Dave the Nomad

Lifestyle of the rich and famous.

Home to the luxurious and lavish toys all men dream about.

This small spec of a country is amazing! I took a day trip from Nice to visit this place with some new friends from my hostel. Along the way we stopped in a small village named Eze. Eze is composed of a small old town on a hilltop with magnificent views, and small winding streets turned into cafes. The pinnacle of the old town is now an “exotic” garden. I say “exotic” because most of it are American cacti. Regardless, it was a nice stop before entering the enviously rich Monaco.

We had no chance of getting in the casino, but it is still a place to walk around, look at really nice cars, and pretend you can afford the exorbitantly priced clothing. I was very excited to see the aquarium, which I am told was made under the direction of a little known man in the aquatic world, Jacques Cousteau. The aquarium is not huge, but the displays are meant to be entire ecosystems, not just two different types of fish in a tank. The main aquarium will eventually hold an entire coral reef and boast over 2100 species.

After a couple hours looking at the fish, we headed to the port area where a fair was taking place. Most of the rides would never be allowed back in the states, my favorite was a large disc with a railing in which you sat and tried to hold on as it gyrated and turned around trying to make you fall off and slide to the other end. The event couldn’t be complete without the consumption of greasy fair food. I had a sandwich called “The Big American” which was composed of a baguette filled with rectangular beef patties, french fries, tomatoes, and several greasy sauces. I don’t think I’ve had anything this bad for me on my entire trip, and it was delicious.

The rest of the time we spent wandering around the port looking at people’s houses, I mean boats. The kind of boats I would love to retire on and carouse around on the high seas. Alas, I mustered up the strength to walk away and not leave the port a pirate. Our last stop before heading back was the S-curve on the F1 Grand Prix course. The process went something like this: three guys taking pictures of cars, two girls bored out of their mind, and the roar of Ferraris and Porsches filling the air every other minute. Needless to say it was a great visit to the playground, and I was sad to leave.