My 50th country!

My 50th country!

Nice, France, Europe

I hit a pretty big personal milestone today by reaching my 50th country visited with my trip to Monaco. There are quite a few different lists about how many countries there are in the world, but I’m working from a UN list that recognizes 195 countries. I’m happy to be over a quarter of the way through seeing every country in the world. I’ll get there someday!

I got up early this morning and had to check the train schedule to find out which trains were actually running during the strike. There was one leaving at 10am from Nice, but not from the main station, so I had to make my way over to Nice Riquier. I got my really cheap (€3.30) and ridiculously busy train to Monaco. Because of this strike, everyone has to try to cram onto fewer trains and it is absolute chaos out there. I managed to squeeze on and only 20 minutes later I was in Monaco.

The train station in Monte Carlo is up on the hill, so I first went to check out the famous Monte Carlo Casino. It is a really impressive looking building, but the most impressive thing might have been the parking lot. It was just like in Casino Royale where all the cars are either Bentleys, Rolls Royces, Ferraris, or Lambourghinis. It’s just ridiculous. I wondered at first if they were just put there to look impressive, but then I saw so many people driving around in these kinds of cars that I realised they were just normal here. The money these people have is just beyond my comprehension. I’m hoping someday I’ll have a better idea of what their lives are like, but right now it is other-worldly.

I walked into the lobby of the casino and was hoping to check out the inside, but they now charge €10 just to walk into the casino, and you can’t see any other rooms inside unless you pay more money and take the tour. AND, you’re not allowed to take any pictures inside, so I wasn’t going to waste my money. I left the casino and walked down the hill where I passed the Fairmont Monte Carlo hotel which is in front of the world’s most famous hairpin turn in the Formula One Grand Prix. I’ve seen it on tv a few times, so it was pretty cool to see it in person and see just how sharp this turn is.

I continued down through the tunnel and came out at the port, where more money is floating that I can even imagine. I’ve seen a lot of big, impressive yachts before, but never this many in such a small area. These yachts are like mansions on the water. I spent a good half our walking around the port just checking out some of these rich people toys and then had to head back up the hill toward the train station. There was only one possible train for me to get back to Nice so I didn’t have a choice. Plus, there’s not that much to see in Monaco besides a lot of rich people, so I don’t feel like I missed much. I also found a McDonald’s on my way to the station so I grabbed a soda in there so I can at least say I went to Monaco for a drink. It was the only place I could afford a drink there anyway!

I got back to Nice and luckily the train came right into Nice Ville station which is a two minute walk from the hostel. I stopped at the hostel to chill for a few minutes and then went out to get a bite to eat. There is a really good kebab shop near the hostel called Mister Kebab, so I was happy to get a chicken kebab at a pretty good deal, especially in Nice where everything is so expensive.

When I got back to the hostel after dinner I met my other new roommates. The three American girls are still here for the night, but I also met two English girls, Anna and Louella. They just finished a charity bike ride from Leeds, England to Paris, and now they’re just on holiday trying to relax after such a strenuous journey. They are really friendly and have rounded out the room nicely. It’s one of the friendlier rooms I have stayed in on this trip. It’s rare that everyone in the room is so nice and easy going, but I like it.

All the young kids have gone out to party for the night and I decided to stay in and watch the Red Sox since they are on live and I have decent internet. Those two things have become a rarity for me, especially at the same time. Plus, tomorrow I have another sightseeing day as I’ll be heading over to Cannes. I’m looking forward to that.

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