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| On the streets of Nice. |
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| Guess where we were? |
Apologies for the late update on my trip but I have been kept quite busy since returning to London with a feisty new kitten (more on that later....hopefully)! Nice was definitely interesting to say the very least! From the buildings painted with age and glory to the warm sea air and neatly lined palm trees....it is a beautiful framed painting worthy of galleries.
So there was one place in particular that we did not expect to visit (hint: see photo on the right)! On day 2 in Nice, my sister Vicky fell ill so we got some medication from the pharmacy. We stopped at the McDonald's on a busy shopping street as Vicky started to feel nausea and could barely walk after taking the medicine. Making use of the free wifi at McDonalds we went online with our mobile phones to try to decipher the medicine's leaflet, which was only written in French. Piecing together a puzzle of French words we discovered that she was having an allergic reaction to the medication and by that point the kind staff at McDonald's offered to call an ambulance for us! When the ambulance arrived, with what little French we knew and a handy phrase book, we managed to describe what happened with a crowd gathering to watch the commotion. Vicky was then carried out of McDonald's in a stretcher and into a red ambulance that looked more like a mini fire engine. The ambulance started to slowly pull away from the pavement when I suddenly realised that Vicky's ID was in the hotel room and she had the room keys! Without another thought, I mindlessly dashed in front of the ambulance with hysterical waving arm and halted the vehicle....with the ambulance driver staring at me in disbelief. "I'm so sorry but my sister has the hotel room keys!", I said in English and the driver continued staring at me blankly without a word. So I reached for the door, got the keys and waved the ambulance off. Then I realised that what just happened seemed more like a movie scene than your average holiday......as we made our way to the hotel and then the famous St Roch Hospital. We waited at the A&E for an hour, witnessing some women crying hysterically and a man in handcuffs being escorted by a policewoman who stopped to greet her colleague with the customary kiss on each cheek. Thankfully my sister was fine and we ended the day quietly with a walk round Monoprix and Nicetoille shopping centre.
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| St Roch Hospital, Nice. |
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| Taking a break in Nicetoille shopping centre, Nice. |
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| Day 3: Grrrrr....Morning! (Nice) |
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| Discovering a street of Chinese restaurants in Nice. |
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| La Lorraine....our favourite breakfast bakery (Nice)! |
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| Waiting for a tram to the old town, Nice. |
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| Yummy.....Socca (chickpea flour pancake) at the old town, Nice. |
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| The splendid view from the top at Ascenseur ou chateau...overlooking Nice. |
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| Day 4: At Nice Rail Station....waiting for a train to Cannes. |
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| Traditional handmade leatherware shop in Nice. |
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| On the red carpet in Cannes! |
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| Who has bigger hands than Sylvester Stallone? (Cannes) |
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| By the sandy beach of Cannes. |
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| Macaroon heaven..........Jean Luc Pele in Cannes! |
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| On a Sunday when all the designer shops were closed. |
On day 4 we took advantage of a regional rail travel card (Euro12) by travelling to Cannes and then to Monaco. It was a surprising train ride indeed! After the Cannes convention centre, where the Cannes Film Festival is held annually, we bought Euro25 worth of sweet macaroons and cakes at a posh chocolatiers called Jean Luc Pele. So as we were happily scoffing down the macaroons on the train to Monaco, in a game of pass a bit of macaroon around amongst ourselves, we noticed a lady staring at us for a long time. After we finished the sweeties, two men sat next to her and they began speaking in French. The lady then pointed towards us as she spoke and I heard the words "Lucy Liu". One of my sisters has been called a Lucy Liu look alike....so perhaps the lady was shocked as she thought she had witnessed Lucy Liu and her entourage woofing down macaroons on a train from Cannes to Monaco!!
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| Lovely vintage shopper bags that I was very tempted to bring home with me......if only there was more luggage space! (Monaco) |
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| Posing as Charlie's Angels (Monaco Rail Station)! |
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| On the racing streets of Monaco. |
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| Celebratory flags and policemen were still present at the Palace as it was the day after the Royal Wedding (Monaco). |
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| The playground of the monte rich........Monaco. |
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| A good old fashioned boat parking lot! (Monaco) |
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| Meow from vintage loving Monaco!! |
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| A shop selling vintage toys and prints celebrating the Royal Wedding in its window! (Monaco) |
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| A memorable photograph of Princess Grace Kelly with Princess Stephanie (Monaco). |
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| The Prince's Palace, Monaco (3rd July 2011). |
Being in Monaco on the day after the Royal Wedding was lovely, as we avoided the crowds and processions but still felt the presence of a big royal celebration. It was really soothing to climb the steps towards the Prince's Palace and stroll along the glamorous yachts. We felt the sense of great pride within the locals and found quite a few vintage items of interest in the local shops. Walking near the Palace at a time after the Royal Wedding also made me think about the beautiful and elegant Princess Grace Kelly.......in what might have seemed like a fairy tale to her....now a new fairy tale has begun for her daughter-in-law. I hope that this new Monaco fairy tale will have a much happier story, and that one day we will all find the Prince to our hearts.
Until the next time,
May xx
