Paris was wonderful. Marseille was a mistake and Nice is fantastic. Okay...some details. Marseille was unfortunate because our hostel was far from town, the bus and metro stopped running at 9pm, and the town shut down by 10 or so. Not much to see any way. Just a port town. We did take a day trip to Aix en Provence (pronounced EX, who knew?), which was lovely. Busy street markets and windy roads to get lost in, and of course the scent of lavender everywhere. I ate the best strawberries of my life.

We arrived in Nice Friday morning and hit the beach ASAP. Nice rocks, literally. The beaches are all rocks. Getting comfy with a beach blanket was a challenged. We just pretended we were getting rock messages at some fancy Riviera spa. The water was divine - warm and crystal clear. Apparently the coast guard tests the ocean water near the beaches everyday.

Besides the beaches, this town is for people watching, and there are plenty of "beautiful people" once you look past the tourists. Yesterday we went to Cannes, strolled the promenade (more people watching), gawked at the MASSIVE yachts parked along the dock, and checked out the famous convention center where the film festival is held every May. This town loves its film festival. As you might expect, tons of cheesy star-related souvenirs to buy. I did one very touristy thing. I put my hands into the hand prints of some famous film folks. Sharon Stone has small hands but long finger nails and David Lynch has very large hands and a handspan about a long as my foot.

Today we went back to Italy to see Ventimagilia based on several recommendations. It was cute but we were slightly bored. Like the Renaissance art in Rome and Florence, just how many cute, seaside towns can you behold before it gets a bit tired. I know, it sounds so ungrateful...much like the bored, rich folks who inhabit Monte Carlo, our second stop today. If you ever want to know what WAY too much money looks like, visit Monaco. A tax haven for the rich. Even bigger yachts in the harbor, and more Ferraris in one parking lot than I've seen in my life. We went in to the one casino that makes this place so well known. As plebes, we were unable to move past the very small slot room. Just as well. This town is beautiful, but kinda creepy. Nothing is out of place. No trash on the street, every garden is perfectly pruned, and even the public toilets clean themselves (not kidding. Call me in two weeks if you want an explanation). It was, as my guidebook said, very Disney-esque.

One more night in Nice, and we will spend tomorrow on the beach and at the Matisse museum. Tomorrow night we take an overnight train to Barcelona. On to Spain, our last country.