the six region, 11 day tour (pt 1)

I've have just returned from my first vacation of the school year where i took the opportunity to visit six regions in the south eastern part of france. I wont tell you all the details because that could constitute a book and on top of that make you all really jealous. However, i will say that theres nothing else like traveling on your own without an itinerary. I flew by the seat of my pants, chose my next destinations at random and had a great time!
Last sat i traveled by train to the mediteranean coast and to the town of Nice. After the 5.5 hrs train ride i was thrilled to see there was a youth hostel very close to the train station. My first two days there i toured the city. I saw several museums including the international naive art museum. This museum celebrates new artistic talent by showing pieces from children artists from all over. I was fortunate to enjoy an exposition from young brazilian talent where images of bright vibrant colors and crowds dominate. The museum of henry matisse (a well known artist of nice) was anothe place i visited. Matisse was a student his entire lifetime. He tried many types of artwork including sculpture, painting, drawing, paper cut out art ect. His museum was one of the most diverse as far as works go and i really enjoyed learning about his constant curiosity of the art world. The same day i visited the former site of an ancient roman city where you can still walk the cobblestone streets of 300 AD and see the pillars of governmental buildings. That was really amazing! The museum of contemporary art was really different. The artists on display were americans from the early 60's and their techniques of 'living brushes' was something ive never seen. Only in france..... in additional i was asked out twice in the matter of 30 mins by 2 north africans who worked in the museum! I guess thats what you get for being nice and waiting to practice your 2nd language. Also the beaches and markets of nice are world known for their variety and beauty. The third day i took a short train ride to Monaco and Monte Carlo with two girls i met in the hostel. One was from montreal and spoke french with a new accent to my ears, and the other an austrailian girl with no french background. Considering how different we all were, we enjoyed our day visiting the Palace of the Albert II, King of Monaco (including the changing of the guard like they do in london), the napolian museum of history and artifacts, and wandering through the rich streets and beautiful beaches of Monte Carlo. We marveled at the wealth displayed all around us, from the rolls royce parked on the street in from of the famous casino in monte carlo (which i couldnt see because of a dress code) to the mile long boats and yachts in the harbor. It was quite an experience and even though no one invited us on their yacht for a cocktail, i was a beautiful day. Back at the hostel, i met people from hong kong, germany, and other parts of france. We exchanged email addresses but you never know if they will keep in touch....traveling may be so exhausting but so good for the soul.