I%26#39;ve been meaning to write our experiences, but have been so busy with the start of school and trying to get the classes I need. I now have some time to log back to Tripadvisor and write a few words of some of the highlights of our trip.
We%26#39;re 3 female students from UCLA on our first trip to Europe. Our excursion took place on Sept 2-15. Our first stop was Paris for 4 nights, Nice and the South of France for 5 nights, and we ended our trip in London for 3 nights before heading back to LA. The highlight of our trip was definitely the South of France. It%26#39;s absolutely beautiful. Overall opinion, Paris was nice, London was disappointing but the French Riviera was the best part of our trip. Everyone we met were friendly and wonderful. The weather was just perfect.
Our base was in Nice and we stayed at the Mercure Promenade des Anglais Hotel for 5 nights. It was a budget hotel, but probably the best hotel we%26#39;ve stayed in Europe compared to the hotels in Paris and London. Location is hard to beat, across the street is the beach and then there%26#39;s a bunch of restaurants and cafes at the back of the hotel. In the evenings, it was quite lively, some parts were pedestrian only, with music playing in the background. We spent a little extra money to stay at a sea view room, which was definitely worth it.
Some of the highlights:
Going to Eze...Beautiful medeival town on top of a mountain with breathtaking views of the Mediterranean Sea and the mountains in the background.
Monaco... Visiting the Palace and the Cathedral. The view from palace overlooking the whole country was so beautiful. Not to mention looking at all the handsome police officers around there. Monte Carlo was also amazing city, so much money and wealth in this tiny country. Just looking at all these women showing off their extravagant jewels was a sight to see. We had to sit at the Cafe de Paris next to Casino just to people watch and just take in the unique atmosphere for a few hours.
One of the locals we met suggested going to St Paul de Vence which is in the Provence Region of France. We took his advice and went up there. Wow, we were pretty much speechless when we got up there. A couple people we%26#39;ve met had suggested it%26#39;s one of the most beautiful villages in France.
Nice itself is also a wonderful city. We took a 2 day hop on/hop off bus tour around Nice. Stopped by the Harbor, the Monastary up on the hill and the Matisse Museum. When we were walking around the neighborhoods, 2e met a couple of school kids absolutely adorable and they were practicing their English with us.
Cannes.. I liked Cannes for the sandy beaches... The Hollywood theme though, I didn%26#39;t care too much of because we%26#39;re used to it here as we see celebs here and there..
Antibes....The beaches around here were beautiful also. The town was charming and quaint. I never knew that yachts can be that huge!!! They%26#39;re like cruise ships!
Even with all our touring around the area, we still had time to relax at the beach. The Mediterranean Sea was calm, no waves as we%26#39;re used to compared to the Pacific Ocean. The waters though are beautiful and warm.
We met so many wonderful people on our trip that we exchanged emails and addresses. It will be our turn to show them around if they ever come visit California.
It was an unforgettable trip, and I hope to come back again next year after I graduate!
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Howdy UCLA,
Your trip sounded fabulous, and you really took advantage of your
stay. It%26#39;s so nice to hear the passion of your writing, which you%26#39;ll always look back to those great times that you shared. Never stop climbing mountains, and look forward to the next one to climb.
Have a great year in school!
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