Nice is Nice but Monaco is Marvelous

The south of France has been good to Bill and I. We started out a little dismayed, but ended up stumbling upon some adventures and unexpected fun.

Our hotel was kind of a crap-hole, to put it nicely, and it wasn’t in a great part of the city. Our first night there we couldn’t seem to escape what we called the T-zone, or touristy area, and we were pretty sure we were going to hate this little city. When we finally got out to see the sights we were a lot happier with our predicament. Nice is a beautiful little town with lots of art all over and a sea side that is welcoming and beautiful.

Our first big venture out was to Monaco, also known as the most hoity-toity place on earth. We showed up mere mortals to a place where a bentley reeks of poverty and a yacht that doesn’t have maids isn’t quite ostentatious enough. Bill and I obviously fit right in. We took a long walk around the marina which was filled with the most ridiculous boats I’ve ever encountered. Most of them had a hot tub and numerous jet skis, and all of them had people hanging off all sides to clean them.

We made our way over to the beach area and saw that they were offering parasailing. I’ve always wanted to go and Bill had been once before, and we thought, when are we going to get the chance to go parasailing in Monaco again? So we made a reservation for the next day. For the rest of our day in Monaco we checked out Monte Carlo, bet and lost 2 euro, and drank 2 $15 Coronas.

Blah blah blah, on to the parasailing day.

When we got there the woman was sewing up our parachute. I was already nervous enough, and this put me just a little over the top. For those of you not familiar with parasailing, the person (or personS) parasailing are towed behind a speed boat with a parachute behind them that lifts them several stories in the air.

Mind you, I’m a wee bit afraid of heights and way more than a wee bit scared of open water, but I knew I had to do this or regret it forever. After the parachute was fixed(!) Bill and I were strapped into harnesses that were then attached to the parachute so we could go tandem. We were placed at the back of a platform that would inevitably spit us into the sea behind the boat we were tied to, and then we were told to hold onto a bar above our heads with one hand, and onto the rope for the parachute with the other. Our guide told us to just watch the boat, run with it, not too fast, but not too slow, and also, good luck.

Bill and I stood poised with our left feet in front of us, me holding on dearly to the appropriate places, and Bill smiling like a goof. As the boat took off so did Bill and I, running about 6 paces before being pulled off the platform and into the air. It was amazing how quickly we gained height, as soon as we were off the platform we were floating up with the parachute.

As nervous as I had been, once we were up I was sold. Parasailing is one of the most exhilerating (while still relatively safe) things in the world. It was amazing to be so high up in the air, over clear blue water, looking over the beach in Monaco.

As you might be able to tell, this experience was one of the highlights of our trip, for me anyway, so far. I think Bill would agree, it was pretty awesome.

We still had a few days left in Nice, and we took advantage by eating some great seafood and hanging around the beach. Our last night there happened to be the same night as a music festival. Throughout the day bands were setting up on various corners of random blocks, and by the time the sun went down there was live music wherever you walked. It was a great night for hearing music and doing a bit of people watching. Bill and I walked down to the beach which is close to the heart of the city, and there were hundreds of young people hanging out on the pebbly beach and the boardwalk above it. Over the sea the huge harvest moon was rising and reflected a bright orange strip on the Mediterranean. The whole night was memorable.

Before we left for Barcelona (where I sit writing this) we found out that there would be another music festival here this evening and from our hotel right off las Ramblas I can hear a drummer warming up, so I think I’ll say good-bye for now...