We got up early-early and caught our train from Alba to Cuneo with a short stopover in Bra. Cuneo was a cute little Italian town like Alba but in the foothills of the Swiss AND French Alps (cornered). I had an ice cream sandwich at the station's bar even though there was snow on the ground.
The train then took us through the French Alps toward Ventimiglia, a town near the French border. The ride was so beautiful. We'd go into a tunnel and come out in a gorgeous, snow-covered valley. The snow was pretty deep beside the train tracks--something to rival Maryland's snowfall this winter! As we neared Ventimiglia, though, we came out on the other side of the mountains and it was GREEN! There were green trees and grass everywhere and terraced gardens and fields. Beautiful and made all the more startling by the contrast to the snow. I didn't get many pictures because there were a lot of tunnels and I was sleeping.
Wintery ride toward Ventimiglia.
Nice!When we got into Nice we walked towards the water because our hostel was near the water (Kiki hadn't gotten directions to the hostel from the train station so we had to figure it out...). I asked for directions in a bookstore and we found a map and eventually got to our hostel on Rue Meyerbeer. The hostel didn't have our reservation on file but luckily we worked it out, showing them our booking online. We got two rooms with four beds each (one extra). Good thing we had the extra bed, too, because Jordan sat on hers and it immediately collapsed. Also, our shower was an evil exercise in taking fast showers because it didn't drain so you had to finish your shower before the water overflowed. Ugh. It was a nice enough place for one night, though.
For lunch the group had kebabs and I got a yogurt parfait (they had eaten earlier when I was asking for directions so I got something later). It was full of fresh fruit and very good, especially in the spring-y, sunny, warm weather--60s! Let me just say that it was absolutely refreshing to speak French. I like the sound of the language much better and all the time I've been "learning" and using Italian my head always thinks French so it was nice to use some of that. Of course, for the small things like "Hello" and "thank you," I kept forgetting to use French and said "Ciao" and "grazie" as I'm used to in Italy.
After putting our bags down in the hostel and feeding me, we headed to the Virgin Store on the main Promenade so we could buy tickets to the futbol game that night (7 pm). The boys had suggested we go and I had never been to a European soccer game and everyone else was interested so we did it.
After buying the tickets we walked back down the (very busy) Promenade to the water, passing a break dancing crew and a Michael Jackson impersonator along the way. We got to the beach and hung out on the wall. Most of us took off our socks and shoes and put our feet in the water--it was freezing! Some people (other tourists) even went IN the water. The boys looked for rocks to bring home for people(?).
Oh Michael Jackson, you are the source of endless laughs.
Beach!Then we headed back to the hostel to put layers on for the chilly futbol game. On the way back we stopped for dinner at Subway (it was convenient and cheap!) and/or a salad place. We walked and took the tram to the futbol game and got there just as it was starting. There was a pretty small group of people at the game but they were very excited fans so there was definitely action. At the beginning of the game the fans threw flares over the sides of the stadium (to the outside, not the inside) and they had huge flags and even lit a fire twice. Every time the Nice team scored the fans behind the goal would SWARM down from their seats and bang against the fence. Luckily we weren't in that crowd and just got to watch them. The game was pretty good--ended 2-3--but Nice lost so after the game there was a riot squad geared up to prevent the Nice fans from harming Nancy (opposing team) fans or players. It was INTENSE but it was really, really cool to see the riot police's uniforms. Very exciting.
Futbol game.After the game we took the tram back toward the hostel and got kebabs on the walk back from the tram. We went to bed early (around 11:30) because we had walked a long time and had to get up early the next morning to head to Monaco. Nice was amazing and I want to go back--this semester if possible. All of our weekends are full but I think I might be able to make something work, possibly for a day trip if I'm willing. I want to be there when it's actually spring and I want to see the Matisse Museum. No one in the group is interested in art so I didn't push us to go there but Matisse is my favorite artist and I'd LOVE to go to that museum.
Day Forty (Sunday):
Let me preface this "day" by pointing out that we checked out of the hotel and went to Monaco and then left from Monaco to go back to Alba, meaning that we lugged around our bags the whole day. It was miserable and my back is NOT my friend.
We checked out of our hotel at 10:30 after sleeping in and getting showers and then went to a cafe for tea/coffee and croissants (SO much better than the ones in Italy which are sad, sad immitations--so sad that I refuse to eat them. I was so glad to have a real croissant). Then we walked to the bus station and caught a bus to Monaco at 11:30 (only 1 euro!). The ride was lovely, following the coast.
It was freezing and kind of drizzling when we got to Monaco but walking helped keep us warm. We got off near the Monte Carlo and walked around it, enjoying the view. It didn't open until 2 so we walked down the hill to the harbor and looked for a restaurant to eat at, a difficult job since everything was SO expensive! We eventually found a pizzeria (ugh, more pizza) and I got penne with mozzarella and prosciutto for 12 euro (ouch!). Then we walked up the other side of the harbor to the Palais de Roi to watch the changing of the guard and had glace (ice cream) in a little side street.
Monte Carlo Casino
Monaco is so beautiful--if you like apartment buildings...Around 3:30 we walked back to the Monte Carlo and gambled at a smaller casino (not the Monte Carlo) because, though we could go in and gamble at the actual Monte Carlo, they were rude and we felt unwelcomed so we went elsewhere (in an attempt at injured dignity/pride). I didn't really feel the need to gamble so Kiki and I sat outside and watched everyone's bags while they went in and gambled (bag check was 10 euro per person--no thanks!). No one made any money but Erin only lost 3 euro of the 10 she gambled.
After the Monte Carlo we walked to the train station to catch our 5:15 train to Ventimiglia. It was 40 minutes late, though, so it put a MAJOR dent in our plans, making us late for all of our connecting trains. We went as far as we could but when we got to Cavallermaggiore, the stop right before Alba, it was too late in the day (11 pm) and the trains had stopped. We had planned on calling a taxi to drive us to Alba but none of them were willing to come out that late on a Sunday to a small in-the-middle-of-nowhere town. Eventually, after much worrying that we'd have to spend the night in the creepy train station, we called Dan and he happened to know a taxi driver friend who was willing to come get us. His friend, a mustachioed and large man with a cigar and his "assistant" came to get us in a big van. I was the last to get into the van and the back was full already so I had to sit up front in between the two Italian men. It was awkward and horrifying as I got to watch the harrowing, snowy (apparently it snowed while we were gone) drive back to Alba. We got home at 1:30...
The train station where we almost spent 7 hours overnight.Day Forty-One (Monday):
- Did not get enough sleep.
- Met at the Campus Center for a wine cellar trip. Visited two different prominent wine cellars and got to see the barrels and the vats and all that jazz.
French wine barrels.
Wine cellar.
- We tasted a dessert wine (Moscato) at the first cellar and a Barolo (the most famous "brew" from around here) at the second. The Moscato was delicious and sort of like a sweet, soft sparkling cider. Not very sparkling and not very alcohol-y so I enjoyed it a lot and actually finished my glass. I did not like the Barolo, though, proving that I have bad taste since the Moscato was 8 euro for a bottle and the Barolo was 26.
- Napped after lunch.
- Got my test back in Italian: another C--ugh. Then we did an exercise that was very similar to the first part of the test but I think I did a better job on it after learning from my mistakes from the test.
- Happy International Women's Day--Dan gave all the women/girls flowers (apparently what they do here)
- Didn't go to the gym because I think my feet and legs had enough this weekend...not to mention my back.
- Dinner sometime tonight. Hardly worth mentioning.
- Movie capture stuff for the last two Cinema classes. These movies will be put together for the Alba Film Festival in May (right before we leave).
- Italian test?
- Lamezia Terme (Southern Italy) from Thursday to Monday morning!!!!!
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