Good evening everyone, greetings from beautiful Venice, Italy.  Before I share my experience of the Hilton Molino Stucky and the city/canals of Venice, let me share some pics of my visit to Nice, France, and Monaco.  To me, Nice is all about the beaches and you can see how beautiful they are from these 2 images below.  The first image was taken near the Radisson Blu Nice and the second image was taken near Castle Hill.

 

With the help of the iPhone 6S camera timer feature, we got some interesting jumping photos from the beach.  Every beach we visited in Nice had small stones/pebbles, no sand :(

Behind the beach, we walked up Castle Hill and took some nice pictures of Nice.

On the backside of Castle Hill, there is a marina full of beautiful boats/yachts.  I always forget where I parked my yacht… and seem to have misplace my millions too ;)

Last but not least from Nice, there is a cool pond with water jets that shoot water  up into the air (kind of like a mini Belagio fountain).  Here is a cool pic of the Ferris Wheel and its reflection.

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Moving on to Monaco now.

There are many ways to get from Nice to Monaco, but I recommend taking the bus.  It only costs €1.50 each way and it takes you along the windy, curving coast with stunning views of boats and small cities.  If you take the train, I think you miss a lot of these great views.  Anyway, here is a small marina with a few boats (much bigger boats are stored elsewhere).

As we were walking along the jeddie, we turned the corner and there were 2 big cages full of lions.  Outside of the lion cages, there was a small railing a few feet away.  I have never been within 4 feet of a pack of lions before.  Such a cool feeling.  Then a man walked by with his little dog and dog started barking at the lions.  The lions got curious and rushed over to that corner of the cage.  The cage was only about 12 feet high, so I didn’t want to stick around too long in case the lions wanted to try to escape.  I think this male lion had too much champagne the night before, he looks exhausted with his tongue sticking out. #hungoverlion

Around the corner from the lions, there was a private(?) helicopter pad.  We watched as 1 helicopter took off and flew toward Nice (I suppose to the Nice airport to pick up or drop off the next billionaire).

Around the corner from the helicopter pad, there was a temporary circus with more lions, tigers, mini ponies, dogs, geese, and a few horses.  I got this picture next to a circus elephant statue.  If you haven’t noticed by now, all the photos of me in Europe look the same.  Dark pants and a thick winter jacket.  #lazytraveler

After walking for 20-30 minutes, we walked over to what looks like the starting line or finish line of the Monaco Grand Prix Formula 1 race track.  I could be entirely wrong, but I hope I am right.

Next to the race track(?) was a high diving platform and… an ice skating rink.  I am being told that the pool turns into a skating rink during the colder months.  It was around 45 degrees on that day and people were ice skating… in Monaco.  Just crazy.  I love it.

As we walked up the hill toward the Monte Carlo Casino, I passed by a few yachts.  Mine is the one with the private helipad and hot tub.  Ahh yes, that’s where I left my yacht.  Now where did I leave my keys and helicopter…?

Near the top of the hill, there was a Rolls Royce and a Rallye Monte-Carlo banner.  Anyone know what this is for?

We made it!  We are front and center of the Monte Carlo Casino.  I’ll be honest, Las Vegas had me believe the casino would be much bigger, but it is actually much smaller than I had imagined.  I did not go inside the casino, but I did turn around to view the winter wonderland across the street.  It was late January and there were snow covered pine trees decorated with ornaments. #money

Instead of going inside the Monte Carlo Casino, we had a drink and dinner kitty-corner to the casino and people watched as high-end sports cars and camera-touting tourists co-mingled.

Caution, this next part is super depressing.  As we walked from the Monte Carlo Casino to the bus stop (only €1.50 back to the Radisson Blu Nice hotel), I passed by this beautifully lit up Barclays bank.  I wanted to go inside the branch and speak with Mr. Barclays about my streak of 5+ unapproved Barclays credit card applications (dating back to the US Airways MasterCard), but the bus was arriving soon so I didn’t get a chance.  I’ll see you next time Mr. Barclays!

Overall thoughts?

I absolutely loved Monaco.  It seemed like a new surprise was around each corner and I wish I had spent more than half a day there.  I recommend spending at least 2 full days in Monaco if you want to see everything this small European city/country has to offer.  Nice is beautiful, but there is not much else to do than view the beaches and the Mediterranean Sea.  If you are planning on going to Nice, I would also recommend checking out Cannes (home of the Cannes Film Festival) which is not too far away.

My travel companion, Rhianna, also has a great post full of beautiful pictures of Nice and Monaco available too.

If you have any questions about Nice or Monaco, please leave a comment below.  Have a great day everyone!