I've spent a lot of the summer feeling like I'm in a movie. I've done some amazing things in a relatively short space of time; things that I hadn't anticipated doing, with people I hadn't anticipated doing them with. Things that have given me a huge amount of pleasure. This weekend was no different. This weekend I really did feel like I was in a movie, and a fairly glamorous one at that!
Chri and Alle arrived at my apartment on Saturday late afternoon and helped move my bags to Chri's apartment. Saturday was incredibly humid so I was extremely grateful to the lovely Alle for the use of his large and air-conditioned car. We dropped my bags off then headed to Monaco. The train journey to Monaco is beautiful as it follows the sea but it was nice to be making the journey by car for a change as you get a completely different perspective. We took the road in-land in the hills high above the sea, then dropped down into Monaco. Alle's parents have an apartment in Monaco that they use for work so we got ready there and had a glass of champagne on the balcony. I was very excited to be staying in Monaco randomly! The underground parking at the apartment was full of Ferraris, Porches etc etc. Yes, there were also 'normal' cars but there were a lot of expensive cars too. It's incredible to think of the money concentrated in such a small area. If you can afford an apartment there, then you can afford the car and probably the yacht to go with it.
We went for an apero in the port then on the Horizon restaurant at the Fairmont Hotel, as you clearly do when in Monaco darling! I had tartare of blue prawns to start = delicious and really very blue (I didn't know blue prawns existed), followed by grilled swordfish skewers with houmous and mint tabouleh. We shared a lemon and a strawberry tart for dessert then, as the rain had cleared, we had coffee on the decking overlooking the sea and the city. It wasn't a cheap meal nor was it the best meal I've ever had, and the service was actually pretty dire, which surprised me, but it was an experience nonetheless. An experience I enjoyed.
Although we'd planned to get up bright and early on Sunday and go for a run, when the boys heard I'd never been to a casino they insisted we went downstairs to the hotel's casino. That was an experience too. Why are casinos so bright - is it to prevent cheating? And it was full full full of glamorous women. Lots of Russians and also lots of prostitutes (according to the boys) wearing short dresses and the highest of heels. There were also lots of old people playing the slot machines and it was mostly men at the tables. There was one blonde woman, cold as ice and apparently on her own (maybe those two things are connected?), who approached one of the roulette tables and handed over 300€, which she promptly lost, in about 10 minutes. We had a go on the slot machines and Alle managed to double his 20€ despite none of us quite understanding what we were doing. We cashed that in and given that none of us knew how anything other than blackjack worked, the boys persuaded me to play. Sitting down at a blackjack table in a casino in Monte-Carlo in my LBD, backed by two Italian men really was like being in a film! No-one explains the rules to you so I missed the first round because I didn't put my chips down before the cards were dealt and the croupier doesn't prompt you. Doh! But between the three of us we managed to figure out what we were meant to be doing and I was off! I started cautious and stayed cautious but it reaped rewards. The boys joined the game as and when places at the table became available, and a Swiss guy beside me and a random punter behind me gave me top tips as the game progressed. It was great! I guess we did get a bit addicted because before we knew it it was 3.30am. But the good news is that we came out 20€ up! We had a final drink and some midnight munchies in the hotel bar to celebrate our success and finally got to bed just before 6am! Unfortunately we were woken up three hours later when my phone alarm went off in the room where Alle was sleeping. It was so loud! I didn't realise it got so loud as I normally switch it off within seconds, and poor Alle was terrified as he didn't know what it was. We decided to go back to bed for an hour and woke up again three hours later...
Alle made scrambled eggs with ham and toast - yum, haven't had that since I left the UK - and Earl Grey tea for breakfast then we rang my lovely Mum and sang happy birthday to her (happy birthday for Sunday me Ma!). We caught the bus along to Le Meridien hotel as Alle had free tickets for the pool/beach and had a swim in the indoor pool as it was raining outside. When the rain passed we swam in the sea and the outdoor pool before heading back. Alle then drove us back to Nice and we had moules frites in the port, recounting the highlights of our weekend amid much laughter. (Chri and Alle are like a double act on the comedy-front so my tummy muscles were aching by the end of the weekend. As well as being good for my stomach, it was also good for my soul.)
So all in all, it was yet another amazing weekend; completetly random, unscheduled and like nothing I've ever experienced before (and maybe never will again!). And yet again, I feel incredibly lucky. Lucky to be living this life and having these experiences. But most importantly, lucky to be sharing them with such lovely people who have welcomed me into their lives like an old friend. That means a lot to me.
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