Today mom and I went to Le Musée Les Secrets du Chocolat, and what a secret it is...it's destination, at least.
We attempted to go yesterday by bike...and failed extravagantly at trying to find our way. At least we got a good work out from that whole experience.
Last night, when my dad got back from work, my mom and him went out in the car to try and find it, so that not only would we know how to get there, but my mom would have gotten in some practice driving.
We made it successfully today (successfully as in we didn't die...barely). Just as we were pulling in, a bus full of british school kids was unloading. So when we went in, we were able to watch the beginning video in english with them. The video was quite humorous, being narrated by Chocolate, and the high schoolers were giggling all around us. It was nice to sit there and think about the fact that I never have to return to Forest Hills Eastern High School ever again! Especially if they are keeping teachers like Glover in there midst...yikes...
After the video we walked through rooms where they had little exhibits set up with slightly creepy moving mechanical people and explanations about chocolates past. We learned how cacao goes from bean, to velvety smooth pools of rich, swirling deliciousness. Did you know that the beans are actually white when they come out of the pod? I thought that was curious. We also learned that cacao PREVENTS cavities!
At the end, they have a demonstration room, and the woman was still there, having just finished giving the high schoolers a demo. So she gave my mom and I our very own show. It was cool, she showed us how they do molds and things. My mom learned how to make the chocolate we cover our famous sea foam in shiny and smooth, rather than with white scuff marks. She also explained how they make each different chocolate; white, milk and dark. White chocolate doesn't actually have cacao in it, it has the cacao butter extracted from the beans which is white, and that's why it isn't brown like the others. White chocolate is cacao butter, milk, and sugar. Milk and dark are different only because the amount of cacao powder and sugar. Milk has more sugar and less cacao...which is why dark chocolate is better for you. Less sugar.
Then we wandered through their store. I got a bag of hot chocolate (can't wait to try this!), and a little bathroom kit with chocolate scented lotion, body soap, and oil! I'm gonna smell like chocolate! Yum! My mom got a bag of chocolate tea, and an oil kit with chocolate oil scents. So now our house here will smell like chocolate too. We also each got a bag of little mini chocolate bars with our tickets. They have dark (chocolat noir or black chocolate is what they call it here), milk and white chocolate.
They also had a salon de thé (a tea room) where they sold drinks, and chocolate fondue. The whole room was decorated in dark blue and sea foam green...It put a smile on my face.
A very happy day! (Especially since I got to hear my mother drop a few choice swear words after taking a wrong turn...never heard her say the 'f' word before!)
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Monday, October 11, 2010
Europa Park
The park is divided into different countries; Germany, England, Holland, Russia, Scandinavia, Austria, Iceland, Italy, France, Greece, Switzerland, Spain and Portugal. Each country is actually designed to look like the actual country. It was the coolest thing ever. The park was also all decorated for Halloween. There were hundreds of pumpkins...EVERYWEHRE! There were so many of them. And all the areas where you wait to get onto a ride were all decorated. It must have taken A LOT of work to get the entire park all decorated like that.
The first thing we went on was a haunted house kinda thing. You sit in a car with one other person and it takes you through a haunted house. It was cool. The beginning was the coolest. You wait in line, and then you are all shuffled into a room, where they try and scare you and the room moves down and then opens the doors to the area where you get onto the spinning car things.
Next we went to a roller coaster that was inside, so it was all dark. It was in what is normally just a giant ball, like the one at Epcot in Disney. But for halloween, they had it covered in fabric to look like a giant pumpkin.
After that roller-coaster, we rode the Silver Star. It's one of the bigger coasters in the park and was super fun. The waiting line takes you through a mercedes building. So my dad was entertained while we waited to get on.
In Iceland, they just built a new roller-coaster called Blue Fire. It's super fast and has a ton of twists and turns. My dad, mom and I all went on it. Justine had gone on all the other rides with us, her mom went on the smaller coasters, and her dad only went on the non-coaster rides. Justine said she wasn't sure if she wanted to go on it. She said she didn't like the loops, so she skipped this one.
I think, of the day, my favorite ride was a coaster that wrapped around these cool mirror covered buildings. You get onto the ride at the bottom of one of the buildings, inside, and it goes around and around and around on the inside of the building. The cars also spin, so as the coaster is coiling up to the top, the cars are also spinning.
Then, you get to the top, and you are VERY high up, and the coaster goes and you drop and spin and circle three buildings. The ride itself was a lot of fun, but the part I liked best was my mom's face. This is what made it my favorite ride.
My mom is afraid of heights. And this is one of those rides where your sitting in the car and you can't see the tracks at all, so you just feel like your in open air. She was freaking out. Her face was PRICELESS. When we got off, she just kept saying it was the scariest thing she'd ever done.
Justine and I laughed from the moment we got on the ride, and continued to laugh after we got off. We just couldn't get the look on my mom's face out of our heads...it was too funny.
We ended the day at a restaurant on our way home that Justine's parents said had the best tarte flambée. And they were right!
I might have turned 20, but I'm still 2 at heart
Off to the zoo for my birthday!
Woke up bright and early, and drove to Amnéville to go to the aquarium and zoo. When we got to the area that they are located in, we discovered a very interesting thing. They were in a touristique area. And there was a bunch of things there. An imax, an ice skating rink, a skiing place (we weren't sure how that worked), restaurants, and all sorts of other fun places.
The aquarium was a bit of a bust...tiny, and a lot of the animals were missing...
But the zoo was AWESOME...and expensive. Happy Birthday to me!
The zoo has something like over 2,000 animals in it. And there a bunch of babies born there every year! We saw a baby hippo, white leopard, wallaby, and many other youngsters that had been born in 2009.
But the best part, was the spectacle de rapaces (raptor spectacle). Oh. My. Goodness. Call me medieval, but it was hyper-cool.
It started with two guys riding out on horses, and then two people came out with hawks on their arms and they flew to the guys on horses. They did all kinds of awesome stuff. They had hawks, falcons, eagles, owls, even vultures!
They did some tricks. One with a guy on horseback swinging a weather pouch around his head and the bird (never can tell the difference between the falcons, golden eagles, and hawks) would dive at it. The trick was that the man was able to catch the bird with it, by having wrapped the string around it's ankles. It didn't hurt the bird, it's not like it went crashing to the ground. It just flew down and landed, and waited patiently for a trainer to come over and pick him up.
Another trick they did was with a guy on horseback pulling a canvas bag behind the horse, and two trainers let two birds go and they dove at it. It was awesome to watch.
They had birds flying all over the arena. They would fly from the middle of the arena, to the wooden walkway above, just a foot from your head.
At one point, one of these massive birds, called a Sea Eagle, was flying up to the wooden railing above the stands, and didn't quite get a good grip on the railing, ended up falling backwards and in the process of catching himself from falling, he landed, literally, on a woman's back sitting in the stands. Not only is this bird MASSIVE with a very big yellow beak, but it has huge talons.
The woman was perfectly fine. She just laughed it off. Especially since the bird hopped off, and was now standing on the bleachers along with the audience. He bounced around for a bit, nibbled at an old woman's shoe, all the while looking around and listening for his trainer to call him. It was hilarious. The best part about it, was that this was all happening two feet away from where my parents and I were sitting.
They also brought out owls. Which was a really cool part. The owls were never out at the same time as the other birds...and we think we glimpsed a moment of why that is.
One of the owls had flown over and was perched by one of the entrances into the arena, and the trainer made his way across the opposite side of the arena and called for him to come over. But the owl was too distracted. He was watching a free bird off in the distance, flying around. He kept looking at the trainer, shifting his weight, and then looking back up at the other bird. He sat there for quite some time. The trainer actually started to walk back across the arena, stopping every so often to attempt to the get the owl's attention. But he was too intent on the other bird. I think he wanted to go after it. But my mom thinks he might have been afraid of it. We aren't sure. But in the end, the trainer finally got the owl to come to him (a whole five feet away).
The "grand finale" of sorts for this show, was that they brought out basically all the birds and had them flying all over the place. It was so awesome. The guys on horseback were also throwing slim bits of meat into the air and the birds would dive and catch them. It was one of the coolest things I've ever seen.
After this, we wandered over to the sea lions and saw a quick show with them and seals. Then there was supposed to be a spectacle with the tigers. And after having seen such an awesome hawking thing, my imagination was running away with itself as to what they would do with the tigers. Unfortunately, the only thing they did was talk about it (in very rapid french) and throw chunks of meat into the exhibit. The tiger was just sorta stalking around, and wasn't all that interested in the meat. So we decided it was time to go home.
This was one of the coolest birthdays! And sunday I got to go to an amusement park and ride Europe's biggest rollercoaster! I'm confused now...did I turn 20, or 10 again? :D
Woke up bright and early, and drove to Amnéville to go to the aquarium and zoo. When we got to the area that they are located in, we discovered a very interesting thing. They were in a touristique area. And there was a bunch of things there. An imax, an ice skating rink, a skiing place (we weren't sure how that worked), restaurants, and all sorts of other fun places.
The aquarium was a bit of a bust...tiny, and a lot of the animals were missing...
But the zoo was AWESOME...and expensive. Happy Birthday to me!
It started with two guys riding out on horses, and then two people came out with hawks on their arms and they flew to the guys on horses. They did all kinds of awesome stuff. They had hawks, falcons, eagles, owls, even vultures!
They did some tricks. One with a guy on horseback swinging a weather pouch around his head and the bird (never can tell the difference between the falcons, golden eagles, and hawks) would dive at it. The trick was that the man was able to catch the bird with it, by having wrapped the string around it's ankles. It didn't hurt the bird, it's not like it went crashing to the ground. It just flew down and landed, and waited patiently for a trainer to come over and pick him up.
Another trick they did was with a guy on horseback pulling a canvas bag behind the horse, and two trainers let two birds go and they dove at it. It was awesome to watch.
They had birds flying all over the arena. They would fly from the middle of the arena, to the wooden walkway above, just a foot from your head.
At one point, one of these massive birds, called a Sea Eagle, was flying up to the wooden railing above the stands, and didn't quite get a good grip on the railing, ended up falling backwards and in the process of catching himself from falling, he landed, literally, on a woman's back sitting in the stands. Not only is this bird MASSIVE with a very big yellow beak, but it has huge talons.
The woman was perfectly fine. She just laughed it off. Especially since the bird hopped off, and was now standing on the bleachers along with the audience. He bounced around for a bit, nibbled at an old woman's shoe, all the while looking around and listening for his trainer to call him. It was hilarious. The best part about it, was that this was all happening two feet away from where my parents and I were sitting.
They also brought out owls. Which was a really cool part. The owls were never out at the same time as the other birds...and we think we glimpsed a moment of why that is.
One of the owls had flown over and was perched by one of the entrances into the arena, and the trainer made his way across the opposite side of the arena and called for him to come over. But the owl was too distracted. He was watching a free bird off in the distance, flying around. He kept looking at the trainer, shifting his weight, and then looking back up at the other bird. He sat there for quite some time. The trainer actually started to walk back across the arena, stopping every so often to attempt to the get the owl's attention. But he was too intent on the other bird. I think he wanted to go after it. But my mom thinks he might have been afraid of it. We aren't sure. But in the end, the trainer finally got the owl to come to him (a whole five feet away).
The "grand finale" of sorts for this show, was that they brought out basically all the birds and had them flying all over the place. It was so awesome. The guys on horseback were also throwing slim bits of meat into the air and the birds would dive and catch them. It was one of the coolest things I've ever seen.
This was one of the coolest birthdays! And sunday I got to go to an amusement park and ride Europe's biggest rollercoaster! I'm confused now...did I turn 20, or 10 again? :D
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Spider Count
The MASSIVE FREAKING SPIDER count is now up to : 2
1 found in the living room, chilling on the couch with me...
2 found crawling out from under my bed...
oh goody!
1 found in the living room, chilling on the couch with me...
2 found crawling out from under my bed...
oh goody!
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Where did all the teens go?
I can't believe that it's October all ready! But more, I can't believe I'm going to be 20! Holy cow! I'm not going to be a teen anymore!
Went downtown today because I successfully read every book I packed for the three months...oopsie! So I bought two new books. I'm starting to really worry about space in the suitcases...
So, wedding stuffs update. John and I are thinking that rather than having a wedding cake (cause neither of us is a huge fan of cake) we would have a chocolate fountain, and a candy counter. Chocolate fountain, my idea. Candy counter, John's idea. I love both! Hope are guests aren't hugely disappointed about not having cake!
Besides...who says you have to have cake at your wedding, just cause all the cool kids do it doesn't mean we have to! And no, Marie Antoinette DID NOT SAY "Let them eat cake." Just thought you all should know : )
Went downtown today because I successfully read every book I packed for the three months...oopsie! So I bought two new books. I'm starting to really worry about space in the suitcases...
So, wedding stuffs update. John and I are thinking that rather than having a wedding cake (cause neither of us is a huge fan of cake) we would have a chocolate fountain, and a candy counter. Chocolate fountain, my idea. Candy counter, John's idea. I love both! Hope are guests aren't hugely disappointed about not having cake!
Besides...who says you have to have cake at your wedding, just cause all the cool kids do it doesn't mean we have to! And no, Marie Antoinette DID NOT SAY "Let them eat cake." Just thought you all should know : )
Monday, October 4, 2010
Nice...how nice!
What an awesomely beautiful weekend in Nice. We had gorgeous, sunny, warm weather the whole time!
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We left thursday night, taking an overnight train. This was a new and interesting experience. The train ride was a little over 12 hours, and I actually ended up sleeping the whole time. Which was nice for the next day.
We got into Nice (pronounced like niece, for those of you who have never heard of it) a little after 9:00 friday morning. We walked to our hotel, and freshened up and changed into our day clothes.
First, we walked all through the back streets and market place. We got a quick lunch, and continued to wander through the little shops.
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We saw a lot of places with salts & spices, and also soaps & perfumes.
Then we hiked to a lookout area. Along the way we saw an archeological site for a church and old castle that had been torn down by Louis XIV I believe?
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The view was stunning. You could look out, see the Mediterranean Sea stretching into the horizon to once side, and see the hills covered in red-roofed, beach worn houses, and see the foothills of the Alps disappearing in the background.
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After admiring the beauty, we walked back to the Promenade and sat on the beach. Their beaches aren't soft and sandy like us lucky west Michiganders are used to. They are covered in pebbles rather. Pebbles of all different sizes. From ones as big as footballs, to ones as big as a toenail. While they weren't particularly comfortable to layout on, they made the most beautiful sound as the waves drew back into the Sea, rushing over all the pebbles and making them bump into one another. It was quite relaxing to lay there and listen to the new sound, soaking up the much missed summer rays. We all ended up dozing off.
After our little nap, we decided to go get checked-in to our hotel. We were all exhausted from our adventure on the night train, and our hike that morning, so we relaxed a bit before heading out in search for dinner.
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Every morning in Nice, there is a market called Marché aux fleurs, and it's booths set up under awnings in a line down an area a block up from the water. Then, in the afternoon, the booths pack up, and the restaurants all along this spot set up their tables and chairs for lunch and dinner.
This was where we decided to eat dinner. We found a restaurant that seemed good. Our waiter was very friendly. He chatted us up every time he came over.
If there is one thing I love about eating out in France, it's that going to dinner isn't a quick affair. You sit, and enjoy your meal and your company. Typically taking around 3 hours. Helped along by the staff.
They don't come over two seconds after you sit down to get your order, they don't pester you every five minutes during your meal to see how your doing, and they don't bring you the check the SECOND you have taken your last bite. Nope.
In france, you sit down at a restaurant and are brought a menu. They let you take your time and look it over. They might take your order five minutes later, or fifteen minutes later.
After you've ordered, they will bring you your drinks, and a few minutes later your meal. Then they leave you alone.
You can sit, and take your time eating your (99% of the time) ridiculously delicious meal. Then, probably 20 minutes after everyone has finished their last bite, your waiter will show up, and ask if you are done, clear away your plates, and ask if you want dessert or coffee.
Occasionally you will order dessert, but almost always you order a coffee, cappuccino or hot chocolate. They will bring you your drink right away, but then leave you alone to enjoy for probably another hour.
You are expected to relax and enjoy when you eat out in France. You aren't rushed out of your seats to get new paying customers in. It's quite lovely.
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My mom ordered a margarita, and it was the strongest one she's ever had. For dinner she got a pasta dish with mussels, clams, and shrimp. My dad got a big pot of mussels, which were very delicious. I got a four cheese pizza, because I couldn't resist.
Then, after we had had dessert, and ordered our after dinner drinks, the waiter asked me out! No joke. At first, I didn't understand what was happening, because he was gesturing behind my parents back at me. I was sitting there going, "what the heck is he trying to say?" Then it hit me. And all I could do was laugh and shake my head, hiding my face in my hands because I knew my face was turning the color equivalent to a raspberry.
He was quite persistent though. He gestured every time he came to our table, to take away our empty cups, clear the table, give us the check. All I could do was just laugh. Suddenly, the extra bread, special oil to go with it, free bottle of water, and another free bottle of water, all seemed to make sense. I still crack up when I think about this.
After dinner, we wandered around town for a bit, stopping at a plaza in the shopping area of town to admire the fountains and these really interesting glowing men sculptures way up high on pedestals. We got to our hotel around midnight.
I got to take my first bath of this trip. Oh, it was so nice. Our bathroom in Holtzheim doesn't have a bathtub. And this was the first hotel we've stayed in that had one. I was very excited.
Saturday morning we got up, and found a good place to eat breakfast. Then we rented mopeds.
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Something you need to understand, the traffic in Europe is nuts. Seriously, crazy. So my parents were a little anxious about this idea (which of course had been mine). My mom was WAY too chicken to get her own, so she rode on the back of my dad's. But I got my own.
I had only ever driven a moped once before. It had gone well, but one five minute drive wasn't enough to prepare me for a full day on one, and in insane traffic. But I survived. I had one slight crash.
I was having a hard time adapting to going from a stop to a slow and controlled go, and I was trying to go over to the lane my dad was in at a traffic light. All the cars were stopped and waiting, and I had just enough room to sneak past a car without hitting the curb. Unfortunately, things didn't go quite as planned.
I did end up hitting the curb, because it's impossible for me to go from a full stop to a slow go, while also trying to turn. Long story short, I had to jump off and drop the moped to prevent myself from getting injured, and also to make the moped stop, because my hand was stuck on the acceleration. But, the moped and I survived! Yay!
Well...except my pride was a bit injured. Especially since all the cars waiting at the stop light had just witnessed my horribly amateur moped skills. At least I don't have to ever see those people again!
We road the mopeds from Nice to Monaco, all along the coast. When I wasn't focused on dying, the view was beautiful! We got to Monaco, and had lunch at a small place in one of the harbors stocked full of yachts and sailboats. I had a really yummy cheese panini, with my first sprite!
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Then we rode the mopeds up to Monte Carlo casino. We parked them a few blocks away and walked over to the casino. We went inside, and used to bathrooms real quick. If you ever go to Monte Carlo, you HAVE to flush one of the toilets! When you do, a little gizmo pops out on top of the seat, and the seat itself starts to morph and it slowly stretches into an oval and starts spinning, while the gizmo cleans it! It cleans the seat after every flush! Talk about nice for the cleaning staff!
Since it cost 10 euros to enter the actual casino area, we decided to just pop into a side room that had about two dozen slot machines. I gambled for the first time in Monte Carlo Casino! How cool! It was also with my mom's money, so it was even better. She walked away with lighter pockets though. In my defense, I was the one who earned most of the money back that she lost on the first gamble. So my first gambling experience was a good one.
Then it was time to head back to Nice to get the mopeds in. We checked them back in, went into the coolest shop ever, Coolest Shop Ever , and found a restaurant for dinner. We were looking at the menu (which is different in France. If it says Menu, then it's a set price. Generally, you will choose an appetizer, a meal, and a dessert for this set price.) and the "salesman" for the restaurant came over and started explaining it all to us. My parents decided talked about whether this was where we wanted to eat, and decided it looked good. So we sat down, and were each brought a small glass of champagne! For free! It was good champagne too, according to my parents. I don't have enough experience with alcohol to know good from bad, but I drank it, and enjoyed it!
We had our first 3 hour dinner. When we were paying, our waiter was talking to us, and ended up telling us his amazing story. He is riding all over the world on a bike! He was actually from Slovenia, and told us all about the places he has been and is going. He said he is a photographer, and also writes in a journal, and might write a book one day. His website It was awesome! It's amazing to think about how many experiences he must have. And here we thought we were getting cultured!
The next day was a travel day. We spent all day riding on two trains, finally getting to Strasbourg at about 7:30 (19:30).
Trying to decide which trip has been my favorite so far... Paris, or Nice... hmmm...
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We got into Nice (pronounced like niece, for those of you who have never heard of it) a little after 9:00 friday morning. We walked to our hotel, and freshened up and changed into our day clothes.
First, we walked all through the back streets and market place. We got a quick lunch, and continued to wander through the little shops.
.JPG)
Then we hiked to a lookout area. Along the way we saw an archeological site for a church and old castle that had been torn down by Louis XIV I believe?
.JPG)
The view was stunning. You could look out, see the Mediterranean Sea stretching into the horizon to once side, and see the hills covered in red-roofed, beach worn houses, and see the foothills of the Alps disappearing in the background.
.JPG)
After our little nap, we decided to go get checked-in to our hotel. We were all exhausted from our adventure on the night train, and our hike that morning, so we relaxed a bit before heading out in search for dinner.
.JPG)
This was where we decided to eat dinner. We found a restaurant that seemed good. Our waiter was very friendly. He chatted us up every time he came over.
If there is one thing I love about eating out in France, it's that going to dinner isn't a quick affair. You sit, and enjoy your meal and your company. Typically taking around 3 hours. Helped along by the staff.
They don't come over two seconds after you sit down to get your order, they don't pester you every five minutes during your meal to see how your doing, and they don't bring you the check the SECOND you have taken your last bite. Nope.
In france, you sit down at a restaurant and are brought a menu. They let you take your time and look it over. They might take your order five minutes later, or fifteen minutes later.
After you've ordered, they will bring you your drinks, and a few minutes later your meal. Then they leave you alone.
You can sit, and take your time eating your (99% of the time) ridiculously delicious meal. Then, probably 20 minutes after everyone has finished their last bite, your waiter will show up, and ask if you are done, clear away your plates, and ask if you want dessert or coffee.
Occasionally you will order dessert, but almost always you order a coffee, cappuccino or hot chocolate. They will bring you your drink right away, but then leave you alone to enjoy for probably another hour.
You are expected to relax and enjoy when you eat out in France. You aren't rushed out of your seats to get new paying customers in. It's quite lovely.
.JPG)
Then, after we had had dessert, and ordered our after dinner drinks, the waiter asked me out! No joke. At first, I didn't understand what was happening, because he was gesturing behind my parents back at me. I was sitting there going, "what the heck is he trying to say?" Then it hit me. And all I could do was laugh and shake my head, hiding my face in my hands because I knew my face was turning the color equivalent to a raspberry.
He was quite persistent though. He gestured every time he came to our table, to take away our empty cups, clear the table, give us the check. All I could do was just laugh. Suddenly, the extra bread, special oil to go with it, free bottle of water, and another free bottle of water, all seemed to make sense. I still crack up when I think about this.
After dinner, we wandered around town for a bit, stopping at a plaza in the shopping area of town to admire the fountains and these really interesting glowing men sculptures way up high on pedestals. We got to our hotel around midnight.
I got to take my first bath of this trip. Oh, it was so nice. Our bathroom in Holtzheim doesn't have a bathtub. And this was the first hotel we've stayed in that had one. I was very excited.
Saturday morning we got up, and found a good place to eat breakfast. Then we rented mopeds.
.JPG)
I had only ever driven a moped once before. It had gone well, but one five minute drive wasn't enough to prepare me for a full day on one, and in insane traffic. But I survived. I had one slight crash.
I was having a hard time adapting to going from a stop to a slow and controlled go, and I was trying to go over to the lane my dad was in at a traffic light. All the cars were stopped and waiting, and I had just enough room to sneak past a car without hitting the curb. Unfortunately, things didn't go quite as planned.
I did end up hitting the curb, because it's impossible for me to go from a full stop to a slow go, while also trying to turn. Long story short, I had to jump off and drop the moped to prevent myself from getting injured, and also to make the moped stop, because my hand was stuck on the acceleration. But, the moped and I survived! Yay!
Well...except my pride was a bit injured. Especially since all the cars waiting at the stop light had just witnessed my horribly amateur moped skills. At least I don't have to ever see those people again!
We road the mopeds from Nice to Monaco, all along the coast. When I wasn't focused on dying, the view was beautiful! We got to Monaco, and had lunch at a small place in one of the harbors stocked full of yachts and sailboats. I had a really yummy cheese panini, with my first sprite!
.JPG)
Since it cost 10 euros to enter the actual casino area, we decided to just pop into a side room that had about two dozen slot machines. I gambled for the first time in Monte Carlo Casino! How cool! It was also with my mom's money, so it was even better. She walked away with lighter pockets though. In my defense, I was the one who earned most of the money back that she lost on the first gamble. So my first gambling experience was a good one.
Then it was time to head back to Nice to get the mopeds in. We checked them back in, went into the coolest shop ever, Coolest Shop Ever , and found a restaurant for dinner. We were looking at the menu (which is different in France. If it says Menu, then it's a set price. Generally, you will choose an appetizer, a meal, and a dessert for this set price.) and the "salesman" for the restaurant came over and started explaining it all to us. My parents decided talked about whether this was where we wanted to eat, and decided it looked good. So we sat down, and were each brought a small glass of champagne! For free! It was good champagne too, according to my parents. I don't have enough experience with alcohol to know good from bad, but I drank it, and enjoyed it!
We had our first 3 hour dinner. When we were paying, our waiter was talking to us, and ended up telling us his amazing story. He is riding all over the world on a bike! He was actually from Slovenia, and told us all about the places he has been and is going. He said he is a photographer, and also writes in a journal, and might write a book one day. His website It was awesome! It's amazing to think about how many experiences he must have. And here we thought we were getting cultured!
The next day was a travel day. We spent all day riding on two trains, finally getting to Strasbourg at about 7:30 (19:30).
Trying to decide which trip has been my favorite so far... Paris, or Nice... hmmm...
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