Post-Program Reflection

Having been in America for two weeks since returning from Nice, I've been able to reflect on my experiences with Abbey Road and come to an even greater appreciation of my time in Nice. Going to another country to be immersed in the language and culture is one of the most valuable experiences a high school student could have. My summer was great partially for the obvious reason, I was living in the French Riviera, but I owe my great experience truly to the Abbey Road staff who worked so hard to plan activities and trips for us that we loved and who made sure that we were improving our French as much as possible. I really enjoyed that our French classes always included activities outside of the classroom like a trip to a museum or a scavenger hunt in Old Town. Those really made the classes interactive as well as instructive and they allowed us to take full advantage of our surroundings. 

We went on many trips and enjoyed numerous activities but a few definitely made my trip! Eze was probably my very favorite trip, as it included the most spectacular view of the Riviera and we toured the famous Fragonard perfume factory. I also loved Antibes which had the best outdoor market as well as the Picasso museum. We had activities planned very often but I have to say that parasailing on the beach and par cours in the Alpes were two of the most amazing experiences of my entire life! I had never done either before and both were so much fun! I also can't leave out Monday night Zumba! Every Monday a group of us attended a Zumba class on the beach which was an awesome way to spend an evening!

One of the best parts about my Abbey Road experience was our living arrangements. I loved that all of the students stayed in the residence together because it really encouraged us to bond with each other and get to know everybody on the program. By the end of the trip, we had all become very tightly knit and great friends which was one of my hopes for the program when I signed up. It was nice having our own rooms though so we could have our own space and rest time when we needed it. The neighborhood around our residence was particularly great because we were so close to restaurants, gelaterias, shopping, great museums, and not too far from the beach either! All around it was a great living experience.

This summer has been the greatest adventure of my life! I loved every minute of it and would recommend spending a summer abroad with Abbey Road to anyone in a heartbeat! I hope that someday in the not so far future I will be able to go back to Nice and explore the many locales I came to love!

Venturing Across the Border

Our last excursion was a special surprise trip across the border and into Italy! Sanremo was a beautiful little town with an amazing beach. We got to spend the day at a beach club which was a real treat because it meant we got to have beach chairs and umbrellas which was so nice! My friend and I went into town for lunch to get a true Italian meal at a pizzeria and then wandered through the streets in Sanremo which was fun. It was really interesting going to a totally different country and even though I didn't speak more than two words of Italian, I was able to get around and order at a restaurant. Then in the evening we had a nice dinner on the patio at the beach club of pesto pasta and tiramisu before heading back to Nice. It was a lovely day in Italy!

Parasailing!

My favorite part about this program has been all of the great activities Abbey Road has planned for us like zip lining in the Alpes and most recently parasailing! I had never gone parasailing before - it was truly a once in a lifetime experience to go parasailing above the Mediterranean! I was worried it was going to be scary at first being high up above the water but it was actually so much fun and not scary at all! We started off on a beach and then as the boat sped up and our parachute filled with air we started running until we were lifted off the ground and then we were able to see all of Nice! The view was so amazing! In the air we even got a glimpse of an entire school of fish which was really neat to see. Parasailing was probably my favorite activity that we have done here on the Riviera!

St. Paul de Vence

Last Sunday we went to a wonderful artist colony called St. Paul de Vence. When we arrived at the nearby town, the sky decided to open up on us, leaving us sitting in the bus wondering if waiting out the rain would be worth it. Once the rain finally stopped and we stepped into the village I realized that it was totally worth waiting out the rain - it was an amazing village! It reminded me of Eze which we visited earlier in the trip except there were less cafes and clothing shops than Eze; the main specialty was art. I loved looking in the little galleries and I ended up finding two watercolor prints which was exactly what I had been searching for! One has sailboats and the other is the of a port and both are quite charming! My friends and I also had a great time sitting in a creperie that had excellent tea as well as crepes. The rain ended up posing no threat to an awesome day in St. Paul!

A Culinary Day in St. Tropez

Yesterday we took a day trip to St. Tropez and it was definitely the best day for food so far! My friend and I found ourselves searching the streets of St. Tropez for a place to eat but most of the places were very expensive(as is most everything in St. Tropez I later realized) but we finally found a delicious cafe that didn't break the bank. I had an omelette with fries and it was so good. Then we went to the famous Barbarac ice cream store and got cookie flavored ice cream - I have never had such delicious ice cream before and I am not sure I will ever find such delicious ice cream again. Later we all went to the beach and had a pizza picnic which was also delicious. St. Tropez was an interesting town but the food was definitely my favorite part!

Snorkeling!

The other day we were able to go snorkeling in Villefranche which was an incredible experience! We went out a little bit from the shore on a boat and then we got to see some of the Mediterranean wildlife up close. Most of what we saw was the rocky reef but there were also a ton of fish we got to see. A lot of the fish were small and travelled in schools but a few times I caught a glimpse of a bigger rainbow colored fish that was really pretty. We even spotted an octopus hiding in the rocks and I came awfully close to a jelly fish at one point. The coolest part, however, was when our guide picked up a sea urchin and let us all hold it! Going snorkeling in the Mediterranean was such an amazing experience!

Monaco and Eze

Today was maybe my favorite day trip so far during my time in France! This morning went to Monaco where we visited the famous palace. While only a small portion of the palace is open to the public for touring, it was an amazing sight! Each room in the palace has its own character and color scheme but not a single room it seemed left out gold accents. Gold was everywhere! After seeing the palace we got a view of Mediterranean sea life in the Monaco aquarium which was really interesting! Many of the creatures I had never heard of, let alone seen! The shark tank was cool to see but I think the tank filled with hundreds of tiny clown fish was my favorite. Next we drove down to the famous perfume factory in Eze. Until today I was not familiar at all with the process of perfume making, but after seeing the factory and attending the tour I now understand what a difficult and multi-step process it is. At the end of the tour we were able to smell all the different scents available and we got a chance to look around at their boutique. While at first I was unsure if I wanted to make the hike all the way up into Eze but now I am so glad that I did as it was well worth the journey! There is a beautiful garden at the top of the hill that allows you to see a great deal of the Riviera and all of the small bays that comprise the area. Nestled in the side of the hill in Eze are small cafes and shops and we had a great time enjoying a cool breeze and some ice cream at one of the cafes. Today's excursion was an all-around great experience!

 Here is the view of the French Riviera from the very top of Eze

This is the interesting Mediterranean garden found at the top of Eze