Ciao Tutti!
This weekend I traveled to the French Riviera! The trip began with a cold and brutal walk to La Piazzia Indipendenza at 5:30AM. Pretty much everyone on our two buses fell asleep immediately after boarding. Of course I caught a cold just in time for the trip, so I had a fistful of tissues everywhere I went. However, after my little bus-ride siesta I woke up to the beautiful view of Genova, Italy. Genova is just one of the incredible cities bordering the Mediterranean Sea in the region called Liguria! Shout out to my good friend Giulio because he is from here!


Our first stop was Monte Carlo, Monaco. I explored the quaint city with Riley, and saw some of the most beautiful views of the port down below, and waves crashing into the rocky shoreline. We accidentally got caught up in a tour-group of Asian people-not very inconspicuous! Shortly after escaping, a very excited Asian man ran over to me and put his arm around me while his friend took our picture. Then we took a group photo with Riley. I felt like quite the celebrity, albeit a strange one. After a bit more exploring, eating lunch and discussing plans to marry the Prince of Monaco (unfortunately he is spoken for), we boarded the bus.
Next stop: Nice, France. Also, as a side-note, you should know that by this time I was losing patience for the obnoxious American guys on our bus that somehow made it into college even though they are surely 14. My deteriorating health probably did not help my attitude, and the wads of tissues were accumulating fast. My solution was to take a nap when we reached the hotel that afternoon. I awoke relatively refreshed and headed to dinner with the group. Sheila, Riley and I lamented over the lack of olive oil in the cooking, and the questionable dessert. Later on I tried to ask for hot tea in my hotel room, a seemingly simple request, but I was denied. Requests for extra blankets on our essentially naked beds were also denied. My opinion of France is not improving. I really wanted some tea (badly) so I went across the street to a really fancy restaurant with my friends, and I sat at a table and drank a whole pot of tea without taking my coat off. Probably not socially acceptable behavior, but I was desperate.

The following morning we drove to a little mountaintop village called St. Paul. This was perhaps my favorite location we visited, and the view from the top was absolutely breathtaking. No pictures I took- and there were many- will do it justice. Everything in this town is ancient, intricate stonework, with winding plants covering everything. You can even walk up on the stone walls surrounding the village and see the whole valley, sea and mountains included. My favorite part was the cemetery I found with Sheila and Riley. Here we met an old Frenchman, who seemed to be the gatekeeper of the cemetery or something. I'm pretty sure he was just an old guy walking his dog, but it seemed much more romantic to me.
We left St. Paul and headed to Cannes, France. This ended up being my least favorite place, mostly because I don't feel comfortable in a country where I don't speak the language...especially France. Sheila got ripped off while buying postcards, and I just felt kind of out of place altogether. One good thing about visiting France; it made me sure that I made the right choice about studying in Italy. In Italy I already feel comfortable. I understand the language (more and more each day), people are friendly, they always have olive oil available, the streets are now familiar, and Italians just seem eager to share their country. I feel privileged to be here, not like an intruder.
One last stop on the trip was made at Eze, another mountaintop village. Eze is also home to a famous perfume factory, Fragonard, which we toured briefly. I bought Moroccan oil for my hair and it is AMAZING. The view from the top of the mountain at Eze was indescribable! We had to climb a slightly treacherous pathway across uncertain looking stones to the tippy top, and it was definitely worth it!
Overall it was a wonderful trip, and I saw the most beautiful scenery I could ever imagine! I also gained a unique appreciation for Florence, and am very happy to be back. Sadly, it is just as cold as when I left, but hopefully the weather will improve soon. My cold is going away, so hopefully the good luck will extend to the weather.
Shout out to Grace, because I know you are reading!
Ciao for now!
Also... for your enjoyment...(I am always inspired by creative sculpture)