Boats, beaches and babes!

Welcome to the French Riviera! This beautiful cluster of unique cities and towns on the sunny south coast of France has recently decided to become a regular stop over on my (increasingly frequent) trips to Italy. This is partly because it provides me with more than a fleeting glance at the ocean and partly because it is actually a pretty long trek from Paris to Rome. On this particular visit I was especially excited because it was the fortunate location of a much anticipated rendezvous with my good friend Nikki!

Right! Lets start with the aptly named city of Nice. This town reeks of that old school 1920's charm that throws your imagination back to the glitzy upper class soirées of yesteryear! The promenade showcases some fantastic examples of delicately aging architectural beauty from that era so I highly recommend a leisurely late afternoon stroll (in the warmer months of course) along the promenade. I also advise this for those who appreciate the rhythmic crash of waves and the tangy scent of ocean air whilst marveling at the sparkling art deco gems that puncture the seafront. Once you are done strolling, a dip in the sea never goes amiss. Nice's famed pebble beach will be jam packed in the heat of a summers day but if you can steal yourself a spot on the rocks then it is worth the hassle. The pebble beach was certainly an adjustment for me (Australians are notoriously snobby when it comes to beaches and I am no exception) but the sound of water washing against pebbles was surprisingly relaxing... Even if it did take a few attempts to get comfortable on the rocks. If a leisurely stroll or tanning session on the beach aren't you're thing, then you can always spend your Euros on the Avenue Jean Médecin. With a lovely collection of high street labels and a Galeries Lafayette, my shopping needs were all satisfied. The seaside is always a big draw card for me so Nice will always have this going for it... Even if there is a lack of sand.



The "Conversation à Nice" statues that line the Espace Massena lighting up at night to guide people on their shopping adventures!

Day tripping to Monaco is probably one of the easiest and touristically (is that a word) rewarding day trips I have ever done! A short (barely half an hour) train trip along the stunning coastline from Nice and you are in the quirky Principality of Monaco. This is a whole different country so make sure to add it to your count (because everyone will ask how many countries you went to and you want to impress). Despite being such a small country it really packs a tourist punch! A visit to the Prince's palace is a must If only to add to your photo album of stunning vista views and uniformed guards ceremoniously changing shifts. Next on the "to see" list is Monte Carlo Casino. Having experienced the intense neon chaos of Las Vegas casinos, I expected something just as affronting when I entered Monte Carlo Casino. What I found instead was an exquisitely crafted building with tall ceilings and elaborate furnishings. The shiny slot machines that line the walls and alcoves provided some low level sparkle but essentially it is the building that grabs you by the face and spins you around in gawping circles. I found that all the modern gambling paraphernalia looked out of place in the casino despite the fact that this was the building's original purpose. Even if I did feel a little classless wearing flip flops and a singlet, I found the experience to be incredibly exciting... I was even excited by my inevitable €20 loss to the one armed bandits.

Although Monaco is small enough to walk around, keep in mind that it is very hilly (avoid learning this on a stinking hot summers afternoon) and there is no metro system to speak of so confusing buses are your only real public transport option. To avoid the pain of near vertical footpaths, I definitely recommend that you utilise the tourist bus. An adult ticket costs €18 which is on the more pricey end of the cost spectrum, but consider the time and energy that would be consumed if you walked from steep incline A to painful hill B... (Yes this is my lazy side talking). The small open top bus takes you to all the big ticket destinations including the Monte Carlo casino, Place du Palais, Musée Océanographique and the Jardin Japonais, with the added bonus of a tour guide giving you fun facts about the city and helpfully pointing your camera towards things you didn't even know were important (sort of).



The mist rolling in over the cliffs onto an otherwise sunny Monaco, the main town of Monaco and the beautiful gardens in front of the Monte Carlo casino.

St Tropez is a strange place... It is essentially a smaller, more expensive version of Nice... Boats, shopping (strictly window if you have any type of budget) and a surprisingly small amount of decent eateries in the lower end of the budget are a plenty in this town. St Tropez is definitely a place to visit when you aren't still struggling from your shopping blowout in Las Vegas and New York. If I'm honest I didn't find a lot to do in St Tropez this time around so I probably can't comment on it from a tourist perspective... But it certainly provided a lovely backdrop for my holiday hangout with the beautiful Nikki and a great location for the shooting of the girls' music video (featured below).



The streets of St Tropez filled with designer labels, keen shoppers and art aficionados... Also boats...

An extended trip to France should include a trip to the sunny southern city of Nice... And conversely, any trip to Nice should include a day trip to Monaco! St Tropez and Cannes are of course optional... But not advisable if you are on a budget.

Shanwah's lovely links:
Check out the babes I mentioned earlier (and my filming technique) in St Tropez!

London and Paris... A drive by

We arrived into London Heathrow feeling refreshed after our luxurious premium economy upgrade (a little treat we added for ourselves when we booked our flights) and excited for the start of the European leg of our journey. Whilst our time in London was only short, it essentially served to split our holiday into two parts. The most obvious reason for splitting our trip like this is to work off the uncomfortable jet lag that would inevitably rear it's ugly head as a result of going backwards in time from America to England (If I'm completely honest we were still feeling the effects of the Australia to America flight as well). Aside from the necessity of recovering in a place that was comfortable and familiar, we used our time in London to be normal... This involved a night on the town with friends, several aimless wanderings through the city, a visit to the cinema and some shopping. I find that this simple act of normalcy (by which I mean "not being a tourist") serves to re-calibrate your senses giving you renewed vigor with which to take on the next leg of your journey. On top of all this our stop over afforded us the luxury of dumping a combined 15kg of luggage weight on my dear friend Daniel (Thaaaaaaaanks Daniel!)

In order to stagger the train journey to our next major destination (Spain), we decided that we would include another short stopover in Paris. Now I am the first person to preach positive thinking and the old "give it a red hot go" philosophy when it comes to visiting a new city, but I am also the first to tell people that Paris is not always the beautiful city of love that every one makes it out to be. Paris is the sort of city that can sometimes take a few tries to get right... After two visits, I myself am still trying... But I have faith that I will have Paris down to a fine art by the time I return!



The beautiful Pont de l'Archevêché adorned with hundreds of thousands of "Love Locks" declaring undying commitment between lovers. One of the growing (albeit slowly) collection of things I like about Paris.

Shanwah's tasty tip: I am cheating a little here because I discovered this tasty tip during my last visit to the city of lights with Jade and Ross. On our first adventure to Paris, we stayed in a teeny tiny apartment in the very centre of The city. This fantastic location afforded us the ability to wander to many a tourist destination with ease and get to the Louvre early enough to avoid the lines... It was also next door to a quant little Chinese restaurant. The "Palais Royal Hong Kong" seemed the logical choice when we couldn't be bothered to walk to a traditional French restaurant (it was also a great place to eat while waiting for the laundry as there was a laundromat next door) and the price was definitely right for the money conscious travelers that we were. The French/Oriental gem served up some fantastic Chinese specialties full of flavor and much needed greenery...not to mention that the service had us tipping generously!