Nice//Monaco - France

Nice 

Hmm, what can I say about Nice. I had quite a hectic experience there in between getting my phone stolen, missing buses/trains, and losing all my money. Other than that it was the most amazing solo traveling experience. It was the first time I was truly on my own and in the wild of the world. No home base, no friends in the city, and no idea what I was doing. I originally planned on staying in Nice only for 3 nights but ended up being there for 5. I lived the entire summer in Les Deux Alpes which is a mountain town about 6 hours by train from Nice, it had been horrible weather all summer and I decided to have a weekend getaway to the beach. Along the way I met a lot of amazing people that helped me out.. surprisingly all Canadian, American, and English (which made things a lot easier with language barriers). Unfortunately I have no photos from Nice except a few that my hostel buddies took while we were there... like this one!

Anyways, Nice is absolutely beautiful. The city is a very lively one at all hours of the day and night. There are beautiful statues in the city center and a great boardwalk to stroll along if you are looking for a beach or just having a drink. I didn't have my skateboard with me in Nice but it also is a great place for it! Generally flat, lots of cruising to do.. especially if you want to avoid the sketchy pick-pocketers. The beach is a great place to hang out day or night. The water is a little cold but it is crystal clear and lovely to get some underwater footage if you have got an underwater housing for you camera... like this (luckily my gopro was salvaged unlike my cell phone)! 

Apart from the beach there are hikes, plenty of sight-seeing, and tons of fun surrounding cities like Cannes and Monaco. 

Monaco

This place is actually a lot smaller than I thought it would be, especially the Monte-Carlo region. Although it has a small size, it has a huge culture shock. Never in my life have a seen so many Ferraris, Bentleys, and Lambos all lined up one behind the other. Cars aren't really my cup of tea but it was fascinating to see the amount of wealth that comes from that  community. Monaco is seen as this insanely expensive place where you can't have fun unless you are extremely loaded but there is always a way around big expenses. We hopped on the Bus 100 from Nice (leaves from the main port) for only 1.50 euro, which can be bought at the bus stop. From there it takes about 45 minutes to reach the Monte-Carlo Casino. You can take the bus back as well or hop on the train for 3 euro and that takes about 15-20 minutes. Once you actually get into Monaco there is a lot to do! Plenty of gardens, shopping, restaurants, and even an aquarium and some underground caves (7 euro//shown below). 

View from Bus 100 // French Riviera