Wednesday, March 4th 2015
I felt like my cousin Nysa this morning as I strapped my full camping backpack on and headed to class. In class the professor had trouble with the projector and asked for a ‘computer freak’ to help him out. Although I don’t like to identify with computer freak, I went up to help him and actually got it working. So, class got started (thanks to me) and we learned things (much less important than the rest of the blog post of course). I then put on my pack and walked to the train station. A few hours later, I walked out I was walking past palm trees! Yes, I was in the beautiful sunny Côte d’Azur, or the south of France! After asking a fair number of people I ended up on the correct bus… but didn’t really have a clue which stop to get on. I then remembered that Becky lived in Antibes, but the place that I had to get off didn’t match a stop. I ended up meeting a very nice old man who didn’t speak very much English at all, but he promised to help me find my stop. We had very broken conversation for parts of the hour long ride, as I was in awe by the beautiful scenery. He was telling me cute things, like it is expensive in Antibes and was antique (which I think he meant to say it was an old city).
After giving my thanks, I headed to Place de Gaulle. Unfortunately, it was quite a cloudy day, so it didn’t make the most amazing impression, but I took out my book and enjoyed the open air of France. I wandered into some of the shops… and then Becky found me in the orange store! (Yes, I went in to use their tablets that they have on display, because then you can use the internet) We gave big hugs and were so excited to see each other. For those readers who are just joining (meaning didn’t know me in HS), Becky is my best friend from high school. We played softball together and she is basically a sister to me. She is brilliant, and although only a sophomore, she is studying abroad here(She speaks fluent French)! We took a walk through Antibes and I was amazed by all of the quaint streets and cute alleys. Everywhere you turned there was a little shop or a family run business. We made it to her apartment, which is a nice studio apartment in the middle of Antibes. The first thing we did together was of course cook. We made a yummy dinner and spent the night hanging out and catching up, since we hadn’t seen each other since December. Being in Belgium, there is such great and cheap beer that we don’t drink much wine. But, now in France we are in wine land! I was very excited, because I very much like wine. So, we enjoyed a few glasses of wine before getting a good night’s sleep.
Thursday, March 5th 2015
Good morning to the beautiful and sunny Antibes. Yes, we an incredible blue sky day. This morning we walked to the bakery and picked up a brunch and brought it out onto the rocks to enjoy. I tried Quiche Loraine, which is a traditional quiche. It was creamy and salty. It was fantastic and reminded me of something from home that I still can’t place my finger on. We also had a chocolate croissant, which was light and airy and amazing. The water splashed up onto the rocks and we enjoyed a fantastic sea breeze. We did a mini photo-shoot, because the opportunity was too great.
Becky then left for class and I wandered the streets of Antibes. I have made one conclusion. No one works in the south of France. Everyone is always at cafés or walking around and shops are randomly closed at different times. I don’t understand how anything gets done (Becky says that it just doesn’t get done). Anyways, the streets were very cute and adorable. I climbed onto a bus to take me to the Cap d’Antibes. Here, I was able to walk right on the edge of the water. Everything was gorgeous. I don’t even know a better way to describe it. I spent the afternoon wandering the water’s edge, climbing onto rocks, taking pictures and enjoying the brilliant sun. Look at the slideshow to see more of a description of each part!
I made my way back to Becky’s apartment and we met up. We wandered around the town to find a restaurant that we wanted to go to for the evening. We picked one, so we went home to get ready. We got dressed up all fancy and did our hair and make-up. I have to say, I think Becky and I matched almost every day this week. During the day we both wore grey, going out we both wore purple-y maroon, and then the next day we both wore a purple-y pink. We went to Le Village for a purpose… we wanted to try escargot. In France, it is very normal to have price fix menus that are much cheaper than getting items a la carte and is their way of dining. So, of course we had to do it the French way and dine our way throughout the weekend. We first had baked mussels, which were quite yummy. But, the big deal was the escargot. It arrived to the table with tongs and a small fork. I sat there with the plate in front of me completely baffled. I had no clue what to do with these tools sitting there and these little shells. First the waitress came over to tell me what to do, which was translated through Becky. But, then the hostel came over and showed us. I think we were the conversation of the tables around us as they all tried to help us figure it out. The hostess took out the first snail. She left and I sat there with it on my fork. It was green and black and looked really weird. I sat with a terrified look on my face not sure that I wanted to put it in my mouth. Eventually I just did it, and it was really yummy! I actually kinda enjoyed it. We each seriously struggled getting the next five snails out of their little shells. There was this little twist we had to do with our wrist and a certain way to hold it that I can’t say we mastered. But, we ate them and actually enjoyed them. For our main meals, we shared two dishes. One was a piece of meat that had been seared and served with fries and zucchini (which didn’t end up being my favorite). The other was gnocchi with a mushroom sauce and foie gras. The gnocchi was fantastic. They were in square shapes and had a very creamy raw feeling (although its potatoes, so more just soft) center with a doughy outside. I had never tasted gnocchi that amazing. They were really something unique. The sauce that it was in was amazing… and I got to try foie gras. Foie gras isn’t exactly humane, but I have like chicken liver since I was a little kid, so I thought while in France I should try it. We got a little piece on top of our pasta. It was creamy and very very fatty. It basically melted in your mouth. I didn’t like it as much as chicken liver but I was glad that I had the opportunity to try it. I also didn’t hate it as much as Becky, who had absolutely no care for it at all. They ended the meal with crème Caramel, which was a yummy creamy custard with a coconut crust. It was quite good. Overall it was a very French meal.
We enjoyed the evening in Antibes and even stopped by a bar to meet up with some of her friends. We sat outside, which is so nice! The atmosphere is relaxed and really enjoyable.
Friday, March 6th 2015
Today we took a trip to Cannes, a beach town only a few stops away from Antibes. While waiting for the train we took a walk around the port. The boats were amazing and the view was fantastic. We spent most of the time fantasizing about have one of these boats or taking a ride on them.
We headed directly to the beach, passing through many big name, expensive stores which we couldn’t even imagine walking in. There was a huge conference that we had to avoid, but eventually made it onto the sand. I committed and took off my shoes so I could enjoy the ocean. We put down our jackets and were walking around in just our long sleeves. And to think a few days ago I was wearing a heavy jacket, scarf, hat and gloves! The cold water rushed our toes and surprised us. We played in the water and enjoyed the beauty. There were sailboats out in the distance. They day before, I had seen a sign to go water skiing and of course wanted to, but just afterwards saw a speed boat on the water and how much it was bouncing. The desire was immediately removed. We then went to Becky’s favorite restaurant in Cannes for lunch. I ordered sole (which is a fish) and was very shocked to find out that it came whole, bones and face in all. To took me awhile to be able to eat any decent amount of the fish, but eventually I managed to figure out how to eat it. At some point the waiter said to me ‘be careful’. What a lovely thing when your waiter tells you to be careful when eating your food. It was very tasty, and even came with vegetables! I think this is the first place in Europe where my meals come with sides of vegetables. Now, the vegetables are covered in butter, but at least they are there! We got to sit outside, which is the norm in the South of France. The meal was very enjoyable, although a lot of work. For dessert we had crème brulee and tiramisu. They were amazing! Particularly the crème brulee. I had never eaten a crème brulee that I enjoyed as much as this one. The sugar was crusty and perfect on the top and the custard was fantastic. It had an amazing taste and was the perfect consistency.
We walked off lunch as we went down the boardwalk and enjoyed the fantastic day. We saw the handprints of many stars in the cement. This is where the Cannes film festival takes place, so it is well known for the famous people that come by. We took pictures on the ‘red carpet’ and walked around the building where the film festival takes place.
We then climbed up the hill to the fortress and cathedral, which gave us a spectacular view of the city. There was an instant where I wish I had listened to my mother and brought a roll of toilet paper with me, but you live and learn. We walked into a nice chapel and enjoyed the view.
We wandered the surrounding area of the city quite a bit before heading to walk along the ports. We really enjoy seeing the large boats. We found some great rocks to sit on and watched as the water crashed into the levy. We did some people watching before walking back through all of the shopping areas and taking the train back to Antibes. We stopped to get a snack on the way back, so I could try a crepe. I got the basic sugar version. It was good, although clearly not freshly made, so as much as I enjoyed it, I’ll have to try another one. |
That night we took advantage of the delicious brie that France has to offer and baked a piece of it for dinner. Yum! We went to bed early to prepare for our big day tomorrow.
Saturday, March 7th 2015
This morning I woke up and got dressed early so I could check out the market in Antibes. It was a flea market, but really interesting. It seemed like people just set up stands to sell their own antiques and stuff. It was really interesting to look at, but nothing of desire really. I walked back to meet with Becky and we headed out.
On the way to the train station we stopped at a café for breakfast to get freshly made crepes. They were very good. Mine came with apricot jam in it. Yum! We then got on the train and enjoyed the most scenic train ride I think I’ve ever been on. We were heading to Monaco with the intention of walking the entire country in one day! The ride from Nice to Monaco was fantastic. We rode on the edge of the water and saw many little towns as we rode by. When we arrived in Monaco, we walked up the cliff to the Palace. Unlike the other castles I’ve visited, the royalty actually still lives in here! So, clearly we couldn’t go in. It wasn’t the most elaborate of palaces from the outside, but the view was fabulous. In multiple directions you could see the sea as well as all of Monaco and Monte Carlo. We looked at the view and took lots of pictures. We then started to wander the old town (which is all on the top of the cliff). We wandered into a boutique which we thought would be way too expensive for us. They ended up having a deal on jewelry, and I got a pair of very cute earrings. While in the store I fell in love with this long necklace that was shiny and beautiful, which was on sale but not in the deal. It was originally 70 euros and on sale for 40, but I didn’t really want to spend that much money on jewelry. I ended up noticing that there was one gem missing… so they gave me half off and I bought it for 20 euros! How freaking amazing! We talked about that deal for the rest of the day.
We wandered into a park that had lots of people skateboarding and seemed to be very much for locals. It of course also had beautiful views. We then found a garden that actually had flowers! After all of my traveling in January and February it was so nice to see flowers! It was actually really surprising to me. So, we spent some time wandering the garden before heading back into the shopping area to look for a place for lunch.
There were many options, but we found one with the perfect price fix menu for us. First we each had caprese salad. It was very good and nice and light and very fresh. But, then our meal came. I had salmon, which came with vegetables and a baked potato. But the best part was the sauce that it came with. It was creamy and flavorful. The salmon itself was cooked perfectly. The entire meal was just delicious. It was no doubt my favorite yet, and we hadn’t even gotten to dessert. Becky got chicken, which she was expecting to be normal, but she said ‘I’ve never eaten chicken cooked this way and so delicious!’. It was very moist and had a really nice flavor. To top off the already amazing meal, we had chocolate mousse for dessert. It wasn’t crazy whipped like the ones in America. It was almost a combination of a chocolate soufflé and a mousse. It was airy and delicious and really had a nice dark chocolate flavor. I was very much in heaven.
We then walked down the cliff and headed toward the Monte Carlo side. On the way we saw an ice rink. Initially we were very excited and thought it could be fun to skate in the nice outside warmth, but then we realized that it had a layer of water on top! If you fell you got quite wet! We immediately changed our minds, but enjoyed watching the people skate around. We then went to the docks to walk past the boats. |
Even in all of my time in Ocean Reef I have never been so shocked by the boats. They were HUGE! One had a helicopter on the top of it. We just walked down the aisle, observed each one and pictured how it would be like to have one. But then it was so outrageous I couldn’t even imagine stepping foot onto one. There were lots of different designs and things to look at. I was in shock. |
We then climbed up the other side of the cliff to Monte Carlo. The building itself was gorgeous. We took a look into the Monte Carlo casino and were actually surprised. For how gorgeous and amazing the exterior and lobby was, the casino was pretty boring. We went down the street into a different casino to experience it. We of course are very high rollers, so we made our way to the penny slots. It actually took us quite awhile to figure it out, but once we did we celebrated each success and were sad at each lost. We started with 10 euros, and at one point we had earned 11 cents! So we had 10 euros and 11 cents!! It was a huge success. Of course we wanted to have more fun and gambled our 11 cents away, but that is ok. We had a great time for an hour or so and then left only with a euro and half lost. We walked back onto the street and the Hotel Paris was straight ahead. This is one of the most expensive hotels to stay in, and is clearly quite well known. So, we strolled in the lobby like we owned the place. We made it safely to the stairs without being shown the door and walked up a few flights, looking off of the balconies and checking out the decorations. We of course even snuck in a few pictures. When we were done observing the hotel we clearly didn’t belong in, we walked back down to the lobby and walked straight out. We took a walk around Monte Carlo, seeing lots of amazing views of the outside of the casino and the port. We walked back down the hill and made our way to the train station.
We must have taken the perfect train, because the views out of the window were fantastic. The sun was just starting to set as our train left and the sky was filled with beautiful colors and it reflected amazingly on the water. We rode past many seaside villages and port towns. My eyes were glued to the window the entire time. Becky brought up the question… what if your siblings were here. We joked about how fun it would be to have the whole ‘family’ together (because Becky is my second sister).
When we got back to Antibes, we made some dinner and got ready to go out. We watched Hairspray while drinking wine and getting ready, which was the most hilarious evening. There was nothing more entertaining than that. It was a fantastic time and Becky and I were loving each others company. WE then made the long walk to the club. We didn’t go to the club for a long time, but it was so much fun to dance and be out with Becky. The evening was fantastic and we very much enjoyed ourselves.
Sunday, March 8th 2015
This morning, we got up and packed my things. WE headed towards the train to take me to the airport. But on the way we stopped at the market. I got lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, which tasted fantastic. There was also a clothing market right on the other side of the produce market. We looked at jewelry and clothes. We ended up buying scarfs (we got matching orange scarves). We stopped at the bakery one to get breakfast/lunch for the train ride. Becky took me on the train and brought me to the airport (it was so confusing I would have never found it!). I then waved goodbye to the beautiful weather and palm trees of Southern France, gave Becky a huge hug goodbye, and headed to my plane.
When I landed in Brussels I was taken by surprise by the beautiful blue sky and warm weather. I thought I had just left Southern France! Did I get on the right plane? It turns out that I must have brought the beautiful weather back to Belgium with me, because it was 16 degrees Celsius and bright blue skies! When I got back to my dorm, I took my bike on a trip around the Leuven parks. I couldn’t waste the beautiful day!
Leuven was hopping! I have never seen the city so lively and excited, especially on a Sunday! Everyone was eating outside, walking around the streets, playing games in the parks and out and about. I was so happy to be a resident of this city! I went to the botanical garden in Leuven. It was very nice. I walked around and saw lots of plants and flowers. There was a lovely purple flower garden. There were a few greenhouses that you could walk into. There was lots of fruits and vegetable bushes/trees that hadn’t yet bloomed. There were cute ponds to walk around and some fountains. I took a nice break by a fountain and sat and enjoyed the beautiful sun. It was a very lovely and relaxing afternoon.
I biked to another park with a very pretty bridge, that I walked over. I made my way finally to the city park before heading home and cleaning my room to get ready for the next week.
I have to say I had a fantastic weekend. When I showed up to Antibes, the weather was cloudy and gloomy, but that was only the very first evening. Every single other day and moment was clear sunny skies and warm weather. I couldn’t have asked for better weather, friendship or adventures.