Monaco...Cash Out!

The girls woke up energized and ready for our day's adventure...more excitingly, we were prepared for our night out in Monaco Monte Carlo!

The girls in Old Town Nice

Our first stop on this sunny day was to Plage De L'Opera. Although we loved Paris, nothing can beat a good beach. For only 5euros, Pauline, Jessica, and I had to try to Aerojump! Although I was getting quite skilled at the backflip, everybody (including the seven-year-old jumping next to me) showed off their double backflips and frontflips. Boo.

The Aerojump! Notice how I'm the only one not doing crazy, cool tricks.

So excited!

We took a wade in the water as the temperature was just right and explored Lumieres de Nice, a free art exhibit by Alexis Mossa. After the gallery, we headed off to Castle Hill.

Contrary to popular belief, the hill does not actually lead to a castle, but does provide a beautiful view! It is actually just a hill that serves as a natural fortress separating Old Town Nice from the Port of Nice. The Greeks actually selected Castle Hill for this very reason when protecting the Goddess of Victory: Nike.

From there, we walked to Palais Lascaris amidst the several small public art galleries all over teh city. The 17th century house is associated with the Lascaris-Vintimille family and as it's free and if one has time, it's worth a visit!

Views from Castle Hill

Once the evening hit, we headed off to our night in Monaco Monte-Carlo! Our studio hotel, the Monaco Adagio City Aparthotel Monaco Palais Josephine (whew!), even had it's own signs pointing the way throughout town!

After eating at Cafe de Paris, an affordable restaurant next to the Monte Carlo Casino, we headed inside to gamble! The Casino is highly sophisticated and is actually very quiet. In contrast to casinos in Vegas, the Monte Carlo is very small with only a handful of tables.

Note: It costs 10euros, but worth it to see inside the casino. If money is an issue, then just gamble to win back your entrance fee. Make sure to have a government-issued ID as well!

Monaco Monte Carlo - gorgeous!

The girls decided to play poker on the slot machines and luckily, I won 20euros and Julia broke even. Somehow, everybody else, went into debt! At the end of the day, anytime anyone was up, we would CASH OUT! And yes, the second I blew on Anne's coin, she scored three-of-a-kind. Woohoo!

We walked to the discotheque, Karament, that provided a good mix of French, Electro, and American music. Over the course of the night, our group turned down over 50+ guys - we just wanted to dance!

Our dancing crew!

Anne and I danced until about 5AM to which we decided it was time to go home. Woo, Monaco!

Nice is nice!

After four trains and six girls later, we finally made it to the French Riviera! As each girl arrived, we quickly ate at Fast Food China, your typical mom-and-pop inexpensive, but good eat restaurant.

We took a walk down Jean Jaures to the Museum of Modern Art and Contemporary Art (MOMAC). Not surprisingly, Nice is full of fountains and is quite quaint!

Middle of Old Town Nice

Surprisingly; however, my new favorite museum would have to be the MOMAC! With its multiple floors, the art is refreshingly presented and organized well. The building's architecture sits with Carrara marble towers that are linked with glass footbridges. The roof, which provides a magnificent view of the city is appropriately called the Jardin d'Eden (Garden of Eden). Beware though as Andy Warhol's works are heavily advertised, but there might only be one ("Dusty Diamond Shoes").

A temporary exhibition by Richard Long was arguably the most exciting! The British-born artist utilized a variety of forms from photography to painting. His works typically embody a response to his journeys across environmental spaces.

Richard Long's "Whitewater Falls"

Richard Long's "An Eight Day Walk in the Cairngorm Mountains"

Perhaps the most beautiful view of the Nice can be seen from the rooftop of the MOMAC. Of course, we held another photoshoot!

From the rooftop of the MOMAC

After walking around Old Town (which is beautiful at nighttime just as it is in the day), we had a delicious outdoor dinner at Le Pub Opera. The weather was fantastic and it was nice to have a ladies night out!

Eating outside at Le Pub Opera

Afterwards, we went to the only bar in town catering towards backpackers: Wayne's! Each night, the bar is packed with travelers and is the place in town to listen to music and dance on tables!

Wayne's Backpackers!

We barhopped to Blue Whales, another venue for live music, where we sat up close and personal to the stage. Before the night ended, Pauline, Julia, and I toured Nice at night. Apparently, the television show "High School Musical" is as popular globally as it is in the U.S.! Good night!

We all love "High School Musical"