Eh I didn’t have a lot of time this month to work on technical projects, but I still wanted to post on my blog once a month.

Introduction

I know technically I’m pushing this up in early June, but I started writing it in May, so I’m counting it as May and going to let my New Years Resolution (to blog once a month) still stand.

This blog post is really just going to be a rant about Nice, Barcelona, and Paris. And to encourage anyone if they have any questions or want any recommendations, please drop me an email!! Especially with Roland Garros, navigating tickets and schedules can be a bit of a nightmare, and I think having been there I can definitely offer some good strategies and advice.

Overview

I took two weeks off from work to go to Nice with a couple friends from Cincinnati, then to Barcelona for basically four days, and then to Paris to watch the French Open. It was an amazing trip. While in Nice, we also went to Cannes, St. Tropez, and of course, Monte Carlo in Monaco (which is just a short 20 min train ride away).

Overall, yeah the trip was amazing. I’ll leave some of the details for the recommendations setting, but I mean yeah, watching Nadal on Center Court in five sets as he took out Felix Auger Aliassime with my mom and sister was one of the many moments from the trip that I’ll never forget.

But also, I think I really just wanted this post as a reminder to myself (and I guess to the reader) of the importance of trips like this.

I know I’m extraordinarily lucky to have the resources, to be able to take the time away from work, to have family even around, and to have friends like these. And I acknowledge that and am so thankful for that. I’d encourage those who can, to make the time for a trip like this. One of the strongest messages I got out of this trip was the constant reminder of how much I appreciate and love my friends. The sights, foods, and experiences were all amazing. The jokes were timeless and I haven’t laughed that hard or that much in awhile. But the most overwhelming highlight was being surrounded by my friends and family. And don’t get me wrong - it wasn’t even all smooth sailing all the time during the trip. But I’d still take those fights, or disagreements over the complete absense of any type of communication every day of the week.

I think the move to SF has been a bit tough for me personally. It’s been tough to try and establish a network as strong as the one I had in college or in Cincinnati or even Chicago. I think those feelings have been exacerbated by a lot of friends unfortunately moving out of SF. And these past two weeks were quite literally a life saver. I’m lucky to have such amazing friends and family. And I’m lucky to be able to share some unforgettable memories with them. So yeah, I’m already looking forward to the next one.

Recommendations

I wrote this up for a couple coworkers but here are some recommendations if people are interested:

Paris

• Overview
  • For me, the trip was largely about the food, hanging / catching up with my friends, and the French Open. So we didn’t do too too much touristy stuff, but it’s obviously an amazing city packed with things to do.
• Restaurants
  • Ober Mamma
    • It’s Italian, and it’s very fun. Super super good food.
    • I would make sure to make a reservation though or at least be alright with putting your name in and then walking around while you wait.
    • Recommended item: Exotic Sour (my friends wouldn’t stop talking about it)
  • Le Chalet des Iles
    • Classic french, super cool it’s on an island. It’s close to Roland Garros, but might be a bit far from where you’re staying.
    • Probably a good idea to make a reservation
    • The food wasn’t incredible, but like the venue was cool and it was a pretty night to go
    • Recommended item: escargot
  • La Fontaine de Mars
    • This place was recommended to me, it’s classic French food. I thought it was good, but given the amount of hype I was a bit surprised
    • Also good to make a reservation
• Sights
  • French Open
    • I know you leave Saturday, but the final is on Sunday if you wanted to get grounds passes and check out the campus! It’ll be super pretty and good energy I’m sure
  • Luxembourg Gardens
    • Gorgeous and highly recommend at least walking through
  • Latin Quarters
    • Tons of good food and whole in the way places to have a drink and hang out
    • Good shopping around here as well
  • Notre Dame
    • Fun to check out and be on a little island in the middle of Paris as well
• Shopping
  • Galleries Lafayette
    • I don’t know if you’re into shopping, but my friend told me I had to take my mom and sister here and they absolutely loved it. it’s a gorgeous shopping mall
  • Grands Boulevards

Nice

• Overview
  • Nice is amazing. It was actually my second time going, but this time was a lot better because I had a group and we checked out more neighboring cities.
• Restaurants
  • Le Plongeoir
    • We mainly had dinner in the neighboring cities, but this was a must in Nice
    • It’s a bit farther away (40 min walk), but gorgeous views while you eat
  • Paloma Beach
    • A bit farther from the main part of Nice, but a great spot for dinner right by the water
    • You take these stairs down and literally eat right on the beach
    • Great fish
• Sights
  • Lots of good museums
  • Castle Hill of Nice
• Neighboring Cities
  • Monte Carlo
    • Amazing city. There’s so much wealth and luxury, it is literally hard to comprehend.
    • Would recommend dressing up a bit and going into the casino (if that’s your thing). If you go into the casino, you will need your passport.
    • Tons of good food and just great to walk around.
  • St. Tropez
    • Fun spot to do some shopping and have food. We explored this castle at the top of the hill and then went to the beach and swam and had wine. Would recommend.
    • Would recommend the Pina Coladas at Senequier (the one with the red roof)
  • Cannes
    • Cool city! More good food. We were there during the film festival so that was cool to experience.