France in the Springtime...sigh!

Sorry it's been a while! Since my last post, I have spent 10 spectacular days in Toronto visiting friends and family for my "spring break." It was a much needed vacation at my home away from home...away from my home? I also got upgraded to British Airways' first class which was a special little treat!
So, now that I am back I have more exciting things to write about, er, well sort of anyways. Life here has been a little bit mundane, but in a good way. Get up, eat breakfast, go out and take in the scenery (beach mostly) and come home, cook dinner, drink a few glasses of wine with some friends and go to sleep.
Yes, France has been lovely, my posts over the past three months have proven that. But nothing has been quite as lovely as experiencing the springtime here in this beautiful corner of the world: nestled between Italy and the Mediterranean.
The weather has been wonderful so, of course, I've been to the beach just about everyday this week. It doesn't hurt that the beach is only a short eight minute walk from my doorstep (Yes, I've timed it.)
However, my pale Canadian skin has taken quite a beating and isn't looking quite as bronzed as I was hoping for, more of a reddish hue actually...but I'm convinced it will turn into a tan if I nourish it well enough. Aloe! Aloe! Aloe!
So, today I have covered up my sun-battered body and have taken it upon myself to venture away from the beach and into the streets. The tiny, charming, cobblestoned little streets of Antibes. Everyone is one patios, drinking beers, wearing cardigans and enjoying the company of friends. Mothers are pushing their babies in posh little strollers and elderly couples are walking their cute little puppies.
Babies, puppies, beach... enough said. The South of France is the place to be.
My academic portion of my week has been rather strenuous so I'm trying to stay focused on that, but its so distracting...with the sun...and the palm trees.
Hopefully I will have something more worth-your-time to write about in the near future. My plans for the upcoming week are mostly school related, but then I'm headed back to Ventimiglia on Friday to shop.
The week after that perhaps this site will get a little more exciting again as I'm headed to Africa! No, not the safari and tribal type your thinking of...think more Arab Africa, Sahara Desert, Camels. Yup, I'm headed to Morocco! More details to come!

That's all for now.

The 4 Reasons why people shouldn't mind airports

I love to travel, it's my favourite hobby, and I know I am not alone and that many people share the same fabulous hobby with me.
I strongly believe in that famous Saint Augustine quote, "The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page."
Cliche? Yes. True? Absolutely. I'm working on it, I've got a lot more pages to go ;)

So anyways, if I'm not traveling I'm usually planning and researching for my next trip. Whether if its studying different flight costs, looking up travel articles online or spending an afternoon in the travel section at Chapters, travel is always on my mind. Ever since I contracted the travel bug about 3 years ago I have been away as often as humanly possible for a full time student working a part time job. In fact, for the passed three years I have been away for about 11 months in total. But I'm sure other travelers would agree when I say that it's just never enough. It's a constant need for more. Discover more places, see more countries, eat more exotic foods and last but not least, drink more local wines.
I plan on keeping travel as a priority for the rest of my life. So, obviously this will mean quite a bit of time spent at airports for me, and the millions of other people who feel the same way. Thus, my most recent post. Here are the top 4 reasons why I actually really like spending time at airports, and you should too:

1. The tax free shopping

I don't usually delve into this too much, especially if I have another connecting flight, or if I'm coming back from a costly holiday, but everything is cheaper without the tax! ;)

2. Lots of time to read.

Yes, the majority of my most recent airport reading has been Cosmopolitan and Us Weekly, but still, it's a nice opportunity to take advantage of indulging in some solid monotonous literature. I'm writing this as I'm waiting for my flight to London in the Nice Cote D'azur airport and there is an abundance of gossip and fashion mags, I love it!

3. The opportunity for prime "people watching".

 This might sound cliché, but I really do love people watching in airports: the hellos and goodbyes between family members and lovers and the vast mix of people from all over the world. I often find myself trying to figure the people out.

4.  The feeling that you get when you know you're going somewhere.

I love pulling around my little carry on suitcase around the airport as I gaze through magazines and grab my last grande tea before my flight. It's strange how much I love the process of going through airports too considering how much I hate the actually flying part. I don't hate what alot of other people hate about airports either. I don't mind waiting in line for security, and I never get annoyed when they have to search through my things. Because really, who cares? All they're going to find is a laptop surrounded by cardigans and shoes.

The only thing I really hate, like I mentioned before is the flying part. The being on the plane. The huge, heavy metal thing that goes super fast into the sky with me strapped in holding on for dear life. I guess I just hate flying because I don't understand it. How does a plane lift off and stay in the air for hours at a time? How is this actually physically possible? I know there exists complicated physics behind it, but I don't care, I still don't get it. How can we just sit in a chair thousands of feet in the air, traveling over oceans and mountains...while I eat peanuts, drink tea and watch How I Met your Mother? It blows my mind that humankind has created an invention like flying, and it's actually incredible when you think about it. 

But once I get over that whole idea, which is usually once we've hit cruising altitude and the "fasten your seatbelts" light has switched off, I usually listen to my iPod and start thinking of where I'm headed to and where I've been. 

 I love looking down out the window over vast landscapes and feeling so far from everything. Whether if it's between Abu Dhabi and Toronto or Rome and Madrid, I've always felt this way when I'm flying. It's a weird sort of disconnect and almost like a limbo between two worlds, between where I am and where I'm going:  vacation and home, warmth and cold, new exciting life and old familiar routine. Sometimes it's kind of like a reality check as well, back to the real world.

Which is exactly what it is for me right now, I'm headed back to Toronto for 10 days for the French spring break. A vacation in Toronto! Yay! It will be a little strange vacationing at my home, but I'm really looking forward to it. Not so much the weather, but I'm sure I'll manage. I'm definitely looking forward to starbucks, taking the subway and seeing friends.

And I'm especially looking forward to returning to even better weather in the French Riviera when I return on March 4th, I heard March is a beautiful time in that area and I can't wait.

So until next time!

bisous!

Things to do in Eze Village

1. Walk through the cobblestone streets
2. See the Exotic gardens - and more importantly the panoramic view
3. Grab a crepe or a glass of wine and sit on a patio



Yesterday we decided to go to Eze village, which is a few stops before Monaco on the Cote D'azur regional train. I wasn't sure what to expect, because I haven't heard much about this place, but it was absolutely breathtaking and I'm so surprised I haven't heard more people talking about it.
To start it off, I knew the day was going to be wonderful because my mom is currently visiting me right now! She hasn't been to Europe since she was 17, so it's nice to be able to show her around this corner of the world. We were going to go to Monaco, but than decided against it last minute to visit this little medieval place called Eze. We got off the train at Eze sur Mer and waited about 45 minutes for the bus #83 to come and pick us up to take us up the winding road along the mountainside. I felt a little nauseous going up these steep and curving roads, but I figured the bus driver knew what he was doing. Eze village is perched up ontop of a mountain, 1400 feet above sea level and offers spectacular panoramic views of the Riviera.
This village is also widely known for it's medieval streets and tiny courtyards, but I wanted to explore it more. We walked through all the main cobblestones streets and walked into little shops where we had to duck down to enter through the door.  The village was founded in the 8th century and most of the buildings were built between then and the 10th century, which when it was overtaken by the Moors. So aside for all this history, the village of Eze is also an alluring accommodation hotspot for the rich businessmen who frequent the annual Grand Prix in neighbouring Monaco. People like Bill Clinton, the Prince of Monaco and other notable people have stayed here. The village has only one hotel: Chateau Eza, which is a luxury boutique hotel that was made famous in the 1800's when the Swedish Royal Family visited here and called it their winter home. We decided to walk into the reception, which was a tiny entrance around a little cobblestone corner, and the room was only big enough to fit a desk with a french lady behind it. She asked us if we wanted to see the price list and we said okay, and it turns out that you need at least 300 euros to stay here in a standard room for one night. We shied away from this and went on to the top of the village to see the Jardins Exotique. (the exotic gardens).
This was probably my favourite part of the whole village because it offers the best views of not only the surrounding area, but the village itself. It was 4 euros each to go into the gardens and the gardens itself have statues of different ancient goddesses alongside cacti and other exotic flowers. This is where the old fort used to stand which was built and torn down hundreds and hundreds of years ago. The weather up here was brisk and reminded me of Canada in the winter, but we stayed long enough to take a few pictures.
Afterwards we went to a little restaurant beside the gardens, I forgot the name, and had a glass of wine, hot chocolate and split a prosciutto pizza. There were alot of restaurants with patios, and I wish we could've sat on one, but it was so cold up on the mountain that we had to go inside. I'm sure I'll come to Eze again during my semester abroad and when it's warmer I will definitely sit out and enjoy some vin.

Even more things to do in Monaco

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.

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!

France wants to give me money?!

Ohhh, look what I came across today. I was all about saving my money as much as possible until I saw this. Now all I want to do is go shopping:

Non-EU residents are eligible to receive a refund of the Value Added Tax (VAT, or détaxe TVA in French) on goods purchased in France. This is 12-15% for regular goods, up to 33% for luxury goods (no refunds applicable for food, beverage, tobacco products, postage stamps, weapons, cultural treasures, and consumer vehicles).


How it Works

• Find a participating store (not every store wants to bother with the paperwork, nor are they required); all department stores and most luxury shops offer the refund. Look for the Tax-Free sticker on the door of smaller boutiques.

• Spend over €175 within one store on the same day.

• The shop assistant will fill out a special form (you’ll need your passport or a copy) that you need to keep with your receipt.

• Have the form stamped at the airport customs desk before leaving the EU. Give yourself an extra hour at the airport for this. Have the items purchased handy in case customs agents want to see them. Mail the form back to the store (many provide pre-addressed envelopes for this) within three months to receive the refund by credit card or check.

It's decided. I'm buying a REALLY nice pair of shoes and/or a REALLY nice handbag. I deserve it.
This is also really good news for anyone wanting to shop in Europe. I did a little research and this is true all over the EU.

Happy shopping!

Tea and other Important Things

Coming from a British background, I have been raised on tea and have been brought up on the notion that embracing tea is part of life. Tea in the morning before breakfast, tea after lunch, tea during the day, tea after dinner, tea when watching my favourite show, tea when playing scrabble with my nana, etc. There has definitely been an overwhelming domination of tea in my life. Don't get me wrong though, I still enjoy a nice cappuccino every now and then, but for the most part I am all for the tea.
So since moving here to France, I have had to overcome the obstacle of finding the perfect tea place. And, I think I've done well. Aside from the usual Choopy's visit (see Choopy's post below) I have also been buying different loose leaf varietals at this cute little shop in the heart of Old Antibes. The place is called "Cafes au Negus Blanc" and it's on Rue Republique which is kind of like the gateway street between the Old Town and the not-so-new town. It's right across from the Carousel. The inside is not very big, but just big enough to hold many wonderful teas, coffees and chocolates. I have personally bought a couple different Earl Greys here, wish is my favourite, along with the current special: the Prince William. Yes, I bought it just for the name because I completely adore Prince William. But, it actually tastes quite nice, go figure. I have also bought the most perfect little pink floaty tea steeper from this store, and I love it!

We have also managed to score these amazing mugs since being here, we found them at this department store called Maxi Bazaar. They are vintage-looking and are basically cereal bowls with a handle. This is perfect for me because I love big cups of tea. I'm the kind of girl who orders a Venti from Starbucks. I'm probably a little weird over here in that sense, because everyone here seems to enjoy their daily dose of caffeine in a little espresso cup.
So to anyone traveling Antibes in the near future, if you run out of anything practical - be sure to go to Maxi Bazaar.

I will finish off this post by saying that lovely tea is available everywhere, even in the South of France. If a confused, non-French speaking exchange student from Toronto can find excellent tea, just think of what you can do.

Getting Euros

Yesterday morning Nicole and I went to open a French bank account, which wasn't an easy process. We finally found a bank where people  kind of spoke English, called BNP Paribas, and we found that they have an agreement with our school. This agreement basically gives us 50 euros for signing up with them and doesn't charge any fees at all throughout the semester. Pretty good deal. So, when we went in for our appointment we were, of course, greeted by a lovely lady who scorned us for not speaking French, asking us what we are doing in France without speaking the language. Of course, she said this all en francais, but I had no doubt what she was saying. Her body language and tone said it all.

That's been the most frustrating thing so far: being able to understand (somewhat) what people are saying, and not being able to say anything back. That angry lady had a valid point though, I need to make a better effort to learn the language here.

I know how weird and frustrating it is sometimes back in Canada when I meet people from Quebec who can't speak a word of English, or at least refuse to do so. So, I understand where this angry madame was coming from...

Anyways, the lady who helped us out with opening our accounts actually did speak fluent English which was a huge relief. Hopefully our debit cards will be sent in the mail in the next week or so. My friend Ben and Ryan said that their cards didn't work once they came, so I'm hoping our cards work!
So right now, considering I'm down to my last 100 cash euros and my Visa card, I should really try and limit my spending. However, this will be tough because I am going to Milan for the weekend. One of the shopping capitals of the world. No big deal.
So, my next blog post will be about being in Italy, which kind of goes against the point of this blog, but oh well! Hopefully you all won't mind.

A bientot! Have a great weekend!
xxxxx

Lockdown Sundays

I haven't had a lot of complaints since living in the French Riviera. I mean what's there to complain about? The weather has been gorgeous, the Mediterranean is an 8 minute walk from my front door and I've met some fantastic people to share my time with. But, the one complaint that I do have is the fact that everything is closed on Sundays. Literally everything. The grocery store, the coffeeshop, the kebab place around the corner that I like, the boutiques and drug stores. Everything. I don't understand what people do here on Sundays! Usually back home in Toronto I would do most of my errands on Sundays. I used to love going grocery shopping on Sundays, clothes shopping, shoe shopping and going for a cupcake at the Cupcake Shoppe near my house or going out for dinner with my friends. And, above all, the number one thing I miss most about Sundays in Toronto is just going to Starbucks to work on assignments and homework. I miss it so much. This past Sunday I figured I would have no problem going to Choopy's (the coffee shop mentioned a few posts ago) and wasting the afternoon away sipping tea and doing my Advanced Macroeconomics assignment. But no, I couldn't. It was closed, so I was stuck at my apartment doing homework :(
I guess I will have to plan better next weekend and do my homework on Friday or Saturday, but how fun is that? Bummer.

the Black Friday of Europe

Yesterday we decided to go shopping in Nice, which is an easy 20 minute train ride away. So, obviously, still being new here, we decided to take the 1 hour and a half crammed and stuffy city bus that stops and goes the entire way to old Nice. As horrifying as that was, it was only a euro, and I felt like it was a good option considering we were going to Nice to go shopping and spend money anyways. It wasn't, oh well. Anyways, we had heard about these sales that start on January 11th that equate to Boxing Day sales in Canada or Black Friday in the States. So, being girls, we were beyond thrilled. We packed our euros and our water bottles and headed for downtown Nice. I remember when I lived in Rome this passed summer of the amazing sales in July and figured it would be similar, and it turned out it was. Cheap name brands, long lines, crowded streets and angry women. We visited about 5 or 6 stores and came out with great finds: boots, dresses, makeup, soap and onesy pajama outfits (not my purchase, just Nicole hahaha) I was happy with my finds, but I couldn't help but feel competitive the whole day. I am not usually a competitive person, but it's hard to stay in a peaceful state of mind when all these French women are pushing through you to get to the sales racks. I was always running to racks and squeezing through other shoppers to get around them. It was such a weird day, I never act like that. Shopping is usually always such a stress reliever for me, and it's something I love and that I feel like I can always count on to make me feel happiness. As crazy as that sounds, I'm sure most girls understand these feelings.

Either way, it was a fantastic day and to top it off we found an American restaurant and had wings and beer. After dinner we went to the Promenade des Anglais, which is essentially the boardwalk in Nice, to watch the sunset. Another perfect day :)

Choopy's

So, on Tuesday Nicole and I had the most perfect day in old Antibes. The weather was perfect, about 16 degrees and sunny. We decided to go on a mission for handsoap, which is not exciting at all, but we ended up going into all the little shops and boutiques along the way. I found my handsoap, but we also stumbled upon the cutest little coffee and cupcake shop called "Choopy's" It's located on a tiny cobblestone street that you have to access by going through a lovely archway off of Rue de La République. It has cookies and cupcakes and loose leaf tea and cappuccino and pink everywhere and every girly thing under the sun. I felt like this place was made just for me, it's the coffee shop of my dreams. This place also has free wifi, which is a huge bonus for me being a student in a starbucks-less town. I've literally found a gem, at least to me, and I can't wait to try EVERYTHING on the menu :)

The Friendly French

I've been so surprised with how nice people are here so far. Not just the other exchange students, but the actual French people who live here. After our first finance class, a guy we met named Gautier offered to drive us home, which is about a twenty minute drive from the school and he and his friends were just so friendly and welcoming towards us. The people that we've met on the street have been so nice too, not at all the French kind of "snobby" attitude I was expecting here. Just yesterday after walking around the old part of Antibes, we were walking home and a group of three French people walked by us: a girl and two guys. They started saying something to us in French and we were just like "Oh sorry, no francais." But the girl ran after us and asked us in broken english: "Are you twins?" and we laughed and said no and she said, "Well you're very beautiful girls." It was so cute and she was so genuine. I can't imagine ever doing the same thing to someone in Toronto. Like, it just doesn't happen. I have never known a girl to run after other girls just to tell them they were beautiful.
It's so nice though, I love this adventure so far!