Ventimiglia, Eze and Monaco
Trip Start
Jan 03, 2009
1
6
33
Trip End
Jun 18, 2009
Antibes, Provence, France
Friday, January 23, 2009
I decided to go by myself because it was only a day trip and my roommates didn't want to get up at 8 in the morning. Also, one of my roommates was going to Milan, Italy for the weekend and I wanted to go to the train station with her. We woke up pretty early and got to the train station at 9 o'clock. There are usually trains every fifteen minutes going along the coast. Since there are train strikes right now, though, we had to wait 45 minutes for the next train going towards Italy. We both got on our separate trains (but going the same way) so that I could go to Ventimiglia and she could go to Nice and catch another train to Milan. When I got to Ventimiglia, I was looking at a train schedule trying to figure out what train I could take back home in the afternoon. I found one at around three and heard someone calling my name. It was my roommate Lina! She missed her train to Milan and decided to spend the day in Ventimiglia with me and then head on to Milan at around 3. So, we were pretty hungry and, of course, had to get pizza. We went to "Big Pizza" where the employees only spoke Italian. I guess we forgot to freshen up on Italian before we went because it was so close. When he asked us if we wanted our pizza for here or to go we just laughed because we had no idea how to say here in Italian. Lina told me as we were eating our delicious, Italian pizza that she now understands how I feel in France, not knowing every single word that you need to say (I am learning every day though).
After lunch we headed towards the market and it began to drizzle rain. The market was definitely huge. It snaked through almost all of the streets near the ocean. All of the booths had similar things like scarves, jackets, household items, underwear, etc. I bought a pretty yellow scarf which you can see in the pictures and I also got a knock-off Longchamps purse that EVERYONE has in France for school, but I got mine for 5 euros! That's like 90% off. We had fun walking around the market but we were getting cold and wet after about 2 hours. We decided to try to find a cafe to wait sit and wait for our trains. We couldn't find one so we sat in the train station where we witnessed some passport checks by scary, Italian policemen. At this point I was really glad that I had my friend Lina with me and decided that I wasn't the traveling alone type.
About 45 minutes before my train, I was looking at the screen trying to figure out what "sorpressa" means and wondering why my train didn't have a platform number. A really pretty girl came up to us and asked a question about the train to Milan that Lina was taking. We found out that she too was going to Milan alone to meet a friend and was having trouble with the trains because of the strikes. She is also living in Antibes and is from Brazil. I asked her if she knew what sorpressa meant and she had no idea but could ask her friend. She then brought over a 75 year old man who only spoke French and Italian. We asked him what sorpressa meant and he said that that train was not running. I looked back at the screen and I couldn't see anymore trains going even in the direction of Antibes. I got a little worried that after waiting for 2 hours already that I would have to wait even more. The man then asked where I was going and he said that he too was going to Antibes and I could take the train with him in 15 minutes! I guess it helps sometimes to talk to strangers. The nice old man then brought me outside to wait for the train and asked me all about school and my stay in France and my family at home. He also told me that he was also visiting Ventimiglia for the market and was going back home to Antibes and then Paris soon. All of this was in French! I had a real French conversation, but he probably felt like he was talking to a three year old. I was telling him that I had one brother and one sister. I said that he is 25 and she is 28, maybe (because I'm not quite sure how old Jeanette is, sorry Jeanette, haha). But instead of saying "maybe" (a word I just learned recently) I said desk. It was awkward because he laughed and I had no idea what I said until I got back to my apartment and asked my roommates. He was a really great sport though and he really helped me. We sat next to each other on the train and I was falling asleep most of the time because I had gotten up so early that morning. When he was saying goodbye he said, make sure you go home and sleep, good luck, and have a great time in France. I said thank you soo soo much for helping me and he gave me three huge, sloppy kisses on my cheeks. He basically saved my day and was the nicest guy. In fact, I have not had one negative experience with a French person yet. I find them to be incredibly warm and welcoming, but it may just be because we got rid of Bush and Obama is our new president. They are very happy about that!
So the next day (Saturday) was our first planned trip with my study abroad program to a small town called Eze and a bigger town you might've heard of, Monaco. 27 out of the 37 American students in my program met at 8 o'clock the next morning in the town center to find that we had a private, coach bus waiting for us. Our program advisor, Kristin, was also there. She is the sweetest, most knowledgeable person. She is basically our mother for the time we are here because we can call her at any time with a problem and in the three weeks that we have been here, she has not let us down. Not only does she fix dishwashers when they break but she also gives great advice about traveling in the region or all over Europe. She grew up in Germany but rarely speaks in her native language on an every day basis. She learned French in school and lived in France for a year after school to get better. She told me when she got here, like us, people would begin to speak English with her because she sounded foreign and they wanted to speed up the comprehension process. But she didn't even know English yet! She then learned English and probably 5 other languages. She now speaks French and English like a pro and usually only speaks German to her mother on the phone and her husband (who she taught it to).
On the bus, she gave us a quick tour of the Cap d'Antibes (where I go running every day) which is the peninsula where all the rich people live. We then drove to Eze which is a small town, part of which is up on a mountain and the other part is by the ocean. We went up to the top of the mountain where we got a tour of a perfume factory and walked up several steps to the touristy town that included a church, some restaurants, some shops and a hotel or two. My friend, Sydney, and I saw a really cool garden with statues and a life-size chess set but it was part of a hotel and private. We decided, hey, we're in France, so we jumped the fence and got some pictures with the chess set without getting caught. My other friend, Cara, was too scared to go so she took pictures of us sneaking in from behind the gate. After lunch we headed to Monaco where we visited the rock where Prince Albert lives and his two sisters. Did you know that Monaco is a principality and is totally separate from France. It is the second smallest independent country in the world. What's the first? Vatican City! It is under the protection of France in case of war but there is 0% criminality and only one police officer per 40 people. There is also 0% unemployment because at least 50,000 people commute to Moncaco to work every day and there are always jobs available in the hotels and casinos. So many people commute to Monaco because it is very expensive to live there. One square meter of land can be 15,000 to 25,000 euros. That means a small flat would be about 1 million euros. You can transfer that to US dollars yourself. Why is it so expensive? Because everyone wants to live in Monaco because there are no taxes!
Monaco used to be entirely dependent on it's olive oil production but when it became possible to ship olive oil from the South of Italy, no one wanted Monaco oil. They had to sell part of their land (an entire peninsula) to France to pay their debt to the King of France. Then, the prince at the time decided to build a casino to help Monaco's money situation. The casino became so popular that in 6 years the country was completely independent of any foreign debts and told its citizens that they no longer have to pay taxes because the casino would pay for them. Now Monaco residents don't pay any taxes but some say they pretty much pay for them upfront when they pay for their million euro flats. We visited the casino and I even got a chip! I didn't play it though because the roulette table was a 25 euro minimum. Monaco is also famous for the Formula One Grand Prix, a huge car race in May that books the harbor and hotels up to 2 years in advance.
I had a lot of fun this weekend and can't wait to see what I do next!
Comments
What a weeken!
So glad you are seeing so many wonderful places and meeting new friends. Did you buy and perfume or soap? Wonderful pictures!!!
Greetings from Aunt Kate
Hi Kenna, I just enjoyed your blog about Eze, your Italy adventure and Monaco. I remember falling in love with Eze and wanting to explore behind the 'gates' with someone special! I studied aromatherapy in Provence for 2 weeks one summer and we took a field trip to the perfumery. Your people encounters and experiences have been memorable. I met very friendly people when I visited too. Keep your eye out for me for some high quality essential oils! I may beg you to bring some home for me! Grandpa is sending you a birthday present via me and Ross! Enjoy! Love- Kate