1. go to the Oceanographic Museum
2. Eat at a luxurious McDonalds
3. Drive along one of the coastal highways
I really hope this is isn't going to be the only place I frequent on the Riviera, and I'm sure it won't be but for some reason I keep being drawn to this place. Monaco is absolutely incredible. This is the third time I've been in the past month and it is definitely one of my favourite places in Europe. Everything about this city/country is remarkable. It has the lowest unemployment rates in the world, highest GDP per capita and no ghettos. I love the feeling of exclusivity you get when walking through the Monte Carlo casino lobby, or the complete awe that overcomes me from just walking around this city. All of the palm trees, penthouses, Rolls Royces, casinos and Valentino shops. I've never been to Vegas, but I'm convinced that Monaco is so much better.
So, yesterday we decided to go to Monaco again, not for the casinos, not for skating and not to see the palace... to look at fishes. Yes fishes, we decided to go to Monaco to visit the world famous Oceanographic Museum which actually turned out to be a surprisingly lovely day. To start it off, we drove to Monaco instead of taking the regional Cote D'azur train that runs along the coast. It was really nice to drive and we got to see different scenery on the way there. The museum itself is huge and built on top of a cliff towering over the Mediterranean. The waves were a bit choppy and smashing against the cliffs, and this was an amazing view. I tried to take a picture of it, because it was so striking, but my little SONY digital camera just didn't justify the view. Oh well.
The aquarium itself was on the lower level of the Museum and there were no dolphins or whales or anything but mostly fish, fauna, little sharks, eels and whatever else along those lines. It was still alot of fun, and I think we spent a good two hours there before making our way to McDonalds for lunch.
I usually don't like to go to McDonalds too much while I'm abroad, not only because it's embarrassing but also because I firmly believe in exploring new and different cuisines. Food is such a central passion in my life and I love discovering new foods. I'm usually quite adventurous with foods and will try anything once. This way of thinking usually helps me steer clear of walking into any foreign McDonalds, but sometimes, I just can't help myself. Like today, I should've been going to a cute little cafe and ordering whatever the local special was. But no, I had to go to Micky Dee's and get a burger...but, it was so good. There's this burger called the CBO (chicken, bacon, onion) that I've had a couple of times when living in Spain and Italy and I was so happy to see it here in France/Monaco too. So, of course I ordered that with a bottle of Evian and salad (so, I can't feel too guilty) and then had a cappuccino and macaroon afterwards from McCafe. I'm not too sure if McCafe has made an official introduction to Canada or not yet, but I hope it does soon because it rules. McCafes are usually at every McDonalds in Europe and have lovely little pastries, fresh squeezed orange juice, cappuccinos and lattes and it's surprisingly good. The creation of McCafe was obviously to appeal to a more European market, but could definitely compete with Starbucks or Second Cup.
2. Eat at a luxurious McDonalds
3. Drive along one of the coastal highways
I really hope this is isn't going to be the only place I frequent on the Riviera, and I'm sure it won't be but for some reason I keep being drawn to this place. Monaco is absolutely incredible. This is the third time I've been in the past month and it is definitely one of my favourite places in Europe. Everything about this city/country is remarkable. It has the lowest unemployment rates in the world, highest GDP per capita and no ghettos. I love the feeling of exclusivity you get when walking through the Monte Carlo casino lobby, or the complete awe that overcomes me from just walking around this city. All of the palm trees, penthouses, Rolls Royces, casinos and Valentino shops. I've never been to Vegas, but I'm convinced that Monaco is so much better.
So, yesterday we decided to go to Monaco again, not for the casinos, not for skating and not to see the palace... to look at fishes. Yes fishes, we decided to go to Monaco to visit the world famous Oceanographic Museum which actually turned out to be a surprisingly lovely day. To start it off, we drove to Monaco instead of taking the regional Cote D'azur train that runs along the coast. It was really nice to drive and we got to see different scenery on the way there. The museum itself is huge and built on top of a cliff towering over the Mediterranean. The waves were a bit choppy and smashing against the cliffs, and this was an amazing view. I tried to take a picture of it, because it was so striking, but my little SONY digital camera just didn't justify the view. Oh well.
The aquarium itself was on the lower level of the Museum and there were no dolphins or whales or anything but mostly fish, fauna, little sharks, eels and whatever else along those lines. It was still alot of fun, and I think we spent a good two hours there before making our way to McDonalds for lunch.
I usually don't like to go to McDonalds too much while I'm abroad, not only because it's embarrassing but also because I firmly believe in exploring new and different cuisines. Food is such a central passion in my life and I love discovering new foods. I'm usually quite adventurous with foods and will try anything once. This way of thinking usually helps me steer clear of walking into any foreign McDonalds, but sometimes, I just can't help myself. Like today, I should've been going to a cute little cafe and ordering whatever the local special was. But no, I had to go to Micky Dee's and get a burger...but, it was so good. There's this burger called the CBO (chicken, bacon, onion) that I've had a couple of times when living in Spain and Italy and I was so happy to see it here in France/Monaco too. So, of course I ordered that with a bottle of Evian and salad (so, I can't feel too guilty) and then had a cappuccino and macaroon afterwards from McCafe. I'm not too sure if McCafe has made an official introduction to Canada or not yet, but I hope it does soon because it rules. McCafes are usually at every McDonalds in Europe and have lovely little pastries, fresh squeezed orange juice, cappuccinos and lattes and it's surprisingly good. The creation of McCafe was obviously to appeal to a more European market, but could definitely compete with Starbucks or Second Cup.
Anyways, after finishing up our cappuccinos we headed back
to the car and drove back to Antibes. But this time we didn't take the toll
highways - we took a more scenic route along the coast which is over double the
time, but definitely worth it. We drove through little villages and beside the
lower Maritime- Alps all the way through towns like Eze, Cap d'Ail and Nice. I
was in the company of good friends and good conversation the whole way, so the
drive itself is one of my most favourite parts of the day. There a few
picturesque coastal highways that you can take when visiting the Cote D'azur: the
Basse Corniche which goes along the sea, the Moyenne Corniche (Highway 7) which
goes through Eze-Village, and the Grande Corniche that goes through La Turbie and
Col d'Eze.
Maybe the next time we go to Monaco I'll have a list of even more things to do!
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