Monaco: first bit

   So, I have some lovely cousins who live in Monaco, and I decided to go and see them. Monaco is in the South of France and about a 15 minute drive away from Italy. It's actually its own principality and has a constitutional monarchy and everything, and isn't part of the EU (but in my mind it's the same as the rest of the Cote d'Azure, and thus=France). I spent about a month there two summers ago and couldn't wait to get back--not only are my cousins super fun people, but it's one of the most beautiful places on Earth!

   I decided to go by train instead of plane because train rides are one of my favorite things about being in Europe! It was 6 hours of beautiful countryside and because the train was fairly empty I found the best seat and sprawled out--so much less squished than an airplane!

    Upon arriving in Monaco I realized that I had never told my cousin where I was going to meet her. awkward. Also, my phone had run out of minutes (a phone plan is one thing I really miss about my life in the U.S.) so I had no way to contact her. I decided to just wait outside the main entrance of the station in hopes that she would somehow find me. 

     On the way to the entrance, I stumbled upon some lost English-speaking guys...who were actually some Russians from Canada (complicated, I know) and because we were all in need of maps, went to the exit together. They were really nice and we chatted for a bit...but I'm pretty sure they lied about their names because it's too ridiculous that they were called Vlad and Olaf....really? no Russians are actually named that are they? That's like meeting a guy from Ireland called Patrick McFloo or something. They were super friendly, asked for my number and suggested that we hang out sometime, then they asked me my age and once they found that out...they just kinda mumbled something about seeing me around and caught a taxi. ouch. And not ouch at the same time because I probably wouldn't have hung out with them anyway (after seeing Taken I don't make friends with strangers), but it's nice to think yourself cool enough to hang out with Russian Canadians. 

     Just then my cousin came running up the stairs and tada! I don't even need a phone! We then went back to her apartment and I got to see the whole family! I couldn't believe how old all of the kids were--when I had left their youngest was still crawling around and now he can talk! We had a great dinner together, made plans for the next day, and enjoyed each others company. 

   The next day I walked around town a bit and then met up with my cousin to go to the market in Ventimiglia (Italy). It was so pretty! The market is just like all of the others I've visited, as far as wares go, but it's right by the beach!  

     It was sunny and warm and the seagulls were crying--ah, I really need to make sure to live by the ocean. 

   I love the Cote d'Azure, and it was especially refreshing after a cold, foggy week in the city--which is also fun, but it was nice to have a change.

  It was also so crazy to be able to just head over to Italy on a whim. Incredible.

   We then went home and I hung out with the kids and then had dinner. One of my cousins Greek friends came over, he was a rugby player for Greece in the Olympics a couple years ago, so that was a culture I'd never really been exposed to before. I tend to avoid hanging out with super sporty people because they usually enjoy talking about their muscles for a prolonged period of time and recount all of their super cool plays where they smashed some guy out of the way and then threw a ball or something. I really do need to develop an interest in sports, it's on my list of things I need to learn to like after going to the dentist. I think it's fun to play them, but watching and having a conversation about them is a whole different story. a really boring story. in my opinion, of course. Anyhow, after this guy talked about some of his old game plays we all watched some goofy YouTube movies and then finished off the night with a movie. What a day!