a roadtrip through Côte d’Azur

Tags

Cote d'Azur, France, French Riviera, Hotel, Marseille, Monaco, Nice, Rosetta Stone, Southern France

If I had one recommendation from my time here? Get in a car and drive somewhere. Anywhere. Give yourself the gift of complete and utter liberation from cabs, buses and trains for a weekend. And that way, you can stop and pull over when you see views like this one.

Over Halloween weekend, the girls and myself hopped in a car and went on the most incredible 5 day adventure through the Cote d’Azur (Coast of blue in french). There are many names for this famous stretch between Marseille and Monaco and it is better known as the French Riviera or simply as the South of France.

Best surprise of the trip!

First things first, we arrive at the rental place to find that the car company had overbooked car rentals. We reserved an automatic car with a navigation system, but they were out of the car promised to us. We all look at one another with creased brows not sure what to do when the woman working behind the counter looks up and says “girls, it’s your lucky day.” She hands over the keys to a brand spanking new 3 series BMW. I think she immediately regretted it once she saw us hysterically laughing and in fits about our incredible fortune. Roadtrip!

We hit the road, and 6 hours later, we were cruising through the streets of Nice, France.  We were all super excited to check out our hostel, the Villa Saint Exupery (actually ranked as the best hostel in France by hostel world) and we pulled up to a hustling and bustling hostel on the beach. We checked in pretty late (around 10pm) and entered our shared room to find half naked bodies fast asleep in bunk beds and crying baby! Not entirely what you’de expect from a hostel to say the least. We threw our stuff down and headed out to get grab some grub. Little did I know at the time, but Dani spotted a four star hotel on the way to dinner and bounced in to check out the rates as a second option. By some work of magic, she landed us a hotel room with breakfast included for the same price as our hostel!! Score. We ran back to check out and check back in to Hotel Aston. It was the perfect location and ambiance for a short weekend trip.

Megan and katie romping around the hotel room

Let me just say that Nice completely took me by surprise. It was every bit the calm cool collected city that I hoped it would be, but I wasn’t prepared for the inspiring beauty that Nice offers. They say a picture says a 1,000 words. I wouldn’t do Nice justice in simple descriptions, so here’s a taste of Nice through the camera lens!

Nice is famous for it's stone beach!

Frolicking in the sun, it was high 70's

The most inspiring and breathtaking view of the city. To my right is the old city and in front of us is a mountain with a lookout point

Be prepared for hidden waterfalls and rainbows once you get up in to the mountains. The weather was gorgeous

Stunning! I loved walking along the boardwalk, strolling through the old city, and eating lots and lots of delicious French food. The old city is littered with artsy outdoor markets and cafe’s line the streets. People are casually relaxing and eating everywhere, all the time. It was great to soak up the chill vibe from all the vacationers and local French people. The croissants we had in Nice were the best i’ve ever had in my life. Just the right amount of crust, chewy and a zest of chocolate. Mmm I never realized just how many foods that I love are French! It wasn’t bad soaking up the local language either. A language which I believe is one of the most beautiful spoken languages today. I loved that I could understand many of the signs through having a background in Spanish and through learning a bit of Catalan. It definitely has me considering tackling French after I get back from Spain. Mom, Dad, Rosetta Stone for christmas?

The stunning drive between Nice and Monaco

Bright on early on Sunday morning, we hopped in the car and drove from France to Monaco. It’s crazy to think that Monaco is it’s own country (a really really small one at that!). If I had to sum up the drive in two words? Sensory overload. We spent the short hour in complete and utter awe admiring the full green trees extending over caramel streaked cliffs with an abyss of white stained summer homes bordering a sea of endless blue.

Before long, we entered the beautiful and charming principality of Monaco, and found our way into the heart of Monte Carlo, Monaco’s capitol and home to the world famous Monte Carlo Casino. Monaco was uber posh, very well kept, and aesthetically beautiful. Funnily enough, the casino is just that. Any guests are encouraged to stay at the Hotel de Paris which is right next door. We checked out the menu’s at the hotel, there are about 5 restaurants and prices actually are not even listed on some menu’s. Crazy, right? You could say we opted for something a tad more low key haha.

Monaco is straight out of a toy story book or romantic fairy tale. The yachts stationed in the port look anything but real. Even the police offers look like toy soldiers. In every essence of the word, Monaco was magical. Within 2 minutes of being in Monaco, we were pulled over by a policeman who was apparently border patrol. All of us were on the border of a nervous breakdown when he calmly introduced himself and asked for our passports to record our entry into the country. If this doesn’t give you an idea of just how tiny Monaco is, I don’t know what will.

Before the gambling began, In front of the Monte Carlo!

We walked into our apartment in the bordering French city of Beausoliel and then went straight downhill to grab lunch at the Cafe de Paris next to the casino. And boy oh boy was it a scene. Glamour at it’s finest. We chatted and relaxed while ambassadors, socialites and politicians strolled through the area and grabbed a drink in the sun. Monaco is impressive. The entire city is literally embedded into the hills of the coastline and it means a fair amount of walking. On the flip side, it also means a panoramic view of the glimmering ocean at all times. I think it’s well worth it

My favorite part of our time in Monaco? There is a stunning castle on the far side of the city home to the royal family, and a famous garden. Storybook is an understatement. It’s a total hike to get up to the top but you’ll forget about the pain once you reach the top and are transported back in time to another world.

Budda Bar

No trip to Monaco would be complete without a visit to the Casino. Given that I had never gambled before, I felt it appropriate that this be my first go at making some cash. They say beginners luck keeps you wanting to come back for more! Well, let me tell you something, we doubled our money on the slot machines playing Blackjack and then I found the “bet all credits” feature to double your points and things went downhill real quickly. Let’s just say I wont be making my way back to a Casino any time soon. I won’t write any more about the inside of the casino, pictures weren’t allowed, and you should go see it for yourself! All I will say is… it feels like you’re the star of an old hollywood flick.

Other fun facts about Monaco: 1) It’s the most densely populated city in the world. 2) It has the highest life expectancy (90 years) 3) It has the worlds highest GDP and the worlds lowest unemployment rate 0% 4) The house of Grimaldi has ruled the country since the 1200′s with the current King being Prince Albert II. 5) Grace Kelly was Monaco’s princess!

The hills of Eze

Most amazing crepe of my life

Boats, Boats and more Boats!

(I loved Monaco, could you tell? )

Next, we were off to Cannes passing through Eze and Antibes on our way down South. Cannes is annual host of the Cannes Film Festival and is the playground of the rich and famous. It’s known for it’s luxurious hotels (most notably the Carlton), delicious restaurants and designer shops.

The Carlton

Coincidentally, we were in Cannes at the same time as the 2011 G20 Organization of Industrialized Nations, so the entire city was partitioned off into zones for safety purposes. Security guards and men in suits were everywhere! Basically, it was a meeting for all of the political leaders in the EU (including Pres Obama) to try and find a resolution to the Economic Crisis. We were told by our hotel, that if we left Zone 1 past midnight we would not be permitted to cross the barriers and enter the hotel. You could say that we were very careful that night

The drive from Monaco to Cannes

Checking out the old Citadel

A tribute to Film

Cannes was super chill and there was a fair amount of walking through old streets with lights and lots of character. Cannes was the by far the beachiest town we visited and if i could sum it up in three words: Streets, shops and food. Unlike Nice, Cannes has white sand beaches and is not as hilly as the other notable stops in the French Riviera. I loved walking up to the top of the hill to admire the old City Citadel and ancient church on the top of the hill. What made Cannes especially unique? The detail and “antiqueuy” feel that the buildings have there. It was a very classy feel to it, classy and clean.

Fun fact: There is a candy for every country all along the boardwalk and within the city of Cannes!

The second to last stop on our tour through Southern France was Saint Tropez! You may be suprised to hear that Saint Tropez is actually the most difficult city to get too out of those in the French Riviera. Before settling on renting a car, we were exploring trains and buses to these areas and the only viable option to get there was by Helicopter!! Now wouldn’t that have been something else… Nonetheless you see why having a car when doing South of France is absolutely essential! I must say, the drive from Cannes to St Tropez was on super slick newly paved roads (the same roads that are famously raced for Formula One) and we enjoyed winding through the cliffs and eventually feasting our eyes on huge vineyards with hundreds and hundreds of grape vines. It was completely iconic and every bit the part of France that comes to mind when you think romance and champagne!

It was absolutely incredible. Saint Tropez is a quaint old city, that (of course) borders a beautiful beach. This was my favorite beach town that we went through. Mainly because  there is a huge outdoor open market in the city center twice a week. Cottages are strewn through the city and its a mix between old stone walls and new pastels. The other thing that stood out? Flowers and ivy everywhere! I wish we we able to spend more time here, but hey! Next time, right?

The old city

We found this guy posing on the roof of a garden shed

Last stop on the way back to Barcelona was Marsielle! Marseille is in fact the second largest city in France (second to none other than Paris) and it is very urbanized and modern. It was a bit shocking to find such a large metropolitan city bordering all of these tiny beachy towns, especially after we felt like we had been taken away from reality for a few days. We didn’t have too much time here, but it was enough to walk around the city center and grab our last taste of French food for the weekend (and a pastry, of course)!

I’ll leave you with this little taste of paradise.

Until next time,

Southern Spain

Tags

Atlantic Ocean, Barcelona, Cordoba, La catedral, Mosque, Sevilla, Seville, Spain, United States

First things first, I am sorry for not writing in this blog for so long. People who have gone abroad really prepare you for how fun your semester will be and how great your experiences will be along the way, yet they fail to tell you how little TIME you have to yourself! Nevertheless, I am still having an incredible journey, and I am glad that I finally have some time to write! This is a guest blog by my good friend here, Danielle. She is an incredible writer and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! xx, T

Since last writing, I have traveled to Sevilla and Cordoba with my program, I have driven from Barcelona to the French Riviera, and I have traveled to Paris. But, I promised myself that I will keep my blogs as short and as sweet as possible, so for the purposes of this blog, I am just focusing on Sevilla and Cordoba. I just wanted to get you excited for my upcoming posts .

Our program, CIEE, recently took us to Sevilla and Cordoba for the weekend. Going on a trip with literally everyone from your program is one of those experiences that you will definitely never forget. Hectic is an understatement!

At about 5:15am, I heard the voices, laughter, and footsteps of pretty much everyone on my D1 Melon District hall: I knew it was time to get up and make my way to the airport. Exhausted and really hoping I could just lay back down in bed for one more minute, I heard a pounding on my door. My friends Tara and Sarah were at the door, yelling at me to hurry up, so that we could all leave for the airport. I tend to be the slow one out of my friends, so I quickly grabbed my bag, made sure I had my passport, and ran out the door.

Two Metro stops and one 30 minute bus ride later, we had arrived at the airport. After going through security, my entire program (there are at least 60 of us) decided to get McDonalds for breakfast. I ordered an Egg McMuffin, and while I was little ashamed to be eating something so unhealthy so early in the morning, I have to admit that it tasted much better than all of the Spanish food that I have been eating for breakfast so far! Who knew, McDonalds…

After our entire program took over the airport McDonalds and successfully reinforced any stereotypes Spanish people may have about Americans, we finally decided to get to the gate and board our flight. About an hour later, we landed in a sunny and hot Sevilla! Having traveled south, the weather was amazing! And let me tell you something, It was great to be able to wear shorts again. After checking into the hotel, we had some free time to rest before our first activity.

Upon our arrival in Sevilla, a few of us decided to walk around the city and explore this treasured spanish gem. We were told to walk toward the river to get to the main part of the city, so we did just that. Cruising along the river, we were mesmerized into silence with how beautiful and adorable the city was. We eventually found our way into the middle of the city, and along the way we stumbled into La Plaza de Toros, which is a actually the oldest bullring in Spain. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not one to endorse bull fighting (which is actually illegal in Catalunya), but this was a part of Spanish culture we couldn’t pass over. So, we decided to go in and check it out. Construction of the Plaza de Toros began in 1749, and it wasn’t completed until 1881. It is very large and has capacity for 12,500 spectators. It was a great site to see right away, and getting a behind the scenes look at the stadium was a treat.

After viewing Plaza de Toros, it was time to meet the rest of our program at Plaza Virgen de los Reyes, which is directly next to the Cathedral of Sevilla. During this time, we received a tour of El Barrio de Santa Cruz and had the opportunity to learn about some of the Roman history that Sevilla has to offer. Currently, I am enrolled in a Barcelona City and History class, and I was amazed at how much Sevilla’s history overlapped with Barcelona’s history. El Barrio Santa Cruz was actually Sevilla’s old Jewish quarter, or judería. When Ferdinand III of Castile conquered the city (which had been previously been under Muslim rule), he segregated the Jews and made them live in the Jewish quarter. Interestingly enough, our tour guide told us that the reason that he kept the Jews in the Jewish quarter was to have them close to him, as they were valuable resources to him during this time. In 1492, the Jews were expelled from Spain, causing the neighborhood to largely transform. It was very interesting to see where the Jews once congregated and to witness the remnants of such an old city.

Our next stop was La Catedral de Santa María de la Sede de Sevilla, or the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the See. This is a Roman Catholic cathedral located in the center of Sevilla, and it is the third-largest church in the world. After the Reconquista in the mid-1200s, Sevilla held great strategic importance, as the city was a port between the Atlantic Ocean and Andalusia. Construction of La Catedral began in 1402 and was built to symbolize Sevilla’s wealth (trust me, this cathedral conveys nothing less), as they had become a major trading center during this time. This church was one of the most breathtaking sites I have ever seen (and I have seen a LOT of churches since coming to Europe). For me, the most interesting part of this church was that the tomb of Christopher Columbus was actually located in the church. It gave me the chills to know that I was just a few feet away from Christopher Columbus’s remains. This place was truly amazing.

After the church, we went to the top of La Torre de la Giralda, which was really beautiful and had great views of the city. La Torre de la Giralda symbolizes Catholic faith. The tower is 230 feet, and instead of stairs, the builders used 34 ramps, so that those who needed to get up and down the tower could get there by horse.

The streets of Sevilla are beautiful and filled with a plethora of one of a kind “botiquey” shops. Our friend led us to a famous cookie place called La Cure Gourmande, and it was amazing!

After this, we headed back to the hotel to get ready for the evening. We met our program leaders at La Catedral, which was absolutely breathtaking at night. Our program then took us to a Flamenco show, which was a total blast. It was great to experience the true culture of Sevilla! There was a singer, someone playing the guitar, and two dancers: one man and one woman. I was surprised that the man and the woman didn’t spend much time dancing with each other; they mostly danced separately. Nevertheless, this was a great experience, and I would definitely do it again!

After the Flamenco show, about ten of us went to a restaurant that we had seen previously on our walking tour. The restaurant was called San Marco, and it is actually a 12th century Arab bath house. The atmosphere was great, and the food was delicious! When you first walk in, there are pictures of Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz with the staff because they apparently ate here while filming the movie, “Knight and Day.” There was a picture of Enrique Iglesias, who apparently ate there as well! It definitely a unique place to enjoy dinner, and super reasonable as well.

The next day, we all loaded into a bus to take a day trip to Cordoba. There was more history to this city than I even expected, much of which overlapped with Sevilla’s history. Cordoba is an Iberian and Roman city, and its port was also of strategic importance. We also went to the Mezquita de Cordoba (Mosque), which over the years was converted into a cathedral (to preserve it over the years). When the Moors arrived in Cordoba, they founded a Visigothic church in the center of town. In 784 a.C., Emir Abd ar-Rahman I bought the church and built the mosque over it. In 1236, the Spanish conquered Cordoba, and the mosque became the Christian cathedral, which is what we saw. When we entered the Mezquita, there was a hole in the floor, where we could see the Visigothic remains. We also saw the Jewish quarter of Cordoba, which was much smaller than the Jewish quarter in Seville, but very pretty and quaint. We got to see the old Jewish temple, and next to the temple, there was a statue of Moses Maimonides, a Jewish philosopher who lived in Cordoba. If you rub his feet, you are supposed to have good luck. Let’s hope it worked!

For being so close to Seville, Cordoba was really interesting, filled with history, and very pretty! I would definitely go back. I loved seeing the arabian architecture! It was very different than anything I have ever seen before.

After a long day in Cordoba, we headed back on the bus to Sevilla. When we got back, we walked around Sevilla a bit more and explored the town. We found this huge tree that was absolutely beautiful and literally looked like the giving tree in its fullest form. For some reason, Tara and I thought it would be fun to climb this huge tree and take a picture of it. I got up okay, we took our picture, but then I looked down and realized that getting down would require traction of my shoes, and I was wearing Toms (which have no traction at all). Panicked, I looked down and tried to find a way to some how climb down the tree; for ten minutes, I made Tara wait for me on a branch that was at least ten feet off the ground, while I tried to find a branch, a hole in the tree, ANYTHING to hold on to so that I could climb down the tree. Well, after a great deal of searching, I realized that the only way to get down was to either call the fire department, or jump. So I jumped, and literally did a pull up as I realized how big this fall could potentially be. Thank god, I only fell a little bit and got a scratch on my knee; it could have been a lot more! Next time I decide to climb the biggest tree I have ever seen, I’ll make sure to wear gym shoes!

After the tree ordeal, we decided to walk to La Plaza de España, which is one of the most famous tourist attractions of Sevilla. The plaza was built in 1928 for the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929. This was one of the most beautiful places that I have been to thus far on my European journey. We went at night, and it literally was so breathtaking. A river ran through the plaza, with gondola boats giving people boat rides. The lights and enormity of this place were staggering; I could not get enough of that place. My friend, Evan, decided to pretend that La Plaza de España was her house, so she proceeded to make a pretend MTV Cribs episode of her “house.” It was one of the most hysterical things I have ever seen; look at my Facebook if you want to see the video!

The next day, we had an optional excursion to los Reales Alcázares, which is a royal palace in Seville.

We went, and it was beautiful! The Almohades were the first ones to build a palace, and subsequent monarchs have made additions to los Reales Alcázares. I’m so used to seeing traditional palaces, and seeing a Spanish palace was a completely new experience. The castle was mainly one floor with lots of open courtyards, flowers, and with an arabian influenced design. The upper levels are actually still used by the royal family as the official Seville residence, which I found really interesting. As beautiful as the palace was, the gardens were even more amazing. Amazing, and huge!! We saw the most beautiful, colorful peacocks here, too! This was a great way to conclude our trip. And even though Tara and I were so tired, pulling it together to see the castle was more than worth it.

No matter what way you size it up, Sevilla is an amazing place. I loved experiencing it with everyone on my program and getting to know another side of Spain. The more I get to know, the more I love this place that I get to call home. What a gift! Hasta luego!

Graffiti from 1772!

La Práctica

Tags

California, California Girls, Catalan, Catalan language, Education, English as a foreign or second language, English language, Katy Perry

I love Thursdays! I have an internship seminar once a week in the mornings and the rest of the day is free time to explore the city and take care of any errands (today’s was grocery shopping and laundry). The rain gave me a perfect excuse to snuggle up in bed with a big blanket and a book to catch up on such much needed reading and sleep. When I say I don’t sleep in this city, I promise you I ain’t kidding. You’ll have to excuse my short hiatus from blogging, we had midterms last week! I really dislike that word, “mid-term.” It’s just a constant reminder that we are more than half way through our time in this beautiful city. I can’t help but feel like i’m fighting time when there are so many things I want to see, but It’s nearly impossible to have it all. I can promise you one thing, I’m doing my best!

One of the wisest decisions I have made since beginning this journey is to choose to do an Internship over an additional Spanish course. The internship program is 8 hours a week, plus a 2 hour reflection seminar where a small group of students who are in internships have the opportunity to share any challenges they are encountering. In a nutshell, we discuss differences. We talk about the impact of culture on behavior, and we negotiate the “inbetween” or the gray area of our abroad experiences.

Every tuesday from 9 to 5, I teach english at a local public school that has students aged 2 to 18. I am working primarily with elementary school kids, so I bounce around from 1st up to 6th grade as the day goes on. On my first day, the kids were SHOCKED to hear that I live in California! The sixth graders all started singing the Katy Perry song “California Girls” as they tried to figure out this stranger who had just walked into their classroom. Hearing me talk english was also a big surprise to them! All of the english teachers at the school know english as a second language, so they are accustomed to hearing English spoken in a Spanish accent. You could say it took a couple classes before they started to put two and two together! In the school, english is compulsory under age 16, and the main language of instruction is Catalan. However, all of the children also know Castallano (Spanish). Through my internship, I have become wildly attuned to how international the people are in this region of the world. I can’t imagine how confusing it must be for them to have so many languages floating around in their heads. In the mornings, I am with “los pequenitos” or the little ones. They are so sweet and precious, I just want to scoop them up and never let em go. In the mornings, I lead them through songs about the weather, date, and time. We always review the alphabet and do little quizzes along the way. Frequently, we do mini assignments in English in their workbooks, so afterwards I come up with a fun game or activity to practice any new material. Being in classes with kids so young makes me remember how fun school was when I was a little girl. How could you not love it? Singing, dancing, playing games, and hanging out with friends. These kiddos just don’t know how good they have it!!

Last week, the primary English teacher was sick and there was a substitute who was teaching in Catalan when it was English time. I wasn’t sure how the handle the situation, but I spoke to the substitute and we agreed to take small groups at a time outside the classroom to review English lessons. Talk about improvising! I remember leading the first group of 10 into a classroom, and they sat down, bright-eyed and attentive looking at me for instruction on what to do next. I threw the lesson book out the door and led them through the pronunciation of the alphabet and basic conversational exercises. Let’s face it, we learn other languages so that we can communicate with one another. What better to really understand than the foundations of a conversation? I love that the teachers and staff at the school trust me enough to give me more than enough creative rope to design the sorts of activities that will be fun for me and for the kids!

After my mornings with the younger kids, I am wiped. I have a 30 minute break or “recess” with the all the primary school kids where we play games and practice their english (okay, with the occasional spanish translation in there) You could say it’s taken some getting used to to be called “Ms. Tara”! This is also my time to hang out with the other teachers, and to practice my spanish. On day one, I made an agreement with all the English teachers that although I was teaching in my native language, I wanted them to only address me in theirs. It’s been amazing to have a place away from friends or school where I can connect with the people here, learn from their experiences, and improve my Spanish at the same time. (As a side note, did I mention I’m taking a Catalan class?! Sometimes I catch bits and pieces of Catalan when the kids are talking to their teachers, so it’s been another form of language immersion

After recess is when the craziness begins. There are 2 classes of 5th and 6th graders, and each week I design a lesson that corresponds with their course material.  In the 5th grade classes, I teach science whereas in 6th grade it’s much more general. We go over new material, practice for oral presentations, and work on vocabulary in groups of 6-10 students. It’s a pretty funny dynamic because the kids do their best to understand me in English, but frequently, they respond in Spanish because they have trouble with the in’s and out’s of the English vocabulary. There’s no other way to improve that but to jump right in, so each week we review the vocabulary from the previous week. I definitely find myself pushing them to seek a way to express themselves in English, because reverting to Spanish when it’s your first language is the easy way out! Another trick i’ve learned is that if I see that a couple of kids are confused or not following me, i’ll invite someone to explain it to class (in spanish) and this gets everyone on the same page and it’s a comprehension check. You could definitely say i’ve learned a funky mix of Spanish and Catalan science words!

My favorite lesson so far with the sixth graders was the lesson on superheroes! I put together a presentation on superheroes and then the activity was designing their own superhero, powers and all! I could tell they really connected with the activity because they were excited to learn about weaknesses and powers in English

Last week with the 5th graders, in honor of halloween, I talk to them about how I celebrate the holiday (they don’t celebrate halloween here) and then we all carved pumpkins as a class! They were all squealing and jumping around when they had to pull out the mush and seeds from the inside of the pumpkin. Even though I’m far from an expert pumpkin carver, they all wanted to know my opinion on the faces, and they wanted reassurance that they were doing it just right. One by one, they started asking me more and more questions about my culture and the traditions in America. In my opinion, it’s experiences like pumpkin carving in class that grow a deep curiosity for the culture of a language, and that serves as fuel for motivation later on in the game. I felt a surge of pride when we turned off the lights and everyone watched in awe as one by one, the lanterns started glowing amber. I haven’t seen a group of kids that happy in a long time!

It’s a gift to be able to give something back to this wonderful city that I have taken so much from. Although, I want to practice my Spanish with the younger kids because they are so inhibited and non intimidating, the greater part of me feels like that is my day of the week to hand a language in exchange for all of the language that has been handed to me in the last 2 months. In spanish, we call it an “Intercambio” or an exchange. For me it is the ultimate exchange of culture, care, and ultimately inspiration.

Here are some pics from other adventures: