Days 13, 14, & 15

The group took the bus to Monaco on Sunday where we toured the palace of Prince Albert II. We were given headsets that spoke to us (in French, of course) about the history of each room that we saw. After the tour, we all had lunch and made our way over to the Musée Océanographique, which is composed of a museum of natural history as well as an aquarium. They also have an African Spurred Tortoise habitat on the rooftop terrace. The tortoises were given to Prince Albert II by the president of the Republic of Mali in an effort to raise awareness about the endangerment of tortoises. 
On our way back from Monaco, we stopped in Eze to tour the Fragonard perfume factory. As soon as we got out of the bus, we were overtaken with the smell of violet, lavender and jasmine. After a tour of the factory, we were taken to the boutique where we all got to sample different kinds of perfumes. My favorite was Juste un baiser, which was composed of mandarin, pear, violet, blackberry, wild strawberry, vanilla, amber, and musk. Très fruité!
Monday started off with our French class, during which we talked about the plethora of vibrant colors found in Nice. Our task was to walk around the area close to our residence, point out colors, and relate them to colors that everyone knows, such as "ketchup red" or "granny-apple green." After lunch, we had our electives. During photography, we walked around Vieux Nice and took photos in black and white, while changing the ISO speed to make the photos more or less grainy. Monday night consisted of an optional Zumba class on the beach. It was so much fun! Our class took place in a beach club right next to the ocean. Our teacher was very full of energy and made the workout enjoyable. 

Tuesday morning, our French class went to the Musée MAMAC, which is known for their collection of American Pop Art. We also saw exhibitions of Yves Klein, James Lee Byars, and Anish Kapoor. Klein's exhibition was mostly composed of the color blue that he trademarked; Byars' was very detailed marble work; and Kapoor's was an installation of planets. My personal favorite was the permanent collection of Ben; he's an artist from Nice who paints words instead of "traditional" art. Chouette!

Aquarium

Parfumerie Fragonard

Les Parfums

L'art de Ben