Europe
Took a day trip from Nice to visit Monaco, the second smallest country in the world (the Vatican is the first).
A 2 Euro bus ride along the gorgeous coast and through little French villages got me there in less than an hour. Monaco was great for rich-people watching with the Monte Carlo casino and it's fancy cars, expensive stores and giant port full of massive yachts.
The one rainy day in Nice called for a visit to the Musée d'art Moderne et d'art Contemporain.
I wandered around listening to this which really elevated the whole gallery experience (particularly this song with the work by Juliao Sarmento). On the way back, to get out of a torrential downpour I ducked into an open pub and found an American ex-pat behind the bar who gave me all sorts of recommendations and info for day trips outside of Nice. He told me stories of how he met his Belgian wife and why he still hates the French even after living there for 10 years. It was an extremely informative unplanned happy hour.
My week in Nice proved to be lovely for lazying around on the rocky beach, strolling through the flower market, big nights out with fellow travelers, running along the coast, easy day trips and many cappuccinos on sunny terraces.
I stayed at Hostel Meyerbeer Beach which was one block from the beach and perfect for socializing. One of the dudes in my room turned out to be an intern at Cramer 15 years ago (!!) and I got an English kid to make me a traditional English dinner called "Toad in the Hole" which was deliciously hearty. It felt like Thanksgiving compared to my recent apple + brie combo meals.
Geoff, Cramer Alumnus
Traditional English dinner, by Rupert.
Most nights consisted of games in the hostel, followed by wine on the beach and then we would meander over to Wayne's, a dirty dive bar in the center of town that felt very out of place in Nice but made me feel right at home. I was very happy to discover that House of Pain is universally loved as our diverse group (American, French, Australian, French Canadian, Finnish, German, Columbian + British) went wild and all jumped on tables to dance to this song.
Local liquor/cookie store owner who every time I came in told me I was "looking more African" (tanned) so obviously he was my favorite person in all of France.
When planning my time in the South of France I originally had a different destination in mind but after less than 24 hours in filthy, crowded Marseille I said "screw this, I'm going to Nice". After reflecting on how insanely absurd it is that I can say something like "screw this, I'm going to Nice" and then hop on a train, I hopped on a train and had a fantastic week in Nice. I constantly feel very lucky and also like a complete jerk for getting to have experiences like this... but I'm certainly enjoying it.
Nice, France deserves it's name.
Within an hour of arriving I was on the beach, swimming in the French Riviera and very, very pleased. Nice is super clean, warm and colorful. It has tight, winding alley-ways around the Vielle Ville (Old Town) and a vast turquoise ocean that seems to curve over the horizon. It's really quite nice.
Took a day trip and visited the Palace of Versailles, the official residence for the Kings of France from 1682 to 1790. It's extravagant and massive to say the least, with a style that reminded me of Rebecca King's decor (lots of florals). The entire property is larger than the island of Manhattan AND modern day Paris.
Walking around the palace gets a bit boring after awhile (all gold everything, chandelier after chandelier, French royalty had some money to throw around, WE GET IT) but the gardens outside are really where it's at. You can rent boats, ride bikes, eat ice cream or just lay next to the Grand Canal and work on your tan (like I did).
Went for a run my first morning in Paris and ran into paparazzi swarming outside an Issey Miyake fashion show.
Why they didn't want to capture me in my Nike Frees and sports bra I'll never know, but I got a few phone camera shots of beautiful attendees in some killer outfits.
Paris is magic.
Paris consisted of tartines at Amelie's cafe in Montmartre, a night bike tour and cruise along the Seine, a long run through the Jardin Du Luxemborg, macaroons at the Sacre Le Coeur and living off brie and chocolate. If you eat a block of brie in the USA you feel sick, but if you do it in Paris you feel fantastic and Parisienne. It might have something to do with pasteurization but let's go with magic.
Also, if you every find yourself in Paris and don't know anyone or the language... I recommend that you go to the nearest bar that is vaguely related to the language you speak (Cafe Oz), buy a beer and pretend to watch whatever sport is on the television (soccer). Within 15 minutes you'll get asked what team you're rooting for and from there, you'll have 7 new French friends to get beers, kebabs and mojitos with. Everyone will get a good laugh when you explain that you don't give a shit about soccer. Works like a charm. See above.
Since we had both visited Madrid before, this time (between wedding festivities) Jess and I kept our itinerary loose and relaxed. We'd wander about aimlessly and see what popped up, motivated only by the search for coffee, tapas or sangria. Good things followed.
Plaza Mayor
Watching one of my best friends get married in Madrid was so surreal and so, so lovely. I can rattle off the faults of the wedding industrial complex with the best of the skeptics but this wedding was just such a gorgeous blending of families and a celebration of the sweetest bilingual pair. It may sound a bit melodramatic but it was the kind of day that gives you faith in love, marriage and kind of humanity too? Everyone was genuinely thrilled to be there with Anna and Bernardo and we all proved it by dancing til 6 AM.
Jess, Anna and I
After the official kiss and "yo quiero"
The courtroom where the ceremony took place had definitely never experienced a crowd like the one Anna and Bernardo brought. People came from all of the world (India, Argentina, Thailand, the US and the locals from Madrid) and the ceremony was in both English and Spanish. I managed to tear up even during the Spanish parts when I had no idea what was being said.
After a paella lunch with Anna's family and a mid-afternoon siesta (a tradition I wholeheartedly believe America should embrace) we ate, drank and danced ALL NIGHT.
+ Keep clicking the last photo for a few more shots of the day.
Tossa Beach
After Barcelona I headed to Tossa de Mar, a little beach town on the Spanish coast. The gorgeous beaches are right on Villa Vella enciente, a fortified medieval town lined with cobble stone streets and hills that provide an amazing view of the wide open Mediterranean sea. Sunning on a beach in an area that's been populated since the Neolithic period and looking up from my book to see a castle from the 14th century was pretty wild.
+ Keep clicking the last image above for more photos.
After a delightful bike tour introduced me to Barceloneta Beach, it quickly became one of my favorite parts of the city. The man made beach was created for the '92 Olympics with it's sand straight from Egypt and the palm trees shipped over from Hawaii. The boardwalk is lined with open air bars and seafood restaurants but if you'd rather not leave your towel, Pakistani's walk the beach selling cheap cervezas and overpriced mojitos. Dance clubs are located right on the beach as well, so I enjoyed quite a few late nights/early mornings/lazy afternoons on that imported Egyptian sand.
The Gracia neighborhood in Barcelona was quiet, charming and the best area to get lost in. Between wandering in and out of boutiques, I stocked up on fudge at Çu Kor and had a nice little window-seat lunch at a La Vietnamita, a banh mi spot that played Vampire Weekend and had (much appreciated) hang-over cure drinks.
Fudge-makers at Çu Kor (the peanut butter fudge is on point)
Barcelona just absolutely killed it as a city. I walked around for hours just looking up and admiring the colorful surroundings. It had the perfect mix of trippy Gaudi architecture, charming Parisian-style terraces, and beautifully designed cafes and stores.
Casa Batilo
Sagrada Familia
The Mediterranean Hostel was perfect for meeting other travelers with it's Paella dinners, impromptu kitchen salsa lessons and nightly bar crawls. I was told I would love Barcelona but I honestly haven't had that much fun since I studied abroad. It's the kind of place where you go for an aimless run during the day and you stumble upon the most epic Museum of Art you've ever seen and eighteen hours later, you haven't slept but you've scaled a ten foot fence in order to watch the sunrise from the peak of Park Guell with a cute Australian.
+ Keep clicking the photo above for a few more.
