Location: Villefranche, France
We went to Monaco. It was a fantastic morning because we got the chance to sleep in until 7 AM, listen to some Michael Jackson, and devour Zoe’s delicious chocolate chip muffin bake. It was a great morning. But, everything started going south as soon as one dinghy stopped working. We missed our first train because of delays shuttling everyone from the boat to shore. Despite this, the excitement was still bursting in the air as we all eventually gathered at the dock and made our way to the station.
After twenty or so minutes of waiting, the train finally came. This would’ve been a good thing if there was room for us. But, looking into the sardine-packed cars, we soon realized we would not, in fact, be taking that train to Monaco. Yet again, we were stuck waiting another half hour for the next train.
Train number three finally came. Some made it. Some were left behind. I was one of the lucky ones. Riley and a few others were not. They were still trapped while the rest of us happily made our way to the city. Or, so we thought. The announcer said Monaco, and we and a few other tourists, unfortunately, believed him. It was all a lie. We got off the train to a place that was very much not Monaco. It was Ville De Cap D’Al (one stop away from the place we actually wanted to be).
Half an hour later, the next train came. We ran back and forth, trying to find enough room in a car to fit us all – but to no avail. Just like that, eleven of us were yet again left behind. We made eye contact with Carolyn as the doors shut. She smiled, shrugged, and left us there to fend for ourselves. I think our group passed the impromptu leadership test, where we made friends from Virginia and walked briefly up a hill and back.
Another half hour later, our castaway group of eleven finally made it to Monaco. We went to one of the coolest aquariums I’ve ever been to. We learned a hefty amount about fish and the ocean.
After that, we were given free rein to all of Monaco. It was a beautiful city with lots of shopping, rich people, and to Eli’s delight, multiple S2Ks. It was a car and yacht lover’s paradise. I spent most of my time exploring with Asa and Julia, and we saw Monte Carlo. We enjoyed some good Asian cuisine for lunch, and later met with everyone to have a more French-oriented meal for dinner. It was a wonderful experience, ending with live music and swing dancing around the plaza.
To my peeps back home,
Erb Ierb Iss Merb Ou Yerb Uys Gerb