Day 19: Shopping Break

Today we woke up super early (aka left our hostle at 8AM) to go to the Accademia Gallery before we left Florence! By the time we go there, it was about 8:10, and there was a pretty long line. However, it opened at 8:15 so we were hoping then the line would go fast. Unfortunately, it turns out they only let people in in groups every 10-15 min, so we ended up not getting in until 9AM. T__T We were worried about being able to get back to our hostel in time, but clearly there was no need, as the whole museum took us literally 45 minutes to see. Of course, everyone is there to see Michelangelo's David. It's displayed really well, and it's so monumental and impressive! But that's really all there is to see there haha. There are rooms with other sculptures from around Florence, and a bunch of biblical paintings, but it was pretty meh. So, we stood in line for an hour and paid 11 euros just to see David! (And no photos allowed inside :( )

Afterwards, we went back to the hostel and packed up. Then we stopped at Vestri, the first gelateria we went to, for our last gelato in Florence! I have to say, this place is still my favorite, just because of their Stracciatella! (I realized, it's more unique because it actually has chocolate covered nuts in it, rather than just plain chocolate) I decided to splurge and get a waffle cone too! Yummmm

Fave combo: Nocciola (hazelnut) & Stracciatella (chocolate chip)!

We then walked to the train station, making a stop at Santa Maria Novella right beforehand, so Stephanie could visit it. I'm not real big on churches and didn't want to pay the entrance fee, so I just waited for her outside haha. While I was sitting outside, an Italian family also sat near me to have a picnic lunch, and their baby daughter was pretty mischievous. They were eating salami with bread, and she literally just took her piece of salami and threw it on the floor!

We got to the station right in time to board our train to Rome! It was pretty full, but we were able to fit all our luggage. And then I pretty much napped the whole 1.5-hour ride. Once we arrived, it was just a short walk to our hostel! This hostel was definitely not as nice as the one in Florence >.< (Although it's cheaper, and I think Rome is a more expensive city for housing) But at least the wifi reaches our room! Yess I have regular access to internet again! ^__^

Stephanie and I decided to take a break from sightseeing to go shopping this afternoon! We walked down the Via del Corso, and I bought a ring and a scarf, while she bought a maxi skirt! We also stopped by Giolitti, a famous gelateria that serves 70 different flavors!! It was kind of a madhouse inside, so we decided to just sit down and order in at the tables (it's more expensive, but we were tired of walking and didn't want to push through the crowds waiting at the counter). We got a large sundae with 4 flavors: dark chocolate, dark cherry, blackberry, and watermelon! It wasn't amazing, but it was fun to try the different flavors! Kind of reminds me of Fenton's!

There's a music festival going on this weekend, with live bands performing! (At Piazza del Popolo)

Our giant sundae! Cost 9 euros :(

For dinner, the restaurant we tried going to was actually closed today (there were a lot closed today for some reason) so instead we went to a place next door called da Robertino. Here I was finally able to try Italian bruschetta and lasagna! Both were delicious, and we were super full afterwards! Then we just walked back to our hostel, and are trying to sleep early again tonight so we can try to go to the Vatican Museum super early tomorrow. (It's free on the last Sunday of the month, so there will be TONS of people there.... >.<)

Day 18: More Gelato!

Did I mention how much I love our hostel in Florence? And they have such a nice breakfast spread (included!) in the morning! The Nutella packets are so cute too!

Nutella, croissant, and wafer thing for breakfast!

In the morning, we tried to go to the Accademia Gallery to see Michelangelo's David, but when we got there there was a HUGE line. And upon standing in it for a few minutes, we learned that the museum workers had actually gone on strike and thus the museum wouldn't be opening until 11AM! (It was 10:40 when we got there) So we decided to save it for tomorrow, and instead we headed over to the Mercato Centrale, a large market with produce and dried goods. It was really neat seeing all the stalls, and I ended up buying fruit (peaches and cherries), biscotti, and dried fruit! (Bought some dried kiwi, but haven't tried it yet!)

Watching the machine make tortellini!

Afterwards, we went to our first gelateria of the day. It was only 1 euro for a small! So cheap! I got stracciatella, as always. Afterwards, we went to a well-rated sandwich shop that was rated #1 on tripadvisor! It's called All'Antico Vinaio, and it's so popular there was a line outside! I got focaccia bread, with black truffle cream (delicious!), mozarella, tomatoes, lettuce, and prosciutto. The prosciutto was sooo good! And the sandwich was huge, and only 5 euros! Afterwards, we walked to Santa Croce, and then a Synagogue! We visited the Synagogue to see the architecture (it was recommended in a guidebook Stephanie was looking at), which also included a Jewish museum. It was a really interesting experience!

Sandwich shop! Yummmm

Also found this gem of a shirt!

In the afternoon, we met up with Linda and Bryan, who are studying abroad in Florence! We visited the Duomo (Santa Maria del Fiore), and climbed up to the top of the dome! The climb was pretty strenuous, but the views were so worth it! Afterwards, we got our 2nd gelato of the day at "Porche No" a recommended gelateria that home made their gelato daily. But, couldn't tell that big of a difference from the other places we've eaten haha.

Paintings on the top of the Dome

Views from the Dome!

Cherry and Stracciatella!

At night, Linda invited us over to their friends' apartment (who are also in the EAP program) for dinner! We got to see the inside of an Italian apartment! Theirs was actually super cute, and really spacious! Although they had ghetto stove tops that needed to be lighted with a lighter haha. After a lot of cooking (and Steph and I feeling pretty useless just watching) the dinner was ready, and we all sat down to eat together! Probably the healthiest meal I've had in a while haha.

Homemade dinner!

On our way home, we were super close to another really famous gelateria (Carraia), so we got our THIRD gelato of the day! Feeling full, fat, and happy, we walked back to our hostel and got ready to wake up early tomorrow to visit the Accademia before we leave Florence!

Piazza della Signoria at night! (There's a fake David statue, but it was where the original statue was housed in historic times)

Also, forgot to mention this earlier, but THERE ARE TOILET SEAT COVERS IN THE BATHROOM OF OUR HOSTEL! This is the first time I've seen toilet seat covers in Europe! No joke. This seriously is the cleanest hostel we've stayed in so far haha.

Another note, over half the time we're asked about our ethnicity in Europe, people always ask: "Japanese or Korean?" Do Chinese people not exist to them? o.O Although we've run into a fair number of Koreans travelling on their own, and it seems that the Chinese travelers are usually in big tour groups haha.

Day 17: Getting Fat in Firenze

This morning, we checked out of our hostel in Cinque Terre and caught the train to La Spezia! Then we had a 2-hour layover in La Spezia before our next train, so we decided to go to a restaurant for lunch. However, the place didn't open until noon, so we had to wait around for a bit before it opened :( (European restaurants open so late here! So inconvenient...) Luckily, the lunch was pretty fast since we only ordered one course. Stephanie and I both ordered black tagliolini with mussels and scallops. Apparently it's black because they use cuttlefish ink to make it! So cool! It tasted delicious, and the meal also came with yummy focaccia! I looove focaccia! And at only 10 euros, that was probably one of the best value meals I've had in Europe! (Darn, forgot to take a photo with my phone >.<)

La Spezia!

Afterwards, we headed back to the train station, where we caught the train from La Spezia to Pisa. (It was on time today!) The train ride was very quick: only 50 min! Once we were in Pisa, of course we made a stop to visit the Leaning Tower of Pisa. The walk there was pretty tough with my carry-on suitcase, but it was nice being able to see the city too. The tower is actually shorter than I had imagined! haha. It's quite pretty though (the stonework), and it was worth a visit! We also got some funny pictures of all the tourists taking cheesy photos trying to "hold up" the tower. ^_^

Pretty cool to see in person!

Afterwards, we walked back to the train station and caught the next train to Florence. We're staying at the Academy Hostel, which is RIGHT next to the Duomo! So cool! And it's a really cool place, facilities are nice, and staff is friendly! For the first time we don't have bunk beds! The only downside is that we can't get wifi from our room. Again. :( After we settled in, we went in search of a good gelato place Stephanie found. It's called Vestri, and it had the BEST Stracciatella (my go-to flavor) gelato I've had in Europe so far! ^___^ Definitely going back again before I leave!

My phone wouldn't focus on the gelato :(

At night, we went to a pizza place called O Vesuvio, which apparently was featured on Jersey Shore! (Cast members worked there over the summer or something) We shared a pizza with tomato, mozzarella, wild boar salami (!) and truffle oil! Yummm. Then we crossed the bridge and hiked up to Piazzale Michelangelo, which has an amazing view of the city! And we got some great night shots of the city and Duomo.

You can see Ponte Vecchio and the Duomo! (And forgot what the other towers were haha)

On our way back, we passed a cute gelateria, so decided to get our 2nd gelato of the day! But this time I felt like getting something fruity. And it was really cute: they had a wall full of pictures of celebs eating gelato! (Dunno if it was theirs or just random photos; I'm thinking the latter) They're pretty funny to look at though! Then we crossed Ponte Vecchio, the famous bridge, and on our way back to the Duomo we passed a sweets shop called Gilli! They had macarons, so I bought 2 to try, but they weren't very good :( (Thus, feeling fat now) So disappointingggg. But the shop was super cute!

How many celebs can you recognize? :P

Gilli! Looks super cute, but the macarons were overpriced and not impressive :(

Day 16: The Things We Do to Get Good Photos...

Our one and only full day in Cinque Terre was awesome! Tiring, but so much fun! There were only 2 downsides that prevented this from being the best day in Europe so far: (1) all but one of the coastal hiking trails were closed due to landslides/maintenance >.< (2) The trains in between the villages are pretty infrequent and barely ever on time. BUT I highly recommend anyone to come here for hiking! I would totally want to come back later to hike between all the villages, when the trails are in better condition!

So back to the beginning. We probably got up the earliest we have in a while, and started our day with some focaccia from a local bakery before beginning our hike. Since the coastal route from Manarola to the next village, Corniglia, was closed, we had to hike the mountain route, which was probably WAY more difficult and also longer. T__T It was pretty much just an ascent up the side of the mountain for the first third, which left us sooo tired. But the views over the village were amazing! And we were walking through rows of vineyards! Finally, we got to a little village on the hilltop called Volastra, where we took a quick break then started our hike down to Corniglia. The total hike took over 2 hours, and left us pretty sweaty and gross for the rest of the day :(

You can see Manarola in the distance!

The coastal route from Corniglia to Vernazza was the only one open, so we hiked that one next. Unfortunately, it requires a 5 euro fee to access these roads, and it was kind of a ripoff that we had to pay even though there was only one open >.< But the views of the coast were worth the hike! This one was much easier, and only lasted about an hour. We ended up arriving in Vernazza around 2:30PM, and the first thing we did was get gelato, and then a late lunch! We went to this restaurant called Il Pirata (what's with pirate-themed things here?) which was really good, and the waiter was super nice! The only downside was that they didn't take card (due to the landslides taking out the phone lines) so we had to pay in cash. And me being stupid, I totally forgot to refill my wallet today, and literally used up all the cash I had left T__T (Good thing Stephanie spotted me for train tix later!)

That's Corniglia on the cliff!

Cannoli with chocolate and almonds! (Apparently the ricotta filling was better, but I don't like cheese >.<)

Since there was only another intense mountain hike open, we decided to train to the next Village, Monterosso. But we literally had to kill time for like an hour to wait for the next train, and then it was late >.< Monterosso is the only village that has a real beach, so there were a lot of people swimming there, but we just walked around. And we found this awesome landscape photographer and bought pretty postcards from him: http://www.digigraphie.com/profile/1197/mauro-fioravanti.htm.

Afterwards, we tried to take the next train to head back to the last village, Riomaggiore, but we learned it was cancelled. T___T Luckily, it was only 20 min until the next train, so we just waited at the platform. And with that, we had officially visited all 5 villages! I have to say, I actually think I like Manarola the most, just because you get such amazing views of the village without having to hike super far. In Riomaggiore, we initially tried to rush to take photos because the next train was in 25 minutes, and we didn't want to risk the later train being cancelled. So we ran up a hill to try and find a vantage point, thought that looked crummy, then ran back down to the train station and managed to find a nicer viewpoint near the marina. (And I exaggerate, we didn't really run except in a few parts, but we were speedwalking throughout. I'm sure we looked ridiculous) And finally, when we get back to the platform, we find that the train has either been cancelled or just left T___T So we had another hour until the next train.... But at least that meant we got to watch the sunset over Riomaggiore, and get some neat photos! Alas, my phone ran out of battery so I couldn't take any for this blog :( You will have to wait until I upload on FB!

 

A few pics of Riomaggiore before my phone died...

When the train finally came, we were so relieved! And glad to finally be back in Manarola. We walked along the coast to get some amazing night shots of the village, and then it was back to our hostel! Also, our hostel is the jankiest one we've stayed in yet. Everything has been downhill since Barcelona... :( I'm sure it's mostly because of the location (how can you expect 5-star treatment when the village is tiny and isolated) but the bathroom stalls and shower stalls are super cramped :( And the wifi doesn't work unless you go out to the lobby or 1st floor landing.... So I'm frantically trying to finish this blog post before we have to check out today haha. Oh another piece of ridiculousness: Postcards to the USA cost 2 euros to mail from Italy!!! Wtf?! So if you receive a postcard from Italy several days late, and from somewhere random like Greece, you'll know why ^_^

Day 15: PASTAAAAAA

Today was full of train rides! I also learned that the Italian train system's timetables are not always reliable. We're 2 for 3 with delayed Italian trains! (Although the 3rd on time one doesn't really count) This morning we started with a 10-min train ride from Menton to Ventimiglia (French line, so doesn't count). When we got off, we were in Italy! We had about half an hour before our connecting train, so we walked down to the beach, and took some pictures of the town. It's pretty small, and super walkable! And it's bisected by a river running to the sea.

Old Town of Ventimiglia! (There were ducks (and swans) in the river too!)

Then we got onto our next train: from Ventimiglia to Genoa. Since we booked online thru trenitalia, they had discounted fares so that 1st class was the same price as 2nd! So we got to experience the first class treatment, even if it was only a 2 hour ride haha. I think the only difference I noticed were bigger (and nicer) seats, and power outlets. The coach was actually pretty empty! Unfortunately, this train was 40 minutes late in departing T__T So we just sat on the train playing Candy Crush, waiting for it to move... Luckily we hadn't bought tickets yet on the next train, so it's not like we missed a connection.

View from the train!

Proof that we were in Genoa!

Once we arrived in Genoa, we decided to just buy the next possible train and chill at the station until then. The next train was a 1hr 40min ride from Genoa to Riomaggiore, and was also delayed, though this time only by 10 min haha. It was much less comfortable, but I managed to sleep for most of the ride. Once we were in Riomaggiore, it was then only a quick 2-min ride from Riomaggiore to Manarola, the village we're staying at in Cinque Terre. (Cinque Terre is made up of 5 tiny villages: Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, and Monterosso) The plus side to training was that we were able to see a lot of the Italian Riviera! (When we weren't running through tunnels) And of course, saving money. The whole trip cost < $30!!

Once in Manarola, we once again had to hike up to our hostel. It was a huge hill, and I was hating my carry-on suitcase by the end of it, but then we got a really nice view of the village! We didn't have much planned for today, so we just walked around and took pictures until 6PM, when the restaurant we wanted to go to was open. It's called Trattoria dal Billy (the Billy seems really random), and it had amazing reviews on tripadvisor (and my guidebook). It was pretty funny because our waiter was actually dressed as a pirate! (I think the restaurant might have been slightly pirate-themed, because they had 2 jolly roger flags waving at the entrance and terrace) And he was super energetic and looked like he really had fun with his job!

Creeper shot of our waiter (he's behind Stephanie's head, the blond guy with glasses)

The menu had Starters, Pasta, and Main Course, so Steph and I decided to go with Pasta and Main Course. We ended up both ordering the Lobster Pasta, and I ordered Veal escalope while she ordered Stuffed mussels. However, when the dishes came, the Lobster Pasta was HUGE. And we were totally full afterwards... (Also, the main courses were pretty boring in comparison. We were so sad because we couldn't even finish half of the main course; should have just skipped those) Anyways, onto the pasta. It was a freshly made red (from beets) tagliatelle pasta with a whole lobster in it! The claws were cut into pieces, but the head and tail were whole, and just sliced in half. Look at that half a lobster on my plate! The only gross part was that they didn't take out the guts or anything, so you could see the brains, and there were also lobster eggs >.< But it tasted so yummy!! 18 euros each, but it was worth it!

I was pretty messy....

As the sun started to set, we hiked up on the hill to get some shots of the village at sunset. It's so beautiful! Can't wait to explore the other villages tomorrow! And did I mention, we're both SUPER excited to be in Italy, so we can finally eat PASTA!!!

Day 14: Hotel Lemon

We did our first batch of laundry in Europe! (aka the hostel had a laundry service for 7 euros, and Steph and I shared it) Whooo nice to have clean clothes again! Anyways, we checked out of our hotel around 10:30AM and then ran a few errands (aka Steph had to mail a postcard and find chocolate croissants) before getting on the bus to Menton.

The bus ride was pretty long, over an hour, but picturesque as always. (I feel like I'm an expert at the 100 bus now haha) Unfortunately, as we got into Menton, it had started to sprinkle. :( Luckily we were able to find our hotel pretty easily, and settled in. The hotel is actually super cute! It's located right next to a school, so we were able to hear the children singing from our hotel room, and we had this cute little balcony that overlooked the schoolyard. And the hotel is called Hotel Lemon!

When we thought it had cleared up, we decided to walk around town. Then to our horror, it started to rain again within 10 minutes! T__T Luckily, we were able to duck into a convenience store to look for postcards while the rain was at its heaviest. We also ended up walking all the way to Cap Martin, which is the town just west of Menton (visiting all these hipster towns no one's heard of haha). On our way back, we walked along the beach, which had gorgeous views of the town. Now knowing that the whole French Riviera (and actually Italian Riviera as well) looks this amazing, I'm not so impressed with Nice anymore...

View of Menton from the beach!

We then walked around Old Town, and to our dismay, all the best restaurants didn't open until 7PM at night! (Why do Europeans eat so late!!) So we literally walked around and killed time from 5:30-7PM, so that we could eat a nice dinner on our last night in France. We went to La Belle Escale, which was a blend of Italian and French cuisine. And this restaurant had the best BREAD I've had yet in Europe! It was like a flatbread, with an herb rub and sea salt! Mmmmmm. I totally pigged out on it! We also ordered an appetizer of mussels to share (delicious!) and I ordered fried calamari and prawns. A pricy, but yummy dinner. And probably our longest yet, as it took almost 3 hours for our 3 course meal! (Oh yeah, they also gave us shots of Limoncello at the end of our dinner, but Stephanie didn't like lemon, and I had nothing to chase it with... :( haha)

It was so good I had to take a photo of the last piece!

The long dinner was probably not the best idea, as walking back to our hotel was pretty scary at night, when nobody was out on the streets >.< And then there was only wifi in the (now empty) lobby, so Steph and I had to come down together because we were too scared to go by ourselves. And the buzzer that sounds every time someone comes in through the front door sounds hella scary! Also, woops, I guess I didn't really take any photos on my phone yesterday... >.<

Day 13: Getting Tanner!

Today we left our hostel around 11AM to take the 100 Bus to Monaco! (It's about an hour bus ride, and only costs 1.50 euros!) The only downside is that the bus gets pretty full, so if there are too many people you might not get on, and then you'll have to wait for the next bus :( So a tip to any future travelers: if there's a huge group at the bus station, you need to shove your way in! (And stand near the front of the crowd where the bus stops) And also, people who have waited at stops en route (Villefranche or just outside Nice) have actually been driven right past if the bus is full. But the weird thing is that the bus driver doesn't actually crowd the bus. In Berkeley, the AC transit bus drivers always make people scoot back and make room to accomodate more people. Here it's just like, well if the entrance is full, we're moving on, even if there's still standing room in the very back!

Anyways, we got to Monaco around 12:30, and then decided to visit the casino in Monte Carlo first. It was a nice walk along the harbor, and then we got to the casino around 1:15 to find out it didn't open til 2pm >.< So we decided to wander around some more and wait til 2 to get in to see the inside. However, here you're actually only allowed to see the lobby (and one gaming room if you have your passport). Otherwise, you have to pay 10 euros to get into the nicer private gaming rooms. But none of us were planning to gamble anyways, so we just walked around the lobby. (Also, no cameras inside!) It was definitely impressive, but at the same time, I feel like you can see this kind of interior in Vegas too... (The facade was definitely impressive though!) And although there were a lot of fancy cars outside, I definitely expected to see more... haha. 

Front view of the casino! (woops the car got in the way...)

After the casino, we walked down to Monaco-Ville to see the Royal Palace and Old Town. It's located on top of a cliff jutting out from the shore, so it's got amazing views! (Although it's quite a hike up) We were short on time because we also wanted to go to the beach before it got too cold, so we just walked around for a bit and took photos, and then left for Cap D'Ail.

View from the hike to the Royal Palace!

So we had heard of a really cool beach in Cap D'Ail called Plage Mala, which had caves and cliff diving, but when we walked to Cap D'Ail, we realized that there were actually multiple beaches along the coast, and the one we wanted to go to was the farthest T__T. So we decided to hike along the coast for an additional half an hour to get to the beach. Which was not a bad choice, because the views were amazing!! We were literally hiking right above the water in some areas, and the hike wasn't too grueling (although it was super sunny) Finally, we got to the beach, but it wasn't as impressive as we had imagined >.< For one thing, the caves are actually pretty far from the shore, so you have to swim quite a ways to reach them (which none of us wanted to do haha). And not only was the beach super crowded, but the water was super murky, due to thousands of pieces of kelp that were in the water. It would stick to you when you got out of the water as well, and was a pain to wash off! And worst of all, the beach was pretty pebbly, and no sand at all. We definitely preferred yesterday's Villefranche beach over this one, even though this was supposed to be the best one in the area! (Also, the water was cold, and I'm a wuss when it comes to swimming in cold water!)

Plage Mala in the background!

When we decided to head home, we then had to hike back up to the town, which was all uphill and super tiring! (If you can see in the photo, there are pretty much cliffs on either side of the beach) Finally we got up to the bus stop, and then were able to squeeze onto the 100 bus headed back to Nice (although people waiting at the Villefranche stop were not so lucky...) Back at the hostel, we showered and then went out for dinner. Wesley had found a well-rated Mediterranean restaurant in the old town, but it was closed on Sundays :( (A big problem in Europe! haha) So instead we went to a Nicoise restaurant that looked pretty nice. Steph and I ordered a 3-course meal for 19.50 euros, and I finally got to try the local Socca (flatbread made of chick pea flour)! Although I thought it was just okay... We were all super full and couldn't finish our entrees (and Steph thought hers was too salty) but the dessert was good! (I tried profiteroles for the first time!) Wesley had to head back early so he could get ready for bed, since his flight was super early in the morning, but Stephanie and I went to Fenocchio afterwards for ice cream! Apparently they're the best ice cream in Nice (probably because they have SO many flavors), so we decided to share a scoop since we were both super full. We got the Mojito, which actually tasted pretty cool! (And I don't think it was alcoholic)

So many flavors! (Including Coca Cola!) This is just a 1/4 of the tubs!

On our walk back to the hostel, suddenly there were fireworks going off! The buildings were blocking the view, so we ran up to Massena Square where we were able to catch the last few fireworks! Don't really know what the occasion was or whether it was even legal, because then we heard a lot of cop cars... haha. But awesome way to end out visit to Nice! (We're heading out tomorrow for Menton, a small town along the coast).

The one time you wish the buildings weren't so tall.... (because during the day, tall buildings help block out the sun!)

Day 12: Clear Waters

First full day in Nice was comprised of a walking tour around the Old Town, and then going to the beach at Villefranche in the afternoon! (It's a small fishing village just east of Nice)

In the morning, we got up and had breakfast at the hostel (cereal and toast), then met with a group for a free walking tour at 11AM. We walked through the Old Town of Nice, and visited the fruit and flower market, this large outdoor spread of stalls selling fruits, flowers, meat, cheese, and other assorted goods. We bought fruit for a picnic later on, but fruit here is so much more expensive than in Spain... :(

Fruit and Flower market on the left, Old Town on the right

At the end of the tour, we went to the top of Le Chateau (we were lazy and took the elevator up; the stairs are a ~10min walk), a large hill that overlooks the beach. The beaches here are amazing! The water is so clear and such a pretty blue! The only downside is that Nice beach is actually quite rocky (instead of sand). There were amazing panoramic views of the coast, and we sat down on the grass for a short picnic which was the end of our tour. 

Overlooking the coast of Nice!

Afterwards, we headed back to our hostel to rest a bit before going to the best local beach, in Villefranche. Unfortunately, Wesley wasn't feeling well (food poisoning from the night before) so he just stayed back and slept. Villefranche was a 20 min bus ride away, and was a small town with a beach that also consisted of tons of fishing boats. This beach was also pebbly, but the pebbles were a lot smaller, and certain areas nearest to the water the pebbles were like sand. It was beautiful! (Though crowded) Unfortunately, with only 2 of us, and our cameras and other stuff we brought, we were afraid to go too far into the water because there wasn't anywhere we could leave our stuff >.<

Villefranche!

We got back around 7PM, and went to this restaurant I found on a blog online. It's called Restaurant d'Angleterre (that's the street it's on), and it had 3-course meals for 16.50 euros. The portions were actually really big, and we couldn't even finish everything! (except dessert haha) We got to try Salad Nicoise, and I got a duck leg confit with potato onion puree. Even the side of green beans that came with our main course was huge! haha. For dessert, I just saw a tarte de mûres on the menu and decided to order, not knowing what mûres were, but luckily it was blackberries and not something icky!

Day 11: Nice is Nice

We're in Nice! (And writing this a day late since I was too tired yesterday)

Yesterday we woke up super early (aka 8:30AM for me) to pack up our things and check out so that we could make it to Park Guell and then lunch before catching our flight in the afternoon. Park Guell wasn't far from our hostel, but it was quite a hike, and left us pretty tired by the time we got there (also took a wrong turn and ended up entering the park from the top haha). The park itself is very big, but the main attractions are all located near the entrance: stone archways, impressive columns, mosaic lizards, etc all designed by Gaudí! It was really awesome, and admission is free!

Near the entrance of the park!

Fruit popsicles!

We stayed around 1.5 hours, and then left to go back to our hostel. On the way, we got fruit popsicles! I got Kiwi-Mango, Steph got Tequila Sunrise (yup it's alcoholic) and Wes got Strawberry! We then tried to go to a place for lunch, but then found out it didn't open until 1PM. >.< (The Spanish eat lunch and dinner really late) So we chilled in the hostel for an hour and then made our way over! Like many restaurants in Spain, they had a "Menu of the Day" deal, where you get a drink, 1 or 2 courses, and dessert for a fixed price (usually 8-10 euros). So we did that, and then ordered a pitcher of sangria. Interestingly, the sangria was actually made of white wine, and it was stronger than we expected :( So we started muddling all the oranges/lemons to try and squeeze more fruit juice into it! The dishes themselves weren't that impressive... Wes and Steph tried to order a dish called "escalopas..." but it ended up being pork! And as always, dining takes a long time in Spain, so our meal took over 1.5 hours. We wanted to get to the airport early just in case, so we ended up leaving for the airport right after we finished.

Sangria de cava

The flight to Nice was relatively smooth (the airport wasn't even crowded), and the flight itself lasted less than an hour! And when we first arrived at the airport, we were all admiring the amazing ocean view! "Nice is NIIICE!" Then, we had to take a bus into the city, and then transfer to a tram to take us to our hostel. There is only one tram that runs in Nice, and no subway system, so the tram was PACKED. But we made it to our hostel w/o any difficulties, and settled into our room. Unfortunately, this hostel wasn't nearly as nice as the one in Barcelona or Lisbon. :( And it was super expensive too! (Because of its location near the beach and old town)

Walking around the town at night, at first I was really disappointed because it didn't seem as quiant/seaside village-like as I expected. There was actually a national music festival going on yesterday night (Fête de la Musique), so there were  bands on every other street playing live music (which was cool, but also meant the old town was SUPER crowded). Wesley and Stephanie really wanted seafood, so we ended up eating at Cafe de Turin, a restaurant specializing in fresh seafood. Wes ordered the mixed plate, which came with a heap of oysters, clams, seas snails, and small shrimp. Unfortunately, it was also all chilled, so it was kind of sickening to eat after a while >.< I just ordered shrimp, but those were also chilled. Stephanie's white wine mussels were the only warm dish...

Stephanie is grossed out by her clam =P (In fairness, it was pretty gross looking compared to regular clams)

The port at night.

On our way home, we accidentally walked the wrong way and ended up at the port, but then we were able to walk along the beach, which was super pretty at night. In fact, because of the music festival, there were hundreds of people packed on the beach, just drinking and partying. So crazy!

Day 10: Beach Day!

Today was the latest we've started our day the whole time we've been in Europe. Didn't leave the hostel til after 1PM, and then first went somewhere to eat lunch. We found a nice restaurant called La Flauta that was highly recommended, and it was really good! We had an assortment of tapas there, and Stephanie and Wesley tried a bottle of cabernet sauvignon (but I don't like red wine so I just ordered orange juice!). My favorite plate was fried baby squid! Although Stephanie was sad because she was expecting calamari rings haha.

Assorted tapas!

After lunch, we headed over to Casa Batlló. Admission was super pricy (16.30 for a student ticket!) but at least it came with audioguides! (Since the house is privately owned, it doesn't receive funding from the government so all of its maintenance funds comes thru ticket sales and the like) This apartment is smaller and less famous than La Pedrera, but I actually liked it more, because it was more colorful and more detailed!

 Beautiful interior of Casa Batlló

Afterwards, we headed over to the Boqueria off of Las Ramblas, which is a huge outdoor market. We got fruit juice (I had a refreshing kiwi juice!) and fruit before heading to the beach! Wesley figured it would make more sense to take the metro to a farther beach, so it would be less crowded/touristy, so we did just that, and wound up at Nova Mar Bella. It wasn't crowded at all, and the water was so blue! Unfortunately, it was pretty windy, so it wasn't warm enough for me to swim :( (Wesley and Stephanie did tho! I'm just a wuss.... haha) But since we had started so late in the day, we didn't actually leave the beach til after 8PM, and didn't get back to the hostel until 9. (It's so weird, sunset in Europe is actually around 9PM!)

 

First time at the beach! (In Europe)

For dinner, we just wanted something fast and nearby, so ended up going to a creperie near our hostel. Got a spinach and tomato crepe because I was dying for veggies. I must say, despite eating good food, I'm a little worried about how well-balanced my diet will be this trip... >.<

Wesley was too tired, and Stephanie's ankle was hurting, so we didn't end up going out tonight :( Which is good, because we'll have time to pack and get an early start to our last half-day in Barcelona tomorrow!