Friday Day 12 Nice/Monaco June, 1, 2012

After today I discovered that Monaco really is one of the richest countries in the world. It was crazy to see some of the people we came across. There were crazy expensive cars everywhere! It seemed to be like more of a shopping vacation destination for very wealthy. This morning we left for Fragonard Perfumery in Monaco. I was looking forward to this company visit because I just love perfume. Our speaker gave us a tour and short presentation of the perfumery and then they set us loose in their store. I bought a few really pretty scents, one for me and the other for my mom. They can only be found at Fragonard, I think she will like it. We had about an hour for lunch so we found this little Italian place in town. I had some delicious spaghetti and then we all walked to Monte Carlo Casino. We were given a tour of the casino and it was really interesting to see. Our tour guide had to remain soft spoken so we didn't disturb people in the casino. The architecture was similar to Versailles, very elegant and lots of gold. I thought about putting in a few euros to gamble, but we decided to explore some of the near by shops. Clearly we could not afford any of the $2000 wallets and bags, but it was fun to see all of this seasons collections up close. That afternoon my mom gave me permission to buy something nice for myself so I decided to wait for our free day in Nice to find a french handbag in their main shopping square. Afterwards we stumbled upon this really good restaurant by our hotel and ate our usual three course dinner. I love how Europe does everything in starter, entree, dessert meals...it's great. A big group then went to the store for some wine, sweets, and cheese for an evening on the Mediterranean beach. All I have to say is the water was mesmerizing...the blue water matched the night sky. If we stepped in, it looked as if we would fall into the sky. What a beautiful sight, right now I am having the time of my life.