Eurotrip: Monaco
I’m not a big gambler. I didn’t really feel the need to go to a casino. But I was excited to knock another country off my list and have some fun with this awesome group.
So we piled onto the bus in Nice and headed to Monaco for a night at the Monte Carlo.
Champagne in Nice
On our way there, our bus driver pulled over and our manager asked us all to get off the bus. The view was gorgeous so we all took some photos before the real reason for stopping was revealed.
The trip manager pulled a couple bottles of champagne off the bus with her and she and our driver toasted to what a great trip this has been so far, and wishing for nothing but the best from the rest of the adventure.
Everyone was dressed their best, drinking champagne with beautiful Nice as the backdrop. It was going to be a fun night.
Contiki bus roulette
On our way to Monaco, we also placed a bet of our own. Our manager wrote numbers on the side of the bus wheel and gave everyone a number. We each bet €2 and whoever’s number was at the top of the wheel when we got to Monaco would win all of the money. I didn’t hit the Contiki jackpot, but the night was only beginning.
Before heading to the Monte Carlo, we had a nice dinner to kick off the evening in Monaco. I would never get sick of drinking wine in Europe.
Monte Carlo bathroom selfies
Once we pulled up to the casino, everyone started to get excited. The building, the staff – everything here was so fancy and extravagant, a lot of us just wanted to go in and see. Including myself.
As I said, I’m not a big gambler. I paid my entrance fee which came with a €10 credit, and that’s what I played with. When it was gone, it was gone. There were definitely people in our group who played more and won more, but I just wanted to walk around the casino and watch the big betters playing the tables.
I’d never been in a casino before, but it’s neat that I can now say I’ve been to the Monte Carlo.
Everything in Monaco is extravagant and ridiculous
It didn’t take long for the impartial few of us to lose our credits and head back outside. There were a couple hotels across the street, so a friend and I stood outside of the casino and watched very fancy people leaving the very fancy hotels and heading towards the very fancy cars in the parking lot.
We made a game of trying to figure out which person owned which car. Or if they just wanted to take pictures in front of the very fancy cars to make it look like they owned them. It was more often than not the latter.
To me, that’ll always be the first night I connected with one of my closest friends on this trip. In that way, I did win the Contiki jackpot.
Once our time in Monaco was up, everyone got back on the bus to our hostel in Nice. A few of us stayed in the hostel bar and gossiped over a shared bottle of wine before heading to bed and getting ready for yet another long day ahead of us.
Next stop – Cinque Terre, Italy!
Map from Contiki.com
