought it would be a good idea to jump out in front and do some impromptu break dancing. The whole event lasted under 2 minutes; first I jumped out and gave my best, then Charlie did his 6-step and windmills, and I returned to finish it off. Just like that, we worked our way back through the crowd and continued walking down the street. Very random - but very fun. We think it was well received.

O'neil's turned out to be Paddy's and also turned out to be kind of lame. If there had been more people there, it might have been a great time, but since it was relatively dark and empty, we decided to move on after a pint. Thor showed more promise, with good drink deals and live music upstairs. When we walked up however, the music group reminded me of a wedding band who might book shows at a discount or for free shrimp cocktail. The songs they played were thoroughly enjoyed by the baby-boomer crowd sitting at the tables, but not by us. We pressed on to our final destination - The Oxford.

We couldn't really tell from the outside what The Oxford was like, but after the doorman let us in, we realized it was where we should have been all along. It was small, but it was packed, and an acoustic guitarist rocking Pink Floyd's, "The Wall" assured us of a good time. We somehow managed to snag a table and from there the night began to get really good. A few more ounces of alcohol convinced me that I should make my European debut on stage. Everyone I was with agreed, and before I knew it, I was asking the musician and bar manager for approval to play a song or two. Somehow it worked out, the guy wanted to take a break, so he introduced me and I took over. Without anything really planned, Sublime's "Santeria" and "What I Got" was what came out, something that's interesting in retrospect because I very recently learned "Santeria" and I'm not even that big of a Sublime fan. But these are pretty well known songs, and I had a group of 4 Americans standing up front who were singing every word with me, or trying to (I very badly messed up the words to both songs, but I'm told I sounded good). It was pretty cool though, and I think might motivate me to stay on stage when I get back to Champaign (I'm thinking Potbelly might be a starting venue). 

Sunday we woke up (late again... late nights, late mornings...) and left for Monaco. All of our phones were out of money (and thus, service) and we couldn't get in touch with Nat. That was kind of a bummer, I'd wanted to say bye, but no worries, we are now facebook friends and I got to say some belated parting words via the book. Monaco was probably my favorite city of the three, perhaps because we did the most there, but I think just because of the casino.

After arriving at Monaco, we headed straight for the world famous Casino Monte-Carlo. None of us were going to gamble, but simply sitting outside of the place is a spectacle. Two bright red and yellow Ferrari's were strategically parked at the entrance - a line of Bentley's nearby, bright fountains, tropical floral landscaping, and crowds of tourists snapping pictures. It felt like being at the heart of luxury. Everything was shiny and glamorous - two identical Ferrari's drove passed a Chanel shop and the Hotel Paris. We just sat and tried to capture the splendor on our Canon cameras. 

After that, we walked all the way across the town to the Oceanography Museum, all the while looking down on a bay filled with yachts and cruise ships in the distance. The museum was something we all wanted to do, and again we were all pleased. An incredible aquarium housed hundreds of fish, turtles, and sharks. Smaller aquariums, built into the walls, showed off thousands of specimens from all over the world. Our favorite were the "Nemo Fish" as we called them, jelly fish, and giant eels. After this we headed to the Prince's Palace nearby, took some more photos, and then finally worked our way back to the train station.

It was quite a weekend and glimpse into the lives of another seemingly untouchable world of wealth. But what I enjoyed most were the people I met (Nat) and the natural beauty of the water and beaches. Million dollar boats and cars are nice, but not for me (not saying I wouldn't take a trip on your yacht if you offered). I think I prefer the simple things - music and dancing and drinking with friends - in the French Riviera or in the middle of Illinois. It's all good. 

Gotta go now though - I have to book a hostel in Florence for the weekend. Ciao.