Monaco

The French Riviera just sounds so exotic. Its rocky beaches and clear, blue-green Mediterranean waters were enticing enough for us to take a train to Monaco, an island just off the southern coast.

Without even bothering to check into our hotel first, we plopped our bags down on the beach, stripped down to our bathing suits and soaked up that intense Mediterranean sun. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, and sunscreen was the last thing on our minds. As a result, I ended up getting sun poisoning along with another guy in our group who couldn’t lay on his back for two weeks after this excursion.

Mountains and expensive cars dominate what I saw of Monaco, but the gorgeous coast is irresistible and intoxicating. You just don’t get scenery like that in the United States.

From where I sat on the beach, I could look one way and see huge rock cliffs stretching up towards the sky, and the Mediterranean spread out to infinity in front of me. Despite the men in speedos and topless old women, it was one of the most beautiful places I’ve seen.