Day 9: Nice and Eze, France and Monoco

Day 9 (July 8, 2004) Nice and Eze, France and Monoco

Our wake up call was a half hour earlier than expected (6:30) and so no one had trouble getting up in time. We went to Eze, where the perfume factory was. Eze (as well as the other cities we saw today) was a city with buildings on the sides of steep hills overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.

A typical morning bus ride going from place to place

                                                                                                                                           

We took a 15 minute tour and saw how they take the leaves, flowers, etc. and mix it correctly for the fragrance. I believe that the town of Grasse, France is where perfume first came from. 

Afterwards, we all had a chance to buy perfume, soap, cologne (eau de toilet), or any other similar product. We were also told not to rub cologne or perfume on, just leave it at one spot. If you rub it around, it dilutes the smell of the fragrance.

We got on the bus and hoped we would make the 11:55 changing of the guard at the palace at Monoco. Traffic prevented us from doing that, but we did get to stay for half the afternoon in Monoco.

I went with Kayla, BJ, and Ben and found a nice restaurant in the middle of town. They had pizza, a drink, and dessert for €10. I had a ham and cheese panini with an Orangina. They decided to see the Aquarium and I took the 6 euro miniature train trip to see the main parts of Monoco. It was a half hour tour. Sadly, I was drowsy and cat napped during the ride. I did get a picture of the main tourist attraction, Monte Carlo.

Meggan Wiles and Laura Cochrun sea side at Monoco

BJ Poortenga, Kayla Sherwood, and Ben Patton amongst the flowers in Monoco

Monte Carlo Casino

I got back, went shopping, and then met the rest of the group to go to Nice.

We spent four hours plus at the beach and town. I enjoyed being in the Mediterranean Sea, but the beach was made of stones, and it was very painful to get to my spot from the water and vice versa. Despite a brief rain, the water was nice and town pleasant.

	Enjoying the Mediterranean Sea

We ate in Nice and had a nice dinner without french fries, which the group was getting tired off. We got back on the bus and went back to Cannes. We took a bus tour of the town and got to see all the things related to the film festival. Someone even said that Brad Pitt was in town, so we looked for him. I don't know if it was a fact or just a rumor.

The group leaders met to discuss tomorrow, deciding to leave a little later so that some could enjoy the pool. Some of the kids went to check the beach and enjoyed seeing the high tide coming in on the sandy beach. It's too bad we didn't just hang around here for another day.