Nice and Monaco

The first couple of days have passed and I was able to explore the city a little. Nice is a cute town, not too big, not a lot of traffic - apparently they have tunnels underneath the city which thin out the traffic -, quite calm, with fantastic views. People are friendly and nice - pun intended, obviously. Contrary to the stereotype that French people dislike speaking English, I haven't encountered any animosity whenever I asked something in English. Maybe the reason is that it's a very touristy place, so people are used to an international audience that speaks a variety of languages. 

Something you notice very fast is how well-off people here seem to be. Both tourists and locals. Everyone is dressed well, you see brands everywhere. Shoes, bags. Food and drinks are quite expensive, restaurants and cafés are still buzzing with visitors. You don't really see poverty, or very rarely. And when you do, it's the complete extreme. People living in the street, or begging for money in the pedestrian areas. 

You also feel and see that the government has taken various terrorist threats seriously and installed precautionary measures. It's not uncommon to see soldiers patrolling in front of old churches or other landmarks. Nobody minds or seems to pay attention, but for me it is quite weird. You walk through the old town, with its narrow, picturesque alleys, and all of a sudden you see three guys with machine guns. It is simply a weird sight. But I guess since France has had to painfully go through multiple horrible acts of terror, this reaction is very understandable. 

Another experience that turned out to be a bit surprising because it showed extreme wealth, was my visit to Monaco and Monte Carlo. Extreme and unrealistic in the sense that it doesn't mirror what regular people can afford. It's like a bubble made up of luxurious cars, super yachts, fancy clothes, expensive hobbies. It was an interesting trip. Monaco had a lot of very beautiful views, exotic gardens and nice architecture. But it had also this totally out of touch with the real world perception of what you should aspire to. 

Anyway, whether I agree with what I see or not, it was still very interesting and nice to experience.