Blog Entry
Nice, Bruges, and Amiens
August 4, 2009 by nate, under General, Photography, Travel.
Hello,
I’ve been putting off updating because I’ve been quite busy the past two weeks.
So what have I been up to? – Well, on July 23rd, I started my vacation by sitting in Gatwick airport for about four hours waiting for my delayed flight. I arrived in Nice, France around 9:30pm and was able to check into my hostel in time. Nice was absolutely amazing and I believe it is possibly my new favourite place in Europe. Nice is the heart of the French Rivera, right along the coast of the Mediterranean. The water was clean, clear, and quite warm. For the entire week, I was a complete beach bum. I would lie out in the sun for about four to five hours each day trying feverishly to remove my ghostly white appearance in comparison to everyone else. I did manage to tan and not burn, however still nowhere near the level of the indigenous people.
Besides the beach, I travelled to Monte Carlo, Monaco, which is a small principality in the south of France near Nice, much like Vatican City, but quite opposite in purpose. Monte Carlo is a tax haven for very wealthy individuals and a gambling centre.
I also visited Cannes, which is renowned for the Cannes Film Festival that debuts many independent films as well as films produced by prominent studios. I went to the beach at Cannes, which was sand, rather than the stones of Nice, but the water was not nearly as clean.
I was able to meet many people and make new friends while I was in France. I travelled by myself but met many Canadians, New Zealanders (Kiwis), Russians, Aussie’s, and a few English people. Once I was in Nice, I did not go anywhere alone, I was accompanied by other young travellers and holiday makers the entire trip. Some of the people I met in Nice also live near or in London, so I am planning on meeting up with them before I return to the US.
In Nice, I visited my first casino. I never gambled before nor did I have any desire, but around 11pm on a Monday night, I entered the Casino with two Kiwis and we decided to play blackjack. I bought €20 worth of chips and sat down at a table. The minimum bid was €10, so I could only sustain a loss twice in a row. First hand, I had 19, but the dealer won with 20. I was down to €10. I decided, if I lost it all, I wouldn’t be extremely disappointed since it was a new experience and quite exciting. Next hand, I won with 20, dealer 19. So I was back to 20€. I won the next hand, up to €30, but lost the next, so I was back to par with €20. At this point my Kiwi friend, Dan, was up to €40 and decided to walk away with doubling his money. I decided I would either lose it all, or stop at €40. Two hands later, I was up to €40 and out the door. For twenty minutes of entertainment and excitement, I doubled my money and €20 is worth nearly $30!
I returned to London the next day, Tuesday, and went from beautiful 28C or 82F weather full of sunshine in France to 20C or 68F full with grey skies and rain. Luckily, my time in England was short lived because on Saturday, I drove to Bruges, Belgium with my friend, Graham, from work.
We left my flat at 4:30am and drove to Folkestone, where we took the Eurotunnel to Calais, France, and then continued our drive to Bruges, Belgium, about 100km (60m) away. Bruges is a really interesting place. The entire city is surrounded by a moat or canal which was for protection back in the middle ages and all the roads were ancient cobblestones. Graham and I walked around for a bit, went on a boat tour, and bought some chocolates for our friends at work as well as some for our mums (It’s no longer a surprise mom, your gift is Belgium chocolate). Afterwards, we went to a pub to try the famous Belgium beer. I tried Trappist beer, which originally was brewed by Monks in a Trappist Monastery. For being monks, I was surprised that the beer was as strong as it was, with 9.5% alcohol content! I also watched an American street performer escape from a straightjacket while wrapped in chains and locked. I never saw anything like this before in person and it seemed very real because he even had a Bruges police officer secure him in the straightjacket and chains. It was one of the best street performances I have ever seen.
Graham and I only spent one night in Bruges and we were planning on going back to France to visit the Normandy WWII battlefields, but we realized Normandy was too far away for us to visit in order to return in time to Calais and catch the train back to England. So, we stopped at Amiens, France to visit and for lunch. Amiens is a small city north of Paris and is home to one of the largest Gothic Cathedrals. I took a few pictures of the sculptures and the architecture. It was quite fascinating and it must have taken hundreds of years to complete (even with slave labor). After lunch and touring the cathedral, we returned to the car and headed back to England.
Now my adventures are at a standstill until August 22nd, when I will fly back to Amsterdam, The Netherlands (for my third time) to meet up with my brother, Justin, and my sister-in-law, Danielle, as they visit. I will be in The Netherlands until the 25th, when I return to England for nearly 24 hours and then fly back to Philadelphia. Only 13 days left of work and 21 until I’m back in America. It’s been a great trip so far and I will miss it, but I have much to do and I am looking forward to my senior year of University which starts on August 31st!
*Photos coming soon.
6 Responses to “Nice, Bruges, and Amiens”
Comment by ray.
Comment #2: Those girls are smoking hot.
Comment by nate.
Yes they are Ray, and Nice is full of beautiful girls. You should definitely go to France!
Comment by MSmith.
So why do you want to come back!?! Well… I guess you should probably finish your degree or some such thing. It’s good to see that you’ve gotten out and about and are enjoying Europe some. Have you noticed that your starting to speak/write like a Brit in your blog? I can’t wait to get the full report!
Comment by nate.
Yes, I am writing like a Brit.. It’s because I have to write that way for work and my spell check automatically changes my spelling!
Why come back? – Well, I would be more than willing to stay if I were paid more. After three months, I now have a good friend base and in two weeks it’s time to leave…And, I am not opposed to coming back, I’d like to live in the same country for at least a year or two.
Comment by MSmith.
Very logical. After you graduate you’ll be able to make more wherever you choose to settle. Europe might have better prospects than the US for the next couple of years. Will be good to see you soon.
Comment by ray.
Nice sounds BA, maybe I will visit when I go to France.