Shenanigans

Magali and I finally checked out the famous Friday market in Ventimiglia, Italy last week. The short train ride was gorgeous; the view of the Mediterranean sea really never gets old. The market was fantastic, though the city itself didn't look like much. The indoor market held all of the produce, meats, cheeses, seafood, and plants (typical market stuff) and vendors sold all sorts of things like clothing, shoes, kitchenware, toys, etc. in the outdoor area which took up most of the seaside promenade.

We didn't take many pictures, but here's the view from the market.

Yum!

Our market finds

More photos from around our town:

On our morning cape walk

 

My gallery!

Mexican food and job searches

During our weekend trip to Nice, we spotted a Mexican restaurant not too far away from the hostel. So, when the Mexican food craving came (and it always does when away from Arizona), Magali and I decided to make an afternoon trip back to Nice for a little shopping and dinner/margaritas. Enjoy what you have in Arizona, guys, because Mexican food just ain't the same here. It's also very expensive (e.g. 12 euros for a guacamole appetizer!).

These were the "nachos", but they were more like tostadas with french cheese

The quesadilla was good, but the random french cheese in place of a typical jack or cheddar made it taste very different

They got the margaritas right, though!

This is Denis, a friend of a friend of the Robert family who lives in Nice. He printed off a bunch of copies of our resumes and gave us job search advice (very kind).  In this picture, Magali and Denis are arguing about the gender of the English word "interview" (used often here, but with a French accent, of course). In case you were wondering,  it's feminine: "une interview".

Travels to Nice

The fantastic part about living in the French Riviera is the proximity to other great cities. Magali and I recently met up with my friend Katrina for a lovely weekend in Nice. Nice is only a 30 minute train ride away from Roquebrune, but poor Katrina had to travel about six hours (taking a bus, a train, a shuttle, and another train) to get to us from the small town of Bourg-St-Andeol. I'm glad she did it, though!


We stayed at the Meyerbeer Beach hostel (http://www.hotel-meyerbeer-beach-nice.cote.azur.fr/), which I would definitely recommend to any youngsters or budget travelers going to Nice. We were a block away from the sea, a ten minute walk from Vieux (old) Nice (by many shops, restaurants, and bars), and about a 10-15 minute walk from the main train station. Everyone that worked at the hostel spoke French, English, and Italian pretty much fluently, and some even spoke Spanish on top of it. Geez.

The big naked dudes light up and change colors at night. 

For our first night out in Nice, the friendly receptionist at the hostel told us to go to a place called Wayne's Pub in Vieux Nice. Seemed easy enough, but the place was crazy packed with a line out the door by the time we got there around midnight. They must really love their pubs in Nice!

Monaco: Ritzier than Scottsdale

This week, we made the long train journey all the way to Monaco. All ten minutes of it.

Now, Monaco is an interesting place. It's not quite France and it's not quite its own country. The principality houses the richest of the rich, but there's no income tax. The people that work there can't even afford to live there. It feels like an entirely different planet that exists exclusively for billionaires (and maybe the occasional  millionaires). I don't think I've seen so many Ferraris and $1M yachts in my life! I didn't get any fancy car pictures, but some yachts do appear later...

Me, taking a picture of Magali taking a picture of me. What else do you do with only two people??

We may have popped into Mango for a bit on the way : ) 

Most of Monaco looks like this, except for Monte Carlo which is newer (but just as ostentatious). 

On our way up to see where the Prince of Monaco dwells...

A lovely garden on the way to the cathedral

Yachts! We looked for George Clooney, but we didn't see him. Zut! Maybe next time.

Magali enjoyed a glass of wine while I enjoyed my first beer of the entire trip!

And we definitely saw this photograph (framed) of the Prince of Monaco and his wife everywhere! Like the Brits, they must love their royals.

First week

   After a long flight over the Atlantic and a few days spent in Grasse (near Cannes), we finally made it to Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, our temporary new home. On a sunny day, this place looks like a summer paradise smack in the middle of winter. I haven't seen water this blue in quite a while.

Our little apartment is adorable and actually larger than I had expected. A woman's touch in the decor is pretty evident: the walls are painted baby pink, my bedroom is apparently safari themed (animal print everywhere), and cutesy trinkets and wall decorations seal the deal . We're only about an 8-minute walk from the Mediterranean sea (as well as the train station), and all other necessities are nearby. Now, if only we could find some temporary work...

Here are a few random photos of our daily outings in town and by the water.

A few days ago, we walked to Monaco. No joke, we walked to Monaco. It's about a two-hour walk on a path that follows the "cap" (cape). It was beautiful! You can see Monaco in one of the photos below. Fun fact: palm trees and cacti seem to thrive here, so we get a little piece of home/Arizona!