On Saturday we arrived in Nice in the south of France. Having travelled from Switzerland, it was a long day of driving but so worth it. It was breakfast in Lauterbrunnen, lunch in Italy and finally dinner along the rivieria in Nice. The next day we had a free day to explore the coastline. First we climbed the steps of an old French Chateau to take in the amazing panoramic views from the top, then we hit the shops. Unfortunately most of the shops were closed because it was a Sunday but that didn't deter us from looking. All up I think I spent just under 100 euro in 3 stores. Two pairs of pants, two tops and two dresses later it was late afternoon and time for lunch. Wanting to be close to the beach we then walked to a cafe along the main boulevard and shared a pizza. It was so nice to look out across the crisp blue mediterranean sea and the millions of people sunbathing on the rocks. I was surprised that so many chose to go topless on the beach, including some of the golden oldies. The Tour del Nice which is a local cycling event that preludes the Tour de France (which passes through Nice on the 3rd of July) was also going on in the streets. After lunch we had a short amount of time to check out the beach and feel the water. Instead of sand all the beaches are rocky and so painful to walk on - I don't know how people can lie down on them all day. One of the girls from my tour braved the water and struggled to get back on the shore. The beach was lower than the shore, the waves were strong and the stones were not easy to grip on to - it was hilarious! The water was cold but beautiful after a day of walking in the sun all day. We soon said our goodbyes to the day however and got on the bus to Monaco were we checked out the palace and then on to the Monte Carlo Casino. Expecting a casino experience similar to what you expect on the Gold Coast, it was a bit disappointing to find that the casino atmosphere was actually quite somber. There were all of about 5 people gambling in the whole building and no music was playing at all. The building however, was gorgeous, with a blue dome ceiling and gold and sandstone carvings and embellishments galore. Keen to check out the rest of Monaco we ventured to a local restaurant where I ordered pasta and a Sex on the Beach cocktail. It was delicious! We then finished off with hazelnut gelato and then headed to a neighbouring casino where I gambled 5 euro on a pokies machine and lost it in less than a minute. Nevertheless, with high spirits we then hoped back on the bus to return to Nice. Along the way the girls sung in unison to a couple of our favourite 80s and 90s songs from out childhood, including songs from Cher, Britney Spears and Michael Jackson. Keen to keep the spirits up, around 17 of us girls asked to be dropped off in Nice to continue drinking. We walked along the promenade and found a seedy looking bar with no-one in it and of course decided to go in. However, as soon as we walked in the owners rearranged all of the lounges into a circle for us, made us extravagant cocktails and gave us lollies, glow sticks and keyrings. It was unexpectedly great! At midnight we all cheersed and it was finally my birthday! Then back to the hotel room for another 5 hours sleep till breakfast....another day, another destination.