Côte D'Azur

We returned to Nice, France to spend a week relaxing beachside and exploring the French Riviera. Nice is the perfect place to do this because you can reach many French coastal cities within 30 minutes by train and with our train passes every ride was free. And the hostel, Villa Saint Exupéry never ceases to amaze (see the previous Nice post).

We explored, in particular, three towns along the Riviera.

Monaco
Not French, Monaco is actually the second smallest country in the world (next to the Vatican City) and is home to many of the world's wealthy for the simple reason that residents of Monaco are not subjected to taxes. The monarchy of Monaco (yes there is still an active royal family that rules the country) has found other ways to raise money for the state, the primary source being tourism (I don't know how much we contributed to the economy, I think Corey bought a Coca Cola but that's it). That being said, Monaco is famed for the Grand Prix, a Formula 1 race through the streets. While there, we got to see the city setting up for the race, missing it by only two weeks. We also visited the famed Monte Carlo Casino, and if I can put things in perspective some people were winning easily 7,000 Euro in one hand and so naturally felt compelled to tip the dealer upwards of 300 Euro. Naturally, right? I would.

Cap D'Ail
Just south of Monaco, Cap D'Ail is where you move if you would like to live in a gated mansion with a pool instead of a flat (Monaco is so small and so crowded that there aren't mansions like you might expect there to be). There is not much here besides these mansions, owners of these mansions, their cars, yachts, beachside restaurants and of course beaches. Being of the financially deficient variety, we spent our time on the beach. Funny story in this town: I had scraped my knee a bit while swimming to the cave. Later in the day I was getting hungry and determined to find a sandwich of some kind. This was harder than I thought since there are only a few things in this town (as stated earlier) so I was walking around, alone mind you, for quite some time. I noticed that strolling couples would double take when they saw me walking, often the wife would whisper something to her husband and their pace would quicken. This struck me as strange until I realized that my leg was bleeding. To these people, I was seen as a threat. Me. Ha. I don't blame them, though I may try to aide the wounded.

Antibes
I visited the town of Cap D'Antibes as a child and wanted to return to see what it was like with an older perspective on things. The trip with my family as a child was under much different circumstances. Needless to say we stayed with an incredibly affluent friend of my Grandfather. Their estate was so great we barely left. This time around, the only rich part of my trip to Antibes was my humor (I hope at least one person laughed when they read that). We explored the old town, the marina and the beaches.

Highlights:

Barcelona

We have now reached the last major stop and new city within the three month European expedition. Barcelona, Spain is indeed an interesting place and if some Barcelonians could have it their way, the city would not even be Spanish. Of the Catalan region, the primary language of Barcelona is in fact Catalonian, an interesting and unique combination of Spanish and French (find Barcelona on a map and you'll see why). Here's an example: The word for 'exit' in Spanish is 'salida' and in French is 'sortir'. The word for 'exit' in Catalan is 'sortida'. Furthermore the word for 'I' in Spanish is 'yo' and in French is 'je'.. in Catalan it is 'jo'. Beyond the obvious language barrier this creates between the Spaniards and the Catalonians (side note: all Catalonians speak Spanish but not necessarily the other way around) this principle is just a microcosm of the Catalonian spirit and is therefore not surprising that the Catalonian region even has a strong separatist party.

In regards to how we spent our time in Barcelona, there is much more to see than is possible given only 2 touring days. Plus, we are getting burnt out from all the tourismmmm (imagine me saying that word out loud as it is typed.. and that may help put a mental picture in your head of how I feel about tourism after three months non-stop. Vacationing is hard work.)  The point that I am trying to make here is that in the last few stops of our travels, we have been embracing opportunities to enjoy the experiences along side or instead of the must-sees in each respected city. This one no different. We spent one lazy day wandering the Guell Park, a park created by the Spanish architect Antoni Guadi known for his love of 'natural curves'. There is really no rhyme or reason behind his architecture and yet it is beautiful. The videos and photos will do no justice in showing you what I am trying to explain so.... go to Barcelona and see for yourself. We also spent time wandering the gothic quarter, the Sagrada Familia cathedral, relaxing port side and even watched people and pigeons interact for about an hour. I got some great photos of this, be on the lookout.

All great Barcelonian things aside, the city is also known for it's extravagant pick pocketing and prostitution scenes. Sometimes they are two within one. Just walking home from a night out with Tom, we we're confronted by easily 20 prostitues in 10 minutes, their pimps waiting on the other side of the block. So if you do make it here, watch out... especially at night.

Once again, we met up with my friend Tom whom you might recognize from the Stockholm video who showed us around town. He has been spending the semester abroad in the city. Watch the video and this following comment will make sense, but I yet again forgot to buy him the batteries that I owe him. You'll get them within the next 20 years, I promise. Hopefully I'll see you and the other guys in Chicago come August.

One more thing, for anyone whose known me since elementary school, you will especially appreciate the last clip in this video (but don't skip to the end).

Highlights:

Seville

While in Marseille, we met a guy who told us that he "arrived in Sevilla at night and spent only a few hours there but even at night walking through the streets I could tell this was my favorite city in Europe." With a recommendation like that, how could we pass on that city? Plus my friend Mike Skoda, whom we ran in to in Stockholm, had been spending the semester studying abroad in this city. We only spent 2 nights in Sevilla, Spain but they we're well worth it.

Spending two nights really means only one full day of touring, so we rented bikes. There is a lot to see and do in this smaller town and we we're only able to do so much yet I am still satisfied with our visit there. At night, Mike took us out where I ate my first helping of authentic paella and my first authentic sangria followed by a night of bar hopping.

Sevilla is a must see Spanish city.

Highlights:

Lisboa

Hands down, Portugal is the vastly overlooked European must-visit gem.

I would nickname Lisbon, the capitol city of Portugal, the San Francisco of Portugal. Besides (even ignoring) the direct replica of the Golden Gate bridge, it is a port town with many hills and trams. With interesting history, great nearby beaches and cheap prices everywhere I vastly regret not spending more time in this awesome country.

On the other hand, I thought knowing French and having a very basic (I can't stress just how basic) of an understanding I have of Spanish, that I would be able to understand maybe, perhaps, conceivably a little bit of Portuguese. I was of course wrong to think that. In fact, I even lacked the ability to hear it spoken and translate the oral language to how I thought it could be written. And of course this goes the other way around when attempting to order something that was recommended to me and written down on paper.

And once again, I cannot stress how cheap things are in Portugal. The best meal I have eaten on this trip was the chicken dinner I ate out alongside a beer only ran me 7 Euro. To put this in perspective, sometimes a Coca Cola alone in a restaurant in Italy can cost 3.50 Euro.

Oh and we hit the 'largest casino in Europe'. Watch the video to find out how we did.

Highlights:

Madrid

As the tour continues we find ourselves back in the south where we can finally get some sun and warmth, a good way to wind down our European trip. It will be two weeks before we return to Munich, the city we started and the city where we will end.

One word -- Tapas. As we we're told, the story behind tapas starts in the 13th century. The poor people only had so much money could only afford either food or beer. Guess what they chose? Correct. Incidentally the poor people of Spain we're malnourished and drunk and so the king of Spain declared it national law for any restaurant or bar who served beer to also serve some food on top. The Spanish verb 'tapar' translates to 'cover'. Today the law no longer exists but the tradition does. Wherever we bought beer there was also a tapas served alongside, something as small as chips or as large as chorizos, breads, patatas bravas, chicken wings.. We ate a lot of little food in Spain.

Coincidentally, we spent Easter in Spain. While I have no personal affinity Easter, being that the national religion of spain is Catholicism, the Spaniards take the holiday very seriously. You may have heard of their world famous Easter processions. Each church has it's own procession, all of which are on different days. The procession is essentially a large parade with a marching band and an incredibly heavy altar. The processions march for hours all through the city. It is a very large honor to take part in the processions, so large that spectators at one procession cried and embraced when the rain forced the procession to go no further than the church's doorway.

And for those who are trying to travel cheaply, the Euro goes far in Spain.

Highlights: