The Time I Spent Spring Break With My Best Friend in the French Riviera.

It’s that time of year again, a favorite among students in American Universities. It’s March and that means: #SpringBreak2015. Every student feels a sense of entitlement to have a kick ass spring break. It’s one of the most #basic truths that we students hold to be self-evident - you work your butt off all year and then you take a week off somewhere, anywhere, and have an unforgettable time (or even sometimes un-remember-able time, depending on your plans).

My best friend Nicole and I planned back at Christmastime that she’d make the trip across the big pond and come visit me in Scotland over her break. But considering the fact that when she studied abroad she never got to leave her host country and also the fact that the weather in the UK these days isn’t exactly conducive to a warm and relaxing (if not typical) spring break, I figured we should take a short trip and spend at least a few days somewhere nice. #yolo So, somewhere nice is exactly where we went - Nice, France to be exact.

I have to say that spending the weekend with my best friend would have been stupendous no matter where we ended up, but even so, this trip was absolutely one the most all-around easy, relaxing, and enjoyable trips I’ve ever taken. This trip wasn’t just any kind of regular traveling, spending 4 days in the French Riviera was the holiday to end all holidays, the vacation to trump all vacations - utterly (and almost unbelievably) perfect.

The travel from Scotland to France was a breeze and flying British Airways both ways was the best choice I could have made. They were helpful and polite, the planes were the biggest I have ever had the pleasure of flying on, and every connecting flight gave us complimentary meals to enjoy. I couldn’t have been more pleased, thanks B.A.

As for Nice itself - what a wonderful, beautiful, and quaintly picturesque little place! Gorgeous as far as the eye could see. In every direction you looked there were alleys of adorable boutique shops and French bakeries and fancy 5-star hotels. The entirety of the city was resting right along the coastline of the most gorgeous tropical-blue water and there were hundreds of palms trees nestled between every building and alongside every street swaying in the warm breeze. The air in the city was sweet from all the scents of heavy French perfumes and croissants baking. It was quiet, it felt safe, and everything was incredibly centrally located right by the Gerabaldi tram stop which was the start of the up-scale shopping district and the city center where they had lights and a small carnival going at all hours of the day. One trip up in that Ferris wheel and Nicole and I floored by how far and how much we could see - our eyes could follow the scenery all the way down the beach, from one side of the city to the other.

Not only was it a place we couldn’t take our eyes off of, but I found it impossible not to sample the food every time it crossed my mind (which was an almost constant reoccurrence). The food was impeccable; I have never eaten so many carbs in my entire life - pasta, bread, potatoes, baked desserts… you name it. I guess it’s safe to say that I am a fan of the French diet (or probably more accurately the diet I had while in France).

In our spare time, we bussed it back and forth across the border to Monaco, which admittedly was the reason that we traveled to the South of France in the first place. I have spent my entire life wondering what it would be life to visit and dreaming about getting the chance to finally see Monaco - the place with one of the only monarchies still in existence and where the Monaco Grand Prix takes place. I have heard so much about this tiny little country and it still hasn’t even hit me that I got the privilege to visit and spend 2 whole days there. Monaco is more than I ever imaged it to be. In the time that we were there, we managed to walk from one side of the country to the other - literally. It’s such a small and compact place, but we never ran out of things to see. We visited the famous Monte-Carlo Casino, took a gander at the marinas wherein sit the yachts that are worth more than my tuition payments, and were within feet of the Prince and Princess’ palace. Everything in Monaco reeks of wealth on a level I have never been exposed to in my life. It was the kind of place that if I were to have been hit by a car crossing the road, I probably would been okay with it because getting ran over by a Bentley or a Lamborghini would have made for a for a great story. The Monegasques were flawless and adorned with jewels and furs and high fashion pieces from head to toe. You could tell that money was the furthest thing from an object in this tiny country and that became painfully obvious to Nicole and I when we realized we spent 30 Euro on 2 mediocre Bloody Mary's at a restaurant, but we weren’t about to complain. You can’t really argue with sipping cocktails on the beach in Europe for any reason, you know?

Our 2 days in Monaco were probably the most relaxing 2 days I have ever enjoyed. There was a point where we just sat and sipped #Starbucks in the sun and chatted about nothing for 3 hours. We never rushed, we never stressed, we just wandered and shopped (in stores way out of our price range, of course) and enjoyed the scenery. There were many points throughout our visit where we found ourselves struggling to even believe that we were really there doing and seeing those things - it was nice to be able pinch ourselves and have it not be a dream, even with it all being as dreamy as it was.

France and Monaco made countries 5 and 6 on my list of 10, but Spring Break 2015 with Nicole topped my list of adventures I’ve ever been on. Maybe it was the 50 and 60-degree weather every day, or maybe it was the leisurely lifestyle down there… or maybe it was just being in a beautiful place with my beautiful best friend that made it so special, but whatever the reason, I wouldn’t have changed a single second of my weekend for anything.

“In France we have a saying, ‘Joie de vivre,’ which actually doesn’t exist in the English language. It means looking at your life as something that is to be taken with great pleasure and enjoy it.”

— Mireille Guiliano