French Rivera, Cannes, and Florence

It was in the 1990’s that I had the opportunity to travel with my sister and father to the French Rivera. Between the vacation club we had signed up for earlier and the frequent flyer miles I had from my traveling job the entire trip cost us less than $500 for over a week. That was less than it cost me to camp at Yellowstone for a week in the U.S.!

It was truly inspiring to walk along the sidewalk where the Cannes Film Festival was held each year, stroll through the artist community in this sleepy French town near where we stayed, visually take in Monte Carlo as our train passed it on the way to Florence and Piza.

I remember even then when our father pushed my sister and me to secure a hotel reservation prior to arriving in Florence (after a night on the train). We both felt we were avid travelers and knew we would have no problem finding a hotel because it was off season and in the middle of the week. As we left dad sitting in a diner and ventured out to find our lodging we discovered that he really did know what he was talking about! After four stops all we found was a penthouse for $500 per night. We decided we would try one more place before taking that and we stumbled across a beautiful hotel called the American, a block off the square.

To visit the museums such as the Uffizi Gallery, see the work of masters such as Leonardo da Vinci, learn the secrets of the great philosophers and writers, stroll through the old beautifully crafted buildings, and stand next to the Michelangelo’s David was a life altering event. I was humbled by what a young country I live in and how much culture and history is around us throughout the world. Not in a million years would I have ever thought that I would be lucky enough to experience such a trip, such a memory – and sharing it with people I cared about was such an amazing gift to me.