Nice, Cannes, Monte Carlo and the French Riviera

Wed June 20, 1990

We arrived in Nice, France after a 10 hour night train from Geneva. Upon awakening, we looked out the window to find that were were riding along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Vivid orange rocks and cliffs decorated the seashore. Not a cloud in the sky. It was a fantastic way to start the day. We checd into our hotel and soon raced to the topless beaches. But to my dismay, the beaches had no sand, only black rocks! What? We saw the beach frolickers lay on rolled straw mattes. It costs us $26 for sun screen! What a rip-off, but hey, we ARE in the South of France. It was a beautiful day - no clouds, 80 degrees, and plenty of beautiful female eye candy. After a few hours of sunning, we went for a stroll along the boardwalk. The hotels are ritzy and elegantly designed - I definitely "feel" like I'm in the South of France. Tomorrow, we are headed to the Matisse Museum and then to Cannes and Monte Carlo. I'm loving every adventurous second of this trip. Right now, I'm sitting on a the boardwalk across from the Casino Ruhl overlooking the Mediterranean Sea as the sun slowly sets behind me. As awe-inspiring as the mountains in Switzerland were, nothing makes me happier than the ocean.

Saturday June 23rd

Cannes was one glamorous beach! Golden sand and gorgeous sights all up the coast. To my right - incredible yachts, to my left - beautiful women. Flowering rose gardens and palm trees line the curve of Cannes' coastline along the promenade de la Croisette. I couldn't ask for more perfect weather - not a cloud in the sky. Up and down the boardwalk were shops of unprecedented opulence - Louis Vuitton, Ysatis Cartier, Mercedes just to name a few. Cannes was the playground of the ridiculousness wealthy.

photo credit: Monaco Yacht Show

Monte Carlo was in a class all by itself. The yachts were so gigantic and super-modern, but there weren't just a few - everyone had a billion dollar yacht. The hotels and casinos were outrageously ritzy, but not cheezy like Las Vegas. Their taste was unmatched against any architecture we had seen so far. It's the place James Bond goes to hang out. It's the ultimate place to take your wife. There were really no beaches (I guess you didn't need them when you have a yacht), but the shoreline drops off about 50 feet down cliffs.

Photo: Deviant Art


Monte Carlo is definitely the jewel of the French Riviera. Bjorn Borg won 5 consecutive Monte Carlo Open tennis championships in a row. Monte Carlo is located just outside of France in the Republic of Monaco. Borg was the sickest on the gorgeous red clay courts - and we've seen red clay tennis courts everyone in this region. The marina was the heart of the town and the center of activity. Views were amazing and we felt like millionaires for an evening. As you can see from this photo, Alan, Danny and I were reveling in the Monte Carlo glory.


Photo: Deviant Art

The next day we went to St. Paul De Vence, an artist colony in the hills of the French Alps. This colony was a tiny little village where only artists lived. I suppose if you are an artist, living on top of a mountain with panoramic views ain't so bad. Its quaint and small and not very touristy. Alan, Michelle, Deb and I had a terrific little lunch overlooking the landscape. We then cruised on to Vence where we visited the Matisse Chappel. We rented a car which was great b/c it allowed us to cruise on our own and see the sights that direct trains couldn't provide. However, the drivers suck and the little car that we rented eventually made us nauseous (insert wimpy kid sketch here). Anyway, the Matisse Chapel was interesting. It was a tiny little chapel where he designed colorful stained windows and drew primitive illustrations on the wall. He's done better work, yes in his later years, he became attached to the chapel because of his religious faith.

Geneva, Switzerland

Tuesday June 19, 1990

Geneva was a great little city located on Lake Geneva. It had many great shops and we were psyched to finally see a Wendys! They had the most beautiful Swiss watch stores. I'm you telling you, the Swiss *really* know how to make gorgeous watches.. We went to the United Nations building and saw the tallest man-made water fountain in the world. The city looked very wealthy. The nicest cars and beautiful women drove up and down the lakefront.


Photo by Kev Allen

There were many gardens and cafes along the lake. Here's a nice snapshot of the krewe after lunch, sitting along the lake.

Grindelwald, Switzerland

The train ride from Austria to Switzerland was ABSOLUTELY THE MOST BEAUTIFUL, SCENIC, BREATH-TAKING AND HEAVENLY VIEWS I HAD EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE OR IN DREAMS!!! Soft, rich rolling grass and tall timber trees covered the mountains which climbed higher than the clouds. Crystal fresh waterfalls poured down the mountainside into pools of icy blue. Quaint little homes dotted the landscape together with sheep, cows, and wild horses. Bright blue lakes anchored the base of snow-capped mountains that rose higher than the mind could fathom. Sun beams shot golden rays through the clouds like paintings of heavenly light. I haven't even fully arrived and I'm already making plans to visit later in life - and even have a 2nd home. This is definitely God's Country. This place seems blessed by peace. The land looks untouched by war, poverty or dirt. The land is delicately peppered with bright colored flowers. I can't say enough - it has to be seen by the human eye to be fully appreciated!

photo by Dennis Water

Saturday June 16th, 1990

Traveled up 10,000 feet into the Grindelwald Mountains. Hiked up even higher into the Swiss Alps. The skyride took us on a half-hour journey to the top of the mountains. It was even more beautiful than anything I had seen before. We were riding high above the pine treets, as the crystal streams poured down from the mountain's melting glaciers. It was so incredibly peaceful. It was the closest thing to heaven you could imagine. The air was so fresh and all I wanted to do was suck in the air and gaze into the panoramic mountains. No picture or movie can capture the awesome beauty of the mountain peaks - they were HUGE. I took a lunch tray and used it as a sled to slide down the mountainside - Sick! Cows were grazing up in the high ridges of the mountains - with cowbells. Real cowbells around their necks - like the kind you see in 70's funk bands, only they got their cowbells from these cows! When the heard of cows got together, it sounded like "Time" from Pink Floyd' "Dark Side of the Moon." All the cowebells were clanking at once.

photo by Wiki photo

Up that high, the air was very think and hard to breath. This was by far the most majestic, breath-taking days of my entire life. I don't think anything can match the view of these snow-capped peaks.

Sunday June 17, 1990

Took a boat ride on Lake Interlaken. This was also nice. Homes were scattered along the banks and up into to foothills surrounding the lake. We then hiked up into the mountains and took a tour into the St. Beatus Caves where they were inhabited way back in the sixth century. Great powerful waterfalls rushed through the interior of the mountainside. There were thousands of underground streams and passageways that were many kilometers deep and wide. Within the cave, the temperature never changed from 45 degrees - both winter and summer. The rocks were ice cold to the touch. The caves were stunning to look at, but I coudn't take any meaninful photos - not enough light. The rest of the day, we spent on the boat soaking up the sun. Finally, after 2 weeks of touring, we had glorious weather in the most glorious of destinations! Up at the top of the mountains, we had just been playing in the snow, and now were are on the lake and people are waterskiing. I LOVE Switzwerland! Next up... Geneva and the South of France.

Salzberg, Austria

Thursday June 14, 1990

Got up at 6:30am, took the train to Salzberg, Austria. Very quaint little town. Very scenic mountains surrounded the little village. This town also had a lot of old people, even more than in Munich. We went to Amadeus Wolfgang Mozart's house! This guy was born from the heavens to play music. He began to play the violin at age 5 and began composing symphonies by age 10! He was brilliant. The house was small and typical of an Austrian house. I like Austria better than Munich - at least because of the scenic vistas offered by the mountains. We stayed for 3 hours and left on a train for Switzerland.


photo: Deviant Art

Munich, Germany

Tuesday June 12, 1990

Arrived in Munich, arranged for a place to sleep. Of course it was raining which made things all the more enjoyable, not. Anyhow, our room was clean, and the shower was awesome (must be the German shower engineering)! When traveling, it's the most important thing sometimes! We went into town to the Hofbrauhouse and got smashed on only 1 liter of beer. The beers are 3x stronger than normal beers and they serve you mugs 50x the size of normal ones.



The town looked exactly like Disney World. It almost looked fake. Munich is exceptionally clean and very modern. The subway is hi-tech and ultra clean - unlike the sewer stench of Paris's metro. After the thrashing we received after only 1 beer, we were all tired and went to bed at 7pm, earliest yet.

photo: WikiFlick

Wednesday June 13, 1990 Cloudy and cold again. Today, we went to the Deutsches Museum which explored the historical development of natural science, technology and industry. It was really interesting to see how man developed wind power and converted it into electricity; dug tunnels for subways; developed the automobile engine, airplane turbines, etc. It was a brainiac's wet dream. Here's a photo of the interior architecture:

photo: Christian Yushimoto

Afterward, the guys went back to the Hofbrauhouse again, but I didn't drink and instead walked around on my own. Munich didn't interest me much. It's nice to look at, seems quaint enough, but I'm not sure I'd come back. On our way back to the hotel, we toured the 1972 Olympic Village. It was beautiful! Located in the most verdant park - and there were 15 gorgeous red clay tennis courts I was so fond of looking at! They were in terrific shape. It looks like the people of Germany really take care of their city. It's spotless. The Olympic stadium looks super modern even though it was built 18 years ago. It looked like the future - like something from the movie Blade Runner.

photo: postcard

Another interesting observation: the majority of the people I've seen just passing by in the streets and on the subway were very old. Older than 65. I mean everyone was old. I rarely saw anyone my own age. The German language is filled with pronunciations that sound like your gargling mouthwash. Names like Sventlikerhooptnk Street seemed unnecessarily, ridiculously long. I'm getting excited for the upcoming trip to the Greek Islands! I think that's going to be the highlight of my trip. I picture the Mediterranean to be paradise on earth. So far, there has been no sun since we've been touring. I'm enjoying myself incredibly, but as a Floridian, I need a little sunshine! I'm now on a train to Salzberg, Austria. My ancestors are from Austria. My grandfather on my mother's side. We are only staying a few hours and then we're off to Switzerland, supposedly the most scenic place on earth. I'm ready! Foot note about Munich: VERY expensive! I spent money faster here than in Paris! Everyone has either a BMW or Mercedes - even taxi drivers.

HDR photo by Trey Ratcliff, Stuck In Customs

Paris

Thursday June 7th, 1990

Arrived in Paris, raining. It's been raining everyday which kind of sucks for us touring, but up until now, it was just sprinkling. It's downright crummy now which definitely dulled my 1st impression of Paris. Though, I'm sure that once the sun shines, so will this city. This city is VERY old. There is so much history here.. I'm going to extend my budget to $50 per day because I can't see or do anything otherwise. Good thing the room is only $17/night.

Dinner was absolutely delicious - true to what they say about the food! Afterward, we strolled and ate crepes.

HDR photo by Trey Ratcliff, Stuck In Customs


This morning, we went to Musee D' Orsay. Spectacular! VERY beautiful! It's a former train station converted to an impressionistic museum. Matise, Van Gough, DeGas,Monet, Renior, together with some impressive sculptures. It's an architectural wonder. No one speaks English - or even tries. Communication is very difficult and frustrating. Tomorrow, hopefully we'll get some clear skies and see Notre Dame Cathedral and Eiffel Tower.

HDR photo by Trey Ratcliff, Stuck In Customs

Tonight was nice, we walked down Champs Eyleses, the famous French street with fine shops and great cafes. Paris at night was definitely magical. I loved seeing the bus stops with the fashion models on Vogue covers.



HDR photo by Trey Ratcliff, Stuck In Customs


Friday June 8th, 1990

Went to Notre Dame Cathedral. Spectacular and breathtaking! It's the most magnificent cathedral I've ever seen! It's massive and architecturally stunning. It had the most beautiful stained glass windows. The ceilings are about 200 feet tall! It truly makes you feel the spiritual presence of something larger than man. I kept thinking of the Hunchback, though.


HDR photo by Trey Ratcliff, Stuck In Customs






Later we strolled to the Georges Pompadue Center of Modern Art. What a CONTRAST! It was the most unique post-modern structure ever seen. Loved the glass and industrial steel elements, and the Miro-inspired dancing water garden. I only recently completed my art history minor at Tulane and was digging that I had just studied and recognized the master works by Leger, Dali, Miro, Picaso, DeBaffet, DeKooning, Kandinsky as well as some really modern objects of 1990. Very fulfilling jaunt to my favorite genre of art that I studied at school. After dinner, we saw the Eiffel Tower at night. It was simply divine! It's so romantic here at night, and while I'm without a lady on this cross-continental buddy trip, I'm enjoying myself to the hilt!


Photo by Stefano Pinci

Saturday June 9th, 1990
It's amazing what the weather can do. It rained all day again! Such a bummer! I'm really feeling down on this city right now. The people don'e even attempt to try and understand what you are saying. Just to go some place and sit down for a coffee costs an arm and a leg. Rain making me grouchy.

Sunday June 10, 1990
This was the most complete day in Paris. Went to the Louvre. It's enormous. I think it's the largest gallery in the world. I mean, can anything be bigger than this? Again, we saw all the major works of art that I studied in art survey at school, which I really enjoyed. Some of the paintings on the walls were enormous. How do they paint such staggeringly large images on canvas? The Mona Lisa was cool to see, but I never really got all the hype.


HDR photo by Trey Ratcliff, Stuck In Customs



After many hours, we needed a break. We were getting art fatigue. So where did we go next? Another museum! We went to the Muse D' Armery (The Museum of War) where Napolean's tomb was kept. Napoleon was worshiped by the French and his tomb was as large as the Lincoln monument. Inside was section of the museum devoted to WW II and the Holocaust. Seeing pictures of the concentration camps was extremely distrubing. After seeing the pictures, Danny is changing his mind about to going on to Germany with us. I can see why.

After the museum we finished our final night in Paris with a sunset trip to the top of the Eifel Tower. It was easily the most scenic and beautiful view of Paris. Rolling grass lawns surrounded by giant trees evenly planted in neat rows (like Oak Ally in New Orleans, only 100 times larger),. Water fountains shot up like hot springs in the earth - completely surrounded this magnificently constructed sculpture of steel. Me, Danny and Steve went to the top and had the most stunning view of the entire city. We were able to see every historical monument and cool sight from the top. I took many pictures so if you reading this and looking at them at the same time, then you're hooked and can envision what I was seeing - it was breathtaking! On top of the Eifel Tower, I bumped into Bryan Sher! That was so random - and I was psyched to see him. Danny, Steve and I are the picture kings - we took 4 rolls in just one day (editors note: lol). I feel so much happier than yesterday. I'm telling you, the bad weather really crushed my spirit in this city, but we were redeemed today!


HDR photo by Trey Ratcliff, Stuck In Customs


MJ on top of Paris:



Monday June 11th, 1990
Lazy day. Did wash, then went to Jim Morrison's grave at the Cemeteiere Pare Laishei. It was a beautiful cemetary where many illustrious personalities were buried. It was a cool thing to do and glad we checked it out.



On our way back, we walked down Champes Elyses and that was exciting too, but I kept looking for all the famous Parisian good looking super-models. Didn't see many attractive people here, actually. Wonder what that's about. We just saw very gaunt, high-cheek-boned (but sunken cheeks) skeletal looking people. No one uses deodorant here. What's up with that? I don't dislike this city, but I don't really love it either. It has so much to offer, but the attitude and vibe of the people are an issue for me. I would love to come back with my wife one day, with lots of cash, I'm sure that would be a much different trip. :) If you haven't been yet, you can look at my picutres, I'm sure they'll suffice.

Next stop: Munich, Germany and Lotz. What is Lotz you ask? That's easy...lotz and lotz of beer!

Amsterdam (first visit)

Sunday, June 3rd, 1990 10:05am

We left Copenhagen, and traveled all day arriving in Amsterdam at 11:15pm at night. We took a ferry that cruised the Øresund strait, which connects the Baltic sea to the North sea.

Photograph by: Håkan Dahlström

When we arrived in Amsterdam, we couldn't find a place to sleep for over an hour and half, but then "D" (Danny) hooked us up with a "nice" pad for free! Tonight was SO much fun! Hard Rock Cafe was so fricking cool! Cool music, cool people, cool sights! The bartenders were so cool and friendly. We brought along a Neville Brothers cassette tape from Tipitina's into Q's club ( I happened to have it on me in my jacket). They played it over the sickest sound system, and we were lovin' the fact that we brought a piece of New Orleans to Amsterdam and the whole bar was jamming to our cassette. Classic! This town has sooo much to see and we'll spend a bout 4 days here.

HDR photo by Trey Ratcliff, Stuck In Customs


Public transportation is free. Monorail-like trollys are free and very efficient and reliable. Outdoor cafes were everywere, but there seedy side was plain to see everywhere - this town is also pretty lewd.

HDR photo by Trey Ratcliff, Stuck In Customs



June 4th, 1990 2:25am

We went into the red light district tonight after dinner. At first witnessing what was on the streets and in the windows was an extreme shock. It's as low as low can go. Nothing classy about it, but luring at the same time because of the mystery of that way of life. Chicks stand in windows with red lights glowing around the frame - they were actually "for sale" - it was the most realistic "window shopping" experience ever. Prostitution is legal, sex to them is a business.

June 5th, 1990 1:35pm

Time has no boundaries in this town. Today seemed to be the longest day. We went to Anne Frank's house where she and her family hid from the Nazis during the Holocaust. Very moving. It's amazing and utterly insane to grasp the magnitude of 6 millions Jews were hunted and killed because they've been scapegoats through the ages. Hitler believed in Fascism and one supreme race where all other races are "subordinate" to them. I'm really glad I went - it was an eye-opening experience and affected me pretty deeply. Later that afternoon, we "coffeehoused" and went back to the Red Light District hwere my friends had to "take care of business." Late night, we hung ate at an outdoor cafe on the water, then wondered back into the Hard Rock, watched some killer old school reggae on the tv screens - so chill, comfy and cool.

Wed June 6th, 1990

What a DAY!!! At 9am this morning we got tickets to the Van Gough Museum! It was SOOOO GOOD! Since he is my absolute favorite artist and I've loved him for so long, I finally got to see his actual works. This exhibit was the premiere collection of the largest body of his work ever assembled for the 100th anniversary of his death. The collection was fabulous, extremely fulfilling. It was the first time I had experienced an audio guide and the narrator had a deep baritone soothing voice that took you on a journey through his life. Letters b/c Van Gough and his brother Theo were read and associated to the paintings in front of my eyes. It was probably the best museum exprience I had in my short museum-going life.





Everyone rides bikes here. Bikes are everywhere!

HDR photo by Trey Ratcliff, Stuck In Customs



Later, we went to the Stedlijk museum of Modern Art. It was great too, but nothing liek the Van Gough experience. Next we went to the Heinekin Brewery! The best part of the tour was drinking the freshest Heinekin at a precisely crispy 45 degrees, mmmmmmmm. We continued to tour the colorful town for our last night in the city. It was bittersweet to leave, and I enjoyed every minute here, but we were just beginning our trip and PARIS WAS NEXT!

Here's a snapshot of me as we were leaving for the train station. Amsterdam was a "colorful" town, in more ways than one, he he.