February: I am already committed to spending a week in Taize communing with God and the monks for one week during February, however I have a second week of holiday that is unused at the moment.
Perhaps some side trips throughout France? Perhaps I stay home and relax? ... Nah, when has THAT ever happened?
At work today I looked up the costs to travel around various cities mentioned previously. It is quite expensive to take the train to the Dordogne region and the Loire Valley from here (we're talking 100 euros round trip. I don't even spend that much on flights let alone trains). So that leaves Provence, namely Nimes, Avignon and Arles. With my Carte 12-25 I can take the train for about 40 euros roundtrip and I might be able to find a free place to sleep via couchsurfers or other assistants in the area, who knows? In all I couldn't be more pleased with this option for a long weekend away. This area is where Van Gogh chilled out for a few years before his death and its quintessentially provencale. It's exactly what I would want for a weekend trip in France.
However, Arles is also where Van Gogh painted his sunflower panels, which tells me maybe I should save this trip for a long weekend in early or mid-March. I just don't know. Either way it leaves me with almost an entire week without plans or anywhere to be during February, which is not a great time to be in Antibes as there's very little to do here in the winter. While I'm very pleased with my plan to go to the Nimes-Avignon-Arles vicinity at some point in the next two months I am still uncertain as to what to do with myself during the second week of my holiday. Clearly I will be spending the 15th and 16th in Nice enjoying Carnivale with my Canadian counterpart, but I am still brainstorming about the rest. Maybe somewhere nearby and mountainous like Sospel? Maybe a Friday in Ventimiglia to see the market day? I just don't know, so I am opening the floor to new ideas.... Anybody???
March: I have to work for all of March but I always have three day weekends, so there are some possibilities. I think the most likely are 1) the above-mentioned trip to the land of Impressionism and/or 2) a weekend in Corsica. I looked at ferry crossings today between classes and I could theoretically take the ferry from Nice to Corsica roundtrip for about 85 euros. Not too terrible, but I have no clue how much the rest of the weekend would cost. I would most likely camp, as hostels appear to be non-existent. The only problem with this idea (aside from the cost, it's just a bit high for a weekend) is that there is a fabulous hike in Corsica I want to do but it takes several days and, as such, is simply not an option. This means I would likely spend my entire time at the beach or just poking around the larger cities, which is probably an awful lot of fun too. Also, my good friend Jescy is coming to visit for the last 10 days of March, so we are planning to go camping in Italy and just enjoy the Nice-Antibes-Cannes area and relax before she flies to London to hang out before her flight back to the US.
April: I have a two week spring break in April, my last month in Europe. Originally I had planned to fly to Prague (stay 4 days), take the train to Berlin to visit a high school friend (stay 4 days) then fly to Barcelona (stay 4 days) before flying back to Nice for my last two weeks of work. However, today I checked airfare from Nice to Prague and it had increased from about 50 euros one way to closer to 88 euros one way. This means I would spend most of my Prague budget just on the flight to get there. I just don't have that kind of money during the time when I have to buy my tickets for the trip. So I gave it some thought and decided to scratch Prague altogether.
Now I am thinking I will fly to London with Jescy on April 2 or 3 and hang out with her there until she flies back Stateside on April 6. It will be too soon to intrude on my high school friend in Berlin at that time, so perhaps I will put the UK rail system to good use for 2 or 3 days. I priced roundtrip rail fare from London to Edinburgh for 33 pounds sterling (if purchased in advance online) and found a hostel in Edinburgh for 10 euros per night on weeknights (which is perfect). So perhaps I'll be in London April 2/3 until the 6th, then go to Edinburgh for 2 nights. I'll take the train back to London in time to catch a flight to Berlin, stay 4 or 5 days with my friend, then fly to Barcelona for 4 days on my own. Just to round out this crazy adventure, I've discovered that I can take the train from Barcelona to Antibes for the same price as flying and I will get 10 hours of amazing Mediterranean views along the way.
Oh, did I mention that two weeks later I'll finish my job, pack up my apartment and take the TGV to Paris for a 2 day stopover before flying home? I'm starting to wonder what I ever did in my life to be so fortunate as to have 1) the opportunity to do these sorts of this and 2) the slight mental instability that allows me to be comfortable doing them.
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