My little European Treasure

If I were to choose one city that has stood out above them all, it would have to be the beautiful city of Nice in the French Riviera. I visited Nice during a winter Contiki in January of 2014 and, despite being the coldest part of the year, the weather was beautifully mild.
The incredible city of Nice gave me the most memorable day of my entire Contiki. The morning began early, a small group of us woke before the sun and wandered the narrow back-streets of the city, in the cool air. Right by the beach there is the remnants of a castle which, when you climb to the top, overlooks the entire city of Nice as well as the stunning blue sea. So all of us girls climbed the many many stairs to the top of this castle, the air still very chilly, until we finally reached the large open space at the very top. From this perfect vantage point, we watched as the sun rose over the southern coast of France. We weren't the only ones who decided to take advantage of this stunning view as we were joined by a woman practicing her Tai Chi.
Once we had watched the sun rise over the water, we descended from the castle and began to wander along the beach. There we found a small bike hire shop, where we all rented bikes so that we could cycle along the wide paths running parallel to the beach. We cycled for a full hour taking in the scenery and enjoying the company of one another.
After the early morning we had had and all the exercise we had done, we decided it was time to eat. So we found a nice little cafe right on the waterfront, where we ate copious amounts of seafood and enjoyed chatting over a glass of wine.
After eating and drinking our fill we decided to explore the remainder of the streets nearby, where we stumbled across a sweet little farmers market filled with fresh local produce. We bought delicious breads, fruits and sweets to snack on later, as well as a few little gifts to take home to our families. We spent the rest of the afternoon and the early evening wandering around Nice shopping and enjoying the lovely sights of the seaside city.
As the sun began to set we all got dolled up and hopped on the bus to hop just over the border to Monaco so that we could enjoy an evening in Monte Carlo where we sat and drank Pina Coladas while enjoying the ornate gild-leaf ceiling and winning a few extra euro's at the roulette table.
Overall it was an unforgettable day with some of the most fantastic friends in my life.