2.10.2009

Nice & Monaco

As I was creating this post I told Chase, "Nice really was beautiful. I don't think we gave it enough credit." We have said that we liked it, but we weren't blown away by it. I think this is because of a couple reasons:
1-We stayed in a WHORE-IBLE hotel our first night
2-It rained 2 of the 3 days we were there

But it really was a cool city. Very narrow, windy streets and orange rooftops and gorgeous Mediterranean water. We had a good time. We also spent an afternoon in Monaco, which was only about 45 minutes from Nice (pronounced "niece") by bus. It's the most densely populated country in the world and has the highest average salary in the world. Yeah, tons of rich people live there.

That's Monte Carlo in the background...a super ritzy hotel and casino.

The harbor in Monaco at sunset.

Monaco is famous for holding the Grand Prix...Chase wanted to participate

This is the seagull who tried to kill me so he could have my cheese and crackers

The Jacques Cousteau marine museum in Monaco.

The harbor in Monaco

Chase and I were able to find the ward in Nice and we had a great time at church.

The bus to church got us there SUPER early, so we meandered around for a while and ran into these beautiful ruins.

The Matisse Museum, which we didn't go into because it was closed, but I thought it was cool looking.

Chase and I took a long walk along the Mediterranean Sea on one of our sunny days. Along the way we met a bird lady and Chase bonded with her. So sweet.

The beaches didn't have sand, just lots of beautiful, very smooth rocks.

Typical Chase behavior

I think Chase skipped rocks for an hour. We have such simple minds. Hey, at least it was free!

Looking tired at the Mediterranean Sea

A view of Nice from the Castle Hill Cemetary


Love the narrow streets and beautifully colored buildings

We went to an outdoor market where there were a lot of fresh fruits, vegetables, cheeses, breads, and flowers. I love France!

The residence of Henri Matisse for 17 years. At the end of the outdoor market.

Again, love the narrow streets....just so typically European!

We'd love to go back to the Mediterranean again, it was absolutely beautiful! Anyone up for a Mediterranean cruise??

7 comments:

Brittany said...

I'm game for any cruise! Sign me up!

kylie said...

me me me me me!!! oh my gosh, i want to go to france immediately. you guys got to see such a different side of the world! i love it. it's gorgeous. all the pictures are FABULOUS. great photography skills, you guys! is that matisse museum painted? that building looked so cool like someone painted the windows and doors. love the colorfulness of france. put me on the to go list dude. love you guys.

Alli Krewson said...

um ya--we're in. sooo beautiful! i love the pic of stone with the bird lady lol, CJ would have done the same thing. glad you guys made it home safe!

Bryn and Blaine said...

I have to agree, I like the narrow streets and bright colors. What a fun place to go just for the atmosphere. Were you too tired by this time to enjoy it?

Katherine Fajen said...

Sign me up!!!

Mama Runner Parker said...

Hey--this is pretty close to exactly where Steve served his mission! I'll have to ask him if he recognizes anything.
Nice is where we always talk about going to visit!

Michelle said...

love love love the pictures, glad that seagull didn't take your head off