This week, a group of us decided to stay in Nice and see some more of the surrounding area. On Thursday, Octobter 19th, we went to Mont Boron with our Canadian prof to have an afternoon of games and a picnic. We played pétanque, a game similar to boules (or bocce ball) mainly played in Provence. Our team lost unfortunately, but it was a close game. Afterwards, we had a picnic and toured the Fort du Mont Alban. It was a nice afternoon of seeing another local area just outside of the heart of Nice. Yesterday, October 21st, the Université de Nice Inter-Àges (UNIA) group, organized a day trip to 3 towns along La Vallée de la Roya. We traveled to Breil-sur-Roya, Saorge and Tende for the day. It was a great change of scenery - a short getaway from the hustle and bustle of Nice. Breil-Sur-RoyaOur first stop was Breil-sur-Roya, which is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France. We only stopped here momentarily in the morning for a walk around the small village. It was quite exquisite! There was a beautiful river, the Roya, that reminded me a lot of Stratford, Ontario back in Canada. There were even a few swans swimming along the water! It was a cool, crisp morning which truly made it feel like autumn, something we are all still missing dearly about Canada. It wasn't long before we were all playing in the fresh fall leaves. Another highlight of Breil was the small, yet exquisite, church. The chandeliers in this building were gorgeous and incredibly detailed. I know we seem to visit a church everywhere we go in Europe, but they are some of my favourite buildings to tour. I don't think I could ever tire of visiting the many wonderful churches and cathedrals across Europe! SaorgeNext stop was Saorge, where we got to see some incredible views of the mountains. Although the drive was a little scary (talk about winding roads) we lived to tell the tale, despite some minor motion sickness. While we were here, we walked up to the local Franciscan Monastery. What a sight to see! It was filled from head to toe with beautiful Baroque architecture, and an enormous outdoor layered garden area (jardin potager). The view from these gardens was awesome! For a moment, I felt like we were out in western Canada. There were 4 main areas of the Monastery. The cloître, which showcased various sun clocks that are still in use, the Église Notre Dame des Miracles (the church), the Réfectoire, which housed various paintings (les fresques), and also the jardin potager, the beautifully-landscaped outdoor garden area. Fun fact: the Monastery is still in use today! Many writers come to stay here for a few days to inspire their writing. I kind of wish I was a writer, so I could take advantage of these captivating views! TendeOur last visit was to Tende. Here, we visited a local museum and then did some self-guided touring of the town. It was interesting to see such a rural area, as opposed to the big city of Nice that I am so used to now. Tende was far more quaint, with a small town feeling. Not to mention, many more views of the natural mountain sides. A focal point here was the church. (Surprise, surprise!) What made this church different to the others we have seen was that it was far more colourful, inside and out. The ceilings on the interior were painted blue, which really caught me off guard! Aside from this day trip, our week has been fairly relaxed. We are getting closer to preparing for our big 10 day trip across Europe! In 5 days, we will be on a plane to Budapest, Hungary!! I am feeling so fortunate for all of the opportunities I have been afforded this year already to travel and am looking forward to what the future has in store!
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This has definitely been an unforgettable weekend, to say the least. On Thursday, my roommate and I embarked on a 5 day trip to Berlin, Germany. It was our first inter-European trip since arriving here in Nice, and we thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it! Berlin is such a historically rich city to visit. You feel like you're experiencing a bit of their past with them during your time there. We stayed with family of my roommate's, who were so kind to host us and be our tour guides for the weekend! Vendredi/Friday - le 13 Octobre 2017 To start our weekend off, we did some sightseeing on our own around the local area. It started off with some delicious cinnamon buns from "Zeit Für Brot". Man were they delicious! We then went to Museum Island, where saw the Berliner Dom, the Protestant Cathedral. It was exquisite from the inside (lots of gold), and the view from the top was breathtaking; a panorama of the entire city! Other sights included Brandenburg Gate, St. Mary's Church, the University, the Opera House and several little cafés. We even had lunch at a stereotypical German restaurant set up to look like a German pub. We had sausage and potatoes salad there, and of course beer! There was even live music playing while we were there. We also went to the Holocaust Memorial and Museum. An incredibly eye-opening, humbling experience. Just being in that Museum, reading journal entries from victims and survivors, and seeing the impact it had on Europe during WW2 was an experience like no other. I truly have no words to describe it other than it is a lesson in perspective and empathy. Later that evening, we took a walking tour of the city - it was the Festival of Lights this weekend. Various buildings, like the Dom, Brandenburg Gate and the University, were lit up with intricate visual projections that fit perfectly to each building. The Dom was actually set up for an international entry competition, where various design companies from across Europe submitted their works to be displayed, and the public could vote online for their favourites. Samedi/Saturday - le 14 Octobre 2017 This was an action-packed day. We rented bikes for the day and did a biking tour of Berlin. We first stopped at the remains of the wall, which has now been turned into a large, compiled work of art. On the other side, you could read excerpts of people's testimonials about their experiences with the wall and the great divide between West and East Berlin. Some deep reads. For lunch, we grabbed burgers at Burgermeister, which is built in a former men's washroom underneath the railway tracks. During the afternoon, we headed off to Tempelhof Field, a former airport used during WW2 under Hitler's command. Now, it is an open area for you to ride your bike, fly a kite or spend the afternoon with your family. What I've loved the most is how open Berlin is about their past. There is no shame or trying to conceal what has happened. Instead, they use it as a lesson in hopes that history won't repeat itself. It's an acknowledgement of their mistakes, so that they can learn from them. An empowering concept! Some of our last stops were Checkpoint Charlier and Hitler's bunker, which is now converted into a parking lot. Lots of parks in Berlin as well! We really came to appreciate the exposure to nature found in the city. It made for an incredibly pleasant bike ride! It really felt like fall back in Canada during our time there this weekend, with the leaves changing colour and the cooler temperatures. We still had lots of sunshine to soak up though! Dimanche/Sunday - le 15 Octobre 2017 Our last full day in Berlin was the icing on the cake! Started off by visiting the Berlin Wall Memorial/Museum area, where we got to see some of the remains of the wall, as well as see where it would have lied during its time from 1961-1989; doesn't seem too long ago when you think about it. The afternoon was an experience like no other. We headed to Mauerpark, which means "Wall Park" in German. Much of the wall would have been in this area, hence the name "Mauer" park. Throughout the spring/summer/fall seasons when weather permits, it is set up as an open area for local artists to perform and get together, as well as the location of a large flea market equipped with food trucks and antiques. There is even Karaoke every Sunday afternoon, and sure enough, my roommate and I had the chance to get up and sing in front of the 1000+ people! It was an adrenaline rush like no other! We even got our thirty seconds of fame when a group of people recognized us as "the girls who sang Mamma Mia at Karaoke" after we had supper later that night. Such a cool experience! We were so thankful for our lovely hosts/touring companions for the weekend, who were also so kind as to record our big karaoke debut! They made our time there so much more meaningful and enjoyable! Unfortunately, our weekend of fun had to come to an end, and we are back in Nice for the next couple weeks. At the end of October, we have our fall reading week, "pause pédagogique", and we have lots of plans in the works!
Stay tuned! :) These past two weeks have been action-packed and full of adventures. To start off, I went parasailing here in Nice for the first time! It was an incredibly thrilling, adrenaline-filled experience. I went with another student from my exchange program, and we were blown away (pun intended) by our seven minutes in the sky. Although the take off was a bit rough (imagine two petite girls holding up a parachute), the views from above made it totally worth it! Things at the University have been great, too. A couple of firsts! First in class exam (devoir sur table) and first written assignment (explication du texte), both of which I feel okay about. Happy to have them checked off the list - lots more firsts to come! I also ended up moving apartments this month. My new location is right along the Promenade, which means it is right along the water. I can't really complain... I wake up every morning to an awesome (the true meaning of the word) view of the Mediterranean Sea! What a great way to start the day. Drinking a cup of tea on the terrace, watching the sun rise. I think I could get used to this lifestyle ;) The cover photo of my blog is actually a photo I took of my view from the terrace. It still feels like summer here! Match de Football! - le 1 Octobre 2017 Going to a soccer game here in Nice was also another adventure we embarked on! Unfortunately, Nice lost 4-2 to Marseille, even though they had a fairly strong lead in the first half. Regardless of the score, the energy in the stadium was addicting, particularly the section directly across from us. We could hardly keep up with all of their cheering! This is definitely something we would all do again. It was a great way to spend our Sunday evening together. A bunch of us purchased the OGC Nice scarves while we were there. A great souvenir! Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat - le 5 Octobre 2017 What an experience this was! Our Canadian professor had told us about the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild in St-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, and he made the suggestion that we should go as a group to do some touring and sight-seeing of the area together. Best part was, admission to the Villa was free due to an upcoming wedding that weekend. It was a gorgeous mansion with breathtaking gardens! I couldn't imagine how beautiful (and expensive) of a wedding that would have been... My favourite part inside the house was the porcelain collection manufactured by the Royal Manufactory of Sèvres. The dining room was filled with vases and plates made from porcelain, and there was also an entire display room filled with more porcelain. They were truly works of art, in my opinion! The gardens were definitely a highlight of the Villa. There were 9 gardens that overlooked the sea, full of waterfalls, flowerbeds, roses and rare species of trees. The 9 gardens were the Spanish, Florentine, Stone, Japanese, Exotic, Rose, Provençal, French and Sèvres. The rose gardens were at the top of my list! Later that afternoon, we met up with our professor for a walking tour of the local area. We completed a 3km walk/hike called "Le Tour de la Pointe Saint-Hospice", which took us roughly 1 hour to complete. We visited a couple beaches, the Chapelle Saint-Hospice and made our way through the boat port as well. A long, exhausting, but equally exciting, day! Feeling very fortunate to have had so many opportunities for travel already. Next adventure is Germany! See you in 4 days, Berlin :)
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