A musical soundtrack to the weekend in Nice - Part 5

I have zero pictures from Sunday in Nice....after the bus mishaps, I lost the will to enjoy taking pictures.

"Sunrise" by Norah Jones

The day was started at a decent time, enjoying the sunrise over the harbor.  Such a peaceful place before everyone wakes up.  I loved the hotel....it was totally worth a few extra euros for a bay view.  I woke up looking out over the bay and enjoying the tranquility that it brings.

I had breakfast at the hotel and then headed to the bus stop, fully intending on a day in St. Paul de Vence, which is a hill town outside of Nice.  I had until 9:30pm for my flight, so I figured I could kill the day in a hill town, enjoying the wine, doing some shopping and just relaxing.  I got the bus to the center of Nice, went first to the TI to find out where bus 400 was picking up and then went exactly where they told me to go.  I thought life was looking up.

I waited about 45 minutes for a bus and a lot of them came, but none of them were mine. 

"Waitin for the bus" by ZZ Top -or- "The bus will come" Radio Music Theatre Houston (can't remember the exact show...I think Hotter than Houston)

There was a large crowd and all of us had directions from the TI to wait there.  I figured I would wait another 30 minutes to see what happened.  At that point, people started to get really frustrated.  A lady that spoke some French grabbed the next bus driver and found out for all of us that the bus was actually picking up 3 stops away and we could all get on to that stop.  I jumped on, just to be moving somewhere. 

At the next stop, I realized why it was such a mess.  An Ironman was occurring on the Promenade, which meant that traffic was snarled all over the place. 

The theme to Rocky

I proceeded to get hit on by a French man who spoke very little English (enough to ask if I had kids and did I want to have his).  At this point, I've waited 2 hours for a bus and have given up all hope.  So I wandered onto the promenade and had lunch on the beach, burned to a crisp again and read.  More redneck songs running through my head.

I ended up reading almost the entire afternoon, people watching and trying to get back to a zen stage after the bus incident.  I strolled the promenade, clapped for some runners/bikers and then caught the bus to the airport.  Airport went much better this time because I checked in appropriately!  Scored the 2nd row plane seat by the window, which made for an easy run to the train in the airport and a quick late night bike ride to the apartment. 

Successfully ticked off Nice....Budapest next weekend!

A musical soundtrack to the weekend in Nice - Part 4

After the church, I continued up the hill to the Jacques Cousteau museum, which includes an aquarium.  I had high hopes considering JC is considered the father of marine biology.  The setting was incredible....the aquarium was interesting at best.  I would recommend Monterrey in CA or Atlanta before I would remotely consider this one, but I'm glad to say I've been. 

"Just keep swimming" or "Bubbles!!!!!" - Finding Nemo:

 

After that, I caught the tourist train because I wanted to say I had ridden down the same street as the Grand Prix.

"Life in the fast lane" by the Eagles

Which I can now say that I have ridden on the Grand Prix track.  Totally worth the euros to get to the Monte Carlo this way - I didn't have to mess with the bus system!

"The Gambler" by Kenny Rogers

I wandered into the main hall of the casino and immediately felt under dressed.  I couldn't believe the money walking around....I also couldn't believe that money could be shaped in the form of a human, a lot of whom were about my age.  Must have been old money inheritance or I've been really lazy in my life.  I also know that the casino is the worst possible use of that money.  I was totally judging those people.

"Mo Money Mo Problems" by Notorious B.I.G.

There were banks on every corner.  My understanding per RS is that there are about 10,000 actual Monaconites (??) and 3 banks / registered corporations for every one of those citizens.  Tax havens are always in the most beautiful places (I'm looking at you Switzerland and Bermuda!).

Fancy Barclays.

There were signs of regular life though....on my way out of town, whilst waiting for the bus (again) I saw a guy whose moped had broken down and he was being towed by a friend in a minivan, which invoked:

"Busted" by Ray Charles

I headed back to Monaco on the stupid bus with no notification of stops, but got lucky again and recognized some of the sites just prior to my stop and got off on time.  The hotel had an amazing view over the harbor with a restaurant, so instead of the climb to the old town, I enjoyed a clam pasta and wine overlooking the harbor and some more reading.  What a great day!

A musical soundtrack to the weekend in Nice - Part 3

So the second day started off with a bit of a sleep in to recover from the 4AM start of the previous day.  I slept with the sliding door open to hear the ocean....I could post a soundtrack for ocean sounds, but that seems a bit too much for this blog.

I'm running out of bus songs, but this was the only day on the trip where the buses didn't send me over the edge in frustration so it really didn't justify a song.  I knew where my bus was at from the previous night and I happened to get one that had announcements of stops (score!) and a big screen telling you what was coming.  I could post any song that has the word Hallelujah in it to describe how I was feeling about that.

"We will rock you" by Queen

First order of business was to watch the Australia vs. British/Irish Lions rugby game, which started at noon. I'm officially a rugby fan and the British/Irish Lions tour only happens once every four years.  Saturday was the first test match against the Wallabies and since this vacation was about relaxing and not running to sites, I figured it was definitely a good use of my time.  I found a bar called "Stars 'n Bars" on the water front that showed the game with sound and joined just about every Brit/Irish/Aussie in a 30 mile radius to watch the game.  Any vacation day that starts with a beer before noon is most likely a good day.  I didn't see any stars in the bar (other than me, of course) but it definitely had great ambience and looked like a place a star would go (ie. it didn't feel like a Planet Hollywood, which would have been lame).

"I wanna be a billionaire" by Travie McCoy ft. Bruno Mars (RADIO version, seriously, RADIO version)

Here is the harbor for Monaco:

This is not reality.  I can't believe this exists on the same planet as me (or any other human for that matter).  Here is evidence that I existed in approximation to this type of money:

All of these yachts got me singing....

"Redneck Yacht Club" by Craig Morgan

A bit different, no?  My membership application is pending....for the next 50 years.  Oh and I need to buy a yacht first that looks like one of those above.

Here is where it gets a bit fuzzy.  I think the next picture is of an NBA player heading onto his yacht.  I had moved above the harbor at this point, so it was hard to zoom in to see who, but he was definitely of the right size to be one.  My first thought was Shaq (and subsequently hoping the yacht was named Kazaam).  I'm going to assume it was Shaq and say I saw him heading onto this yacht:

After that, I roamed further up the hill to see the old town, taking some pictures along the way, mostly of ocean, which always gets me singing:

"Ocean Front Property in Arizona" by George Strait, the king

I finally found the old town after a lot of climbing, but first saw the palace for the prince of Monaco (which RS disappointed me by telling me he has no real power).

"Famous in a Small Town" by Miranda Lambert

For someone with no real power, he has a lot of guards!  I guess everyone is someone in Monaco!

The old town was the best part of Monaco.  It was so quaint that I didn't need an inner soundtrack to spruce it up:

I then headed to the church where Princess Grace and Prince Rainier were married.

"Chapel of Love" by the Dixie Cups

Grace and I not only share a last name, but also a love for gorgeous architecture in a church.  This place is incredible - there was something new to look at around every corner.  It was a bit dark considering the setting, giving it a gothic feel that toned down the excitement of Monaco, which I thought was very reverent.  The small stained glass was gorgeous and I seemed to hit it just as the light was coming through at the right angle.  The graves were appropriately somber and didn't have a tacky air to them at all.

Part 4 to come.....

A musical soundtrack to the weekend in Nice – Part 2

Part 2....

"Blue Skies" (Willie Nelson cover and/or Frank Sinatra's classic)

The weather in Nice was incredible.  I can't imagine a more beautiful day....had me whistling about blue skies smiling at me.  It really was like something out of a movie. I took a stroll down the Promenade to enjoy the scene.  I sat at a bench for a bit and enjoyed the people watching and to take this photo:

 

 

"Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini" by Brian Hyland

The amount of clothing people wore was enough to make the average person blush.  Whilst I was careful to avoid specific places that I knew were of the clothing optional variety, I noticed that even public beaches were not necessarily optional, but super slimmed down on the amount of material required to qualify as a swimsuit, both for women and for men.  I have never seen that many speedos in my life, which led to the next song...

"When you've got it, flaunt it" - included in the score to The Producers (the musical)

All of those lyrics are applicable...."When you got it, let it hang out"; "When you got it, share it. Let the public feast upon your charms." However, most of the people were not of Uma Thurman quality physique (and who is really?).  So there was a lot of sharing going on that was not necessary.  I felt bad about my one piece bathing suit.....and as a result couldn't bring myself to pull it on during the trip.  But that had more to do with....

"You're no good" by Linda Ronstadt

The sun and I have a love hate relationship.   Specifically, I love the sun and it hates me back.  The sun is no good for me.  I decided to enjoy a brunch on the beach under a huge umbrella.  I put on sunscreen, got my book out (Netherland by Joseph O'Neill - my first foray into learning cricket via fiction) and enjoyed a great baguette, jam, tea and orange juice.  I probably sat for 2.5 hours.  When I put my backpack on, I noticed some stinging on my shoulders....definitely burned to a crisp in that short time frame on my shoulders and neck.  Which led to....

"Redneck Girl" by the Bellamy Brothers

I was a true redneck on Monday at work....the pattern continued.  That is the primary reason I couldn't bring myself to do the bathing suit.  I did get this great picture from my breakfast spot on the beach:

 

"Price tag" by Jessie J ft. B.O.B.

After roaming the promenade some more, I strolled on to this:

which is the famous casino in Nice.  I then saw this:

which I know is a display, but I saw these everywhere actually in motion.  Clearly, Jessie J is wrong....it is about the money.  You can put a price on love if you vacation in Nice.  And Nice does need your money. It is seriously pricey in Nice. 

After that wandering around, I headed to the bus stop to catch the bus to Villefranche-sur-mer which was my home base for the weekend.  I did stop to get some ice cream at another location of the 9000 flavor place, which was good.  My feet were feeling it at this point, so I figured a nice rest in the hotel room followed by a dinner in the old town was just what the doctor ordered.

"Going in Circles" by Three Dog Night

Seriously, this will become more pronounced as I continue with blog posts about Nice, but the bus system there is almost indecipherable.  I walked to the spot where the bus for Monaco should have been with a stop in the village I was staying in.  Not there.  I walked all the way back to the TI, got a map and then headed back in the same direction and finally found the stop after wandering aimlessly and in circles for about an hour.  But it showed up...it was packed like sardines, but I pushed my way on and had a standing spot near the listing of stops (key).  Again, the stops were not announced and we just flew by about 2 out of every 3.  Luckily....

"Save Tonight" by Eagle Eye Cherry

I had an eagle eye and caught a short glimpse of a hotel I knew to be close to the one I was staying as we flew by it through about 8 6' tall other bus passengers.  Seriously, I got lucky!  I pressed the button as quickly as I could and then made the short hike back up to my hotel.

"Sittin on the dock of the bay" by Otis Redding

Pictures from my hotel and room:

At that point, I put on my only tube dress and headed down to the pool to sleep and read.  That went well.  Plenty of shade and a great chair.  That's a vacation I don't do, but I did it.  Super proud.

"Je Suis Seul de Coir" from the Midnight in Paris soundtrack

 

I headed to the old town after that and had an amazing pasta dinner overlooking the harbor.  I read some and enjoyed the weather, ambience and the quiet of the smaller bay village life.

 

Part 3, Monaco coming

A musical soundtrack to the weekend in Nice – Part 1

My blog titles keep expanding.  I’m becoming worse at being succinct and to the point….I think it’s because I use all of that bluntness up at work.  When I get home, I’m excited about being verbose.  Thus the life of an accountant.

I went to Nice last weekend.  All weekend, I had a virtual playlist running in my head.  It seemed that every sight invoked a new song.  Some people talk to themselves when they have ample amounts of free time alone.  Some people, like me, sing.  At least it was never out loud…just in my head.  Like that episode of Scrubs where the woman hears life only as a musical.  That’s what I heard all weekend.  There are worse things!

“Leaving on a Jet Plane” by John Denver

I left on Friday morning super early – i.e. I was out of bed at 4AM and on my bike by 4:40 to catch the 5:00 train to Schiphol.  By the time I got to the airport, I was dazed and confused.  Bike rides that early are thrilling and disorienting.  I learned that when put to the task, I can be at the train station in 8 minutes from my flat.  Not bad!  How did you do it with luggage, you might be wondering?  Ah, the beauty of backpacking.  Seriously, there’s nothing cooler than slugging on a backpack and hoping on a bike to catch a train.  I flew Transavia.com this time, which sounds super cheap and gross, but it must be somehow related to KLM because all of the airport attendants were KLM. 

“Wanted: Dead or Alive” by Bon Jovi

I will say they need to do a better job of marking their boarding passes though.  At that early in the morning, I had printed the document sent via email when I booked.  At the top, it stated very clearly that I should bring this document to the airport to board.  It didn’t say anything about checking in.  Nor did the kind lady at the luggage area say anything about checking in.  Nor did the security officers – they just sent me through.  That my friends, is how you get back to a gate without a boarding pass: carry a piece of paper that appears to be official (in this case a printed pdf).  At the gate, I got concerned when they were scanning other pieces of paper, all of which had bar codes on them.  I noticed mine didn’t have a seat number or a bar code, but I figured no matter, this is like Southwest, right?  The cost was certainly in the ballpark.

Ever almost created an international incident?  No?  Well, I have the distinct pleasure of saying now that I almost have.  The Dutch lady at the gate was none too happy that I made it all the way back to a gate without an approved boarding card.  I got a stern lecture about appropriate airport behavior and was told that I was lucky they were letting me on.  I didn’t want to argue, so I left it at that.  But I’m a seasoned flyer.  I go everywhere by air.  I think both are at fault – Transavia should have clearly labeled “This is not a boarding pass” on the stuff they sent when I booked.  They also should have sent an email for me to check in online – never got one.  The nice lady at luggage should have stopped me.  Security should have stopped me.  I should have been smart enough to figure out I was missing something important.  It was 6AM.  Give me a break.  I’m not smart at that hour.

“Lean on Me” by Bill Withers

No matter, I got on the flight bound for Nice.  Because I was literally the last person to check in, I got a middle seat at the back of the plane for bad behavior.  I ended up with a guy who clearly had not gone to bed from the night before next to me, who proceeded to use my shoulder as a pillow and half my seat as his own.  There was a distinct odor: I call it “Last Night’s Regret by Drunk Dude who won’t use the window to lean against”.  It wasn’t nice (pun intended).  Flight could not have ended earlier.  The cool part was that the flight went in right over the water in Nice and there were incredible views of the Alps and the ocean all at once.  I couldn’t reach my camera because I was handicapped by Drunk Dude, but I’ll let you imagine…think grand.

“Wheels on the bus” by no one

I got off the plane in a hurry and headed for the bus platform, which I found relatively easy to navigate.  6 Euros got me to the center of Nice (RS said it was 4, but no matter).  The buses I found in Nice were dreadful.  No real organization, just random stops and no announcement of said stops.  I really had no clue where I needed to get off because we kept flying by stops and I had no idea which part of the route we were on.  I decided that I would spend Friday in Nice, seeing what there was to see and then head to Villefranche-sur-mer where my hotel was at.  I decided breakfast first was in order so I hopped off at what I thought looked like the Old Town and got lucky.  The first thing I see is 2 bars right next to each other, one for Amsterdam and one for Oxford.  I can’t escape reminders of work!

 

“These boots are made for walking” by Nancy Sinatra

A bit of an interlude here to note I brought 2 pairs of shoes, which I was proud of my discretion in light packing.  It turned out to be the worst decision.  I switched to some casual sandals from my ballet flats at the airport and quickly realized that walking in those shoes was going to be impossible.  So I switched back to ballet flats and then “Houston, we have a problem”: those hurt as well.  These boots were not made for walking.  I basically limped my way through Nice and Monaco for the weekend.  I will never light pack on shoes again.

 

French accordion music:

The Old Town of Nice was beautiful.  A bit seedy the way only the French can pull off, but amazing none the less.  I saw the church and the famous gelato stand that has about 87 flavors of ice cream, most of which you wouldn’t feed a pet, much less consume yourself(Avocado? Yuck).  I enjoyed a fresh squeezed orange juice on the main plaza, which squeezed 4 euros out of me.   That is when I realized I was not in the Netherlands anymore….everything was super expensive!  The weather was the other sign.  I slipped out of my long sleeved work shirt and wasn’t cold…in fact I thought I might even be sweating a bit.

 

 

I then wandered down the open air market where they sold all manner of items.  It was a bit like Paris, but not as big.  I walked very slow and just enjoyed the hustle of fish hawkers, fruit mongers and cheese sellers. What a scene.

 

Part 2 coming…..

The one picture I have from the wedding

I only got one picture from the wedding, but it says it all.  Based on this one picture, it's a miracle that T and I survived 3+ years working together!

That's a cake.  I missed it being moved unfortunately.  I really want to know how that was done.  It had to be taller than me (I know that's not a stretch, but seriously, that's a stretch for a cake).

Happy Father's Day and other updates

It has been a whirlwind 3 weeks!  I think tonight I finally figured out what time zone, country code I'm in and cut through that fogginess that comes with transatlantic travel.

Last weekend I headed home, flying out on Friday morning, landing on Friday afternoon, spending a very short 48 hours on the ground and then flying back on Sunday afternoon, landing on Monday morning and then going straight to work after a shower.  If I didn't see you while I was home, I apologise.  I had a very strict Excel itinerary to stick to.  Yes, I am that nerdy.  Here are a few of the highlights:

1.  Attending a rehearsal dinner for a wedding on Friday night and almost falling asleep during the main course (and head in steak).  And cue leaving early.
2.  Shopping with my mom and A on Saturday morning.  Found pants for work!!!!  I will no longer look like a bag lady after this Friday.  I also found out that I've lost 13 pounds and I'm closing in on pre-starting work weight of 8 years ago.  Woohoo!!
3.  Mom went the extra mile and did 2 extra shops for me to find the same pants to purchase again.  YEA!!!
4.  Some success for A & A's wedding - mom has her dresses covered.  I have one of mine that I will recycle from this wedding.  Just need to find that green one.
5.  Visited with T&D and saw baby A again.  What a cutie!  Miss them so much....it was nice to get a few hours together.
6.  Raced to L's apartment to get ready for the wedding and pre-game with some Astros baseball and girl talk. 
7.  Wedding - one of the best weddings I have ever been to.  Dancing started the moment reception began and wasn't over when I left around 1.  So fun and such great people to catch up with.
8.  A came over for lunch and then I flew out.  Phew...what a weekend.
9.  I learned that Benadryl (and a super crazy weekend) are my secret to sleeping on overnight flights.  I popped one and fell asleep before we took off.  I woke up about 5 hours in and waited in line for the loo, then fell back asleep instantly.  It helped that I had an empty seat in the middle.  I slept right through breakfast.  Unfortunately, I looked like I had slept through the flight....I had my work clothes with me and was going to change at the airport and go straight through, but realised quite quickly that a shower was a necessity.  I hate the fact that I needed to drug myself to sleep, but I felt pretty fantastic most of Monday.  Maybe I was still on a high from the wedding or maybe it was the added bonus of clear sinuses.  And for those that suggest Melatonin going forward - those things are like sugar pills to me.  I have never slept on those.

That's about it from the Houston weekend.  This weekend has been calm.  I've been on a reading kick lately....a colleague at work suggested a book club and since then, I can't seem to put them down.  I've read The Great Gatsby, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, and The Dinner for the club....and we haven't even announced the first meeting.  I've been trying to read all of the books I have on my iPad that I never got around to reading.  I also discovered the American Book Centre here in the Hague, which has a great selection of the English books (and it's just cute). 

This weekend did contain a bit of a bummer.  My bike was stolen from out front of my flat.  I was hoping maybe someone just borrowed it and would bring it back, but no such luck.  I went down to 3 different bike stores again, but ended up going to the one I bought the original and got the same bike again.  And this time, I got the insurance.  Insurance apparently is not for fools.  I also found out that a hail storm went through my neighborhood in Houston where I still have a house and apparently I need a new roof.  So I'll be on the phone with insurance adjusters and roofers to get that taken care of.   Yuck.

I saw The Great Gatsby this weekend.  It was an interesting take on the book - I'm not sure I appreciated the use of pop music strewn throughout the score.  The 1920s was rich with such great lyrics and rhythms that I don't understand why artistically they couldn't stay with the period.  The costumes were incredible and I'm a sucker for Toby.  It was extremely true to the book, which I enjoyed as well.  Tom was just as swarmy as I imagined him.

Last but not least, today is Father's Day and definitely not the first I've been away.  From all of the summers on the road in university and workcamps/mission trips in high school and post college during the summer, my post childhood years have been a steady string of dates not spent with dad.  So in honor of Dad's day, I'll share some of my most favorite times with dear old dad:

1.  During college, especially during the first year, my dad sent me a card almost every week, just because.  Most of them were of the humorous nature, but some were just sweet with an encouraging word in them.  All of them, without exception, made it up on my bulletin board and by the end of the semester, I would have to clear it off when I moved out for the next set of cards.  It meant so much to me to know that he cared enough to pick something up every week, find a stamp and a post office and send a card telling me how much he loved me and was proud of me.  To this day, when he knows I'm having a rough time or just because, I have an email from him with something funny or just a few words wishing me well.  And he never forgets Valentine's Day.  He wins the best "sweet" dad award.  That doesn't sound very manly, but it's true.

2.  Dad is unintentionally funny and has a great sense of humor about himself.  He is super smart and generally uses common sense more than the average human.  However, sometimes, even he falls victim to the occasional blip.  Everyone has a first memory and mine is a silly incident in which one of these blips occurred.  I was about 5ish (maybe 4), we had gone out on a bike ride.  I was on the back of Dad's Schwin and Mom had a little A on the back of her bike.  At the time, the neighborhood was still being built and there were construction sites everywhere.  On these bike rides, it was our habit to take bags to pick up aluminum cans from the sites to recycle for change, which went into college funds.  I learned a lot on these bike rides - i.e. how cool construction is, the importance of saving for college and working hard, how many cans a bag can hold before it starts to overflow and cans are strewn everywhere, etc.  On this ride, Dad stopped at a site to pick up 2 beer cans.  For some unknown reason, these cans were completely full and had not been opened.  Dad didn't want to leave the cans, so he had a momentarily lapse in common sense and decided to open the cans right there and then.  Apparently they had been shaken, not stirred for a good amount of time and had not settled.  The can sprayed straight into his face and then he did what only any natural reaction would cause one to do, spray it away from oneself.  In this incident, the direction happened to be at me, my mom and his 2 year old son.  We were instantly covered in beer.  It was the greatest bike ride I have ever had (Dutch bikes included).  I'm so glad that my first memory is of laughing so hard I cried and seeing my mom do the same.  Such a happy memory.  And then getting hosed off in the yard because we smelled of stale Coors Light.

3.  Any time fishing with my dad is a great time.  Mostly because he does very little fishing and lots of untangling, baiting and taking fish off.  It used to be that he did that for us kids as well as his own line.  I learned in my older years that he spends a lot of time doing this for himself as well.  It's not a good trip unless the reel creates a mess only Jesus can untangle.

Love you dad and I miss you!