Travel Log
Posts Tagged ‘Beach’
On Saturday I'm moving to Hostel Calazete in the town of Oeiras. Oeiras is located on the coast about 30 minutes to the west of Lisbon. I'll probably do a day trip to Cacais (further west along the coast) on Sunday.
Blanes (pronounced blagh-nay) is a small town north of Barcelona. I hope the beaches there are nicer than they are in Barcelona.
In And Around Nice
Another night train and I leave Spain behind and travel on to the French Riviera. I had planned on stopping in Marseille but once again I couldn’t get reservations. A lesson that I have learned the hard way is that hostels are extremely popular here during the summer and they book up quickly. So I skipped Marseille and went directly to Nice France. The sleeper trains are definitely the way to do long distances. It’s terrific to go to bed and wake up at your destination. Arriving first thing in the morning also makes finding the hostel and getting oriented in a new town so much easier.
So you can’t visit the French Riviera without making a side trip to Monte Carlo in Monaco so that’s what we did one evening. Four more folks from Australia joined our little group and we jumped on the regional train for the 45-minute trip to Monaco. We decided to go in the evening so that we could see Monte Carlo all lit up at night. The Aussies contingent had been there earlier in the day to play on the beaches but was looking forward to trying their luck at the Casino.
What a change a 30-minute train ride can make. After a short intercity journey I arrived in the film festival capital of the world, Cannes France. Unlike Nice, Cannes is an amazingly clean city with pristine beaches. A short walk from the train station I stopped in a boulongerie for a pastery and cafe au laut. Yummm, what a great way to start the day. The French really know how to do pasteries and they brew really rich, strong coffee.
