Nice, France & Monaco — The Cleared List

When you do financial reporting for an airline, a three day holiday weekend is nothing more than an excuse to jet set somewhere around the world. Memorial day 2015 was no different. One of my co-workers and her husband invited me to go on a trip with them, and I had no problem accepting their offer- third wheelin’ it!! I will say one of the perks of being single in the city is the opportunity to pick up and go without having to check in with anyone.

One might think non-revenue standby travel is quite easy. This is not the case- especially during holiday weekends as flights are often packed to capacity. Nice, France was our number one choice for our travel destination for the weekend but odds of getting there looked bleak. After a few hours of not ending up on “the cleared list” we finally made it on a flight from Atlanta to La Guardia! We took a cab to JFK, and by some miracle we managed to get the last few seats on a 9pm flight to Nice!

We arrived in Nice around 12pm. We had no hotel booked so my co-worker’s husband asked for lodging advice from some of the workers at the airport. They suggested a place nearby the beach but said it might be difficult to find a place since the Grand Prix was going on- we had no idea! We took a public bus for about 2 euro and made our way towards the Pebble beach in search of a hotel. We ended up at Hotel Crandstadt- a very quaint and cozy hotel only about 100 meters from the beach. It was about 130 euros a night and quite perfect for a quick weekend trip.

Once we were finally settled we made our way down to the beach. I’ve been to Europe a few times but Nice is very different from anywhere I’ve been in Europe. The tall palm trees, aqua water, and smooth shiny pebbles were so beautiful. We took an hour to lay out in the sun and enjoy the weather and the view. I will say lying on pebbles isn’t the most comfortable thing in the world- I felt like I was in the Princess and the pea.

After leaving the beach, we made our way to the train station to take a trip to Monaco. On the way to the station we passed quaint French shops and beautiful architecture. Once we arrived, we paid about 5 euro to take the train.

I was not prepared for how dope Monaco would be. I have never felt so broke and unattractive in all my life! Everyone was so beautiful with expensive designer clothes and shoes. It seemed like every car on the street was a Lamborghini, Porsche, Ferrari, or Audi. Beautiful homes were built onto the side of cliffs and yachts filled the sea. We wandered upon the famous Monte Carlo Casino, which was the place to be. Alcohol was flowing and fancy cars were everywhere. After a few hours of wondering what the heck people did to live this sort of lifestyle, we made our way back to Nice. We stopped for some Gelato and before we knew it the day had ended.

Twenty-four hours in Nice and Monaco couldn’t have been better. Until next time- travel well!