Monaco, France,

Monaco: “it is not yet my time”

Walking out of the Monaco train station, I was surrounded by sounds of clapping and cheering. Was it for me? Were they welcoming my first visit to this country? Of course not. This year’s Tour de France embarked its race of mental and physical endurance from France’s adjacent country, Monaco. I, soon found myself clapping and cheering on as the determined cyclists zipped by. Monaco is a country of luxury and wealth. Large luxurious yachts and sailboats were competing with the ocean to see who can glitter brighter and multi-million dollar homes were competing to see who could be closer to the ocean. I saw a reflection of myself on a large spotless window of a 4 star hotel. He was carrying a large travel bag back on his back, smaller one on the front, wearing a green t-shirt that had large spots of sweat. He was dirty, tired, and hungry. Not physically hungry but for something else. As he was leaving to catch a short train ride to Nice, France, he thought to himself. “It is not your time yet, but one day…one day…”

France: “if you never tried the real French croissant, then you were not in France”

It is hard to write an entry about a country such as France. It is just too overwhelming. So instead, I would like to make a list of my memorable moments. I also delayed writing my blog about France because I flew back to France for Paris from Portugal after traveling south of Europe.

South of France:

1.       Nice, (nee-ce) not (ni-ce) is nice. Pebble rock beaches with light blue waters are playground for all ages during the hot summer days and warm summer nights.

2.       French Baguettes and Croissants: When there are foods or other goods named after a country i.e French Baguette, Cuban cigars, Swiss cheese, and etc, it is because they know what they are doing. I thought, Croissant can’t be THAT good. Well, croissants from right French bakeries are THAT good. Enough said.

3.       People in South of France tend to me nicer and friendlier

4.       Montepellier: I finally got to see Lance Armstrong and Cantador up close and yelled to have them sign my hat. Of course I didn’t get it signed.

5.       French people love holding a Strike. Just in time for the Tour de France, Railroad union held a strike that delayed my trip across the border. GOOD PLANNED TIMING. I am sure they got what they wanted.

Paris:

1.       Wow. What a city. Films like Paris Je’taime (Paris I love you) can only be made in a city such as Paris.

2.        Eiffel Tower is the main reason why Paris has such mysterious and yet romantic atmosphere. She is truly a beautiful giant that likes to play hide and seek among the trees and the buildings. Once you find her, wherever you are, and no matter how many times you have found her, she will take your breath away.

3.       Eiffel tower is more beautiful during the night than the day.

4.       Walking instead of riding an elevator up the tower to save money is very tiring and also scary. Especially when it is a night time and raining.

5.       Supposedly, the Louvre takes 6 days to see everything. And I believe it. I walked around for 7 hours covering only the known famous pieces.  I still missed many other brilliant art works.

6.       Notre Dame is brilliant form of architecture, but I have grown to be overwhelmed and almost disgusted by gothic and neo-gothic architectures. Also, I think the Segreda Familia in Barcelona is much more impressive cathedral.

7.       People in Paris are not all that mean and rude as many people would like to say. It is partly our fault thinking that EVERYONE should be speaking English.

8.       Subway smells but I still je’taime D the Paris.

These are segment of my ideas and thoughts during my travel in Monaco and France. When you have chance, please visit them. You will understand why it is easier to list then to write.