I was flying out of Albania with Wizz Air. They are a low-cost airline from Malta and they had more than 20 flights leaving Tirana that night. Most were on time or a little delayed, but my flight to Rome was delayed by 5 hours and 20 minutes. Rather than 5 extra hours at a cool restaurant or bar in Tirana I have 5 extra hours sitting in the airport.  It was no fun and I was falling asleep.

We left at 1.55am and got onward to Rome.  Even though I’ve said to myself that I would like to go back to Rome someday, I’ve changed my mind.  Nothing about Rome appeals anymore. I was due to stay in a hotel overnight, but because of my late flight, it now was not worth it.  I stayed at Rome airport to kill some time.​  It was nothing like fun.  I’m flying on and glad for that to be so.

I flew on to Nice.  The Nice is nice joke has been done to death, but Nice is nice.  Mostly though, I was here to go check out Monaco.  From Nice, you can get to Monaco by train in 30 minutes.  There is no actual border, as in passports and border control.

Monte Carlo, Monaco is about money.  If you have loads of it you arrive by boat, if you don’t you arrive on the train.  I came by train. It is not a welcoming place.  It is interesting to see, but not fun though.  I wandered around, took some photos, and was happy to leave.  I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a more soulless place.

A view from the train

Monte Carlo Train Station

The train journey there was enjoyable as you saw some nice views, but even the windows of the train were dirty.  Are they hiding something? On the return journey, the train was so packed that I couldn’t see beyond the end of my nose.

When you get to Monte Carlo the millionaires have their boats on display or are hanging out on the beach.
Us people watchers, of which there are many, walk on by.

I returned to Nice because it is nice, whatever they say.  Monte Carlo, Monaco is not.

Will I go again to Monaco?  No, conversation over.  However, I am glad I went because it helps me to appreciate the better things in life, like Armenia and Albania.

How Nice

When I got back on the train I decided to take a closer look at Nice. It was a little breezy, but the sun was out and it was a pleasant Friday afternoon. They have a rambla, promenade, or whatever you want to call it. In Nice they call it the Promenade de Anglais, which means Promenade of the English. It’s 4.3 miles long and is named after some wealthy English winery owners who donated to Nice.

Nice is a very popular destination, and it is not difficult to see why. It gets 5 million tourists a year, the second most in France, behind only Paris. La Prom and the local bars and wineries were full of tourists drawn here for a sunny weekend away. Nice is delightful.