NICE🇫🇷 - DAY TRIP I FRENCH CHAMPAGNE🍾 BEER I STONE BEACH🏖️ & MONACO YACHT CLUB🛳️

It’s one of those moments again when I’m hopping from one country to another. Basically the perfect blog spam to generate some cheap clicks and traffic just like the media. Luckily, I’m not dependent on clicks yet, because I don’t need to finance myself with this. But it’s also one of those moments where good planning should actually be the key. Still, my spontaneity on the way to Frankfurt Airport will probably cause some readers to roll their eyes..

Sitting on the train to the terminal, I first had to decide on my phone where I was going to sleep for the next two nights in Monaco or rather outside Monaco, because the prices were simply insane. Sometimes I ask myself how I always manage to pull it off with all the drama that unfolds along the way. But somehow, I always get it done. Just sometimes not as perfectly as I wish.

The older I get, the more I understand that in the end, there is never a "perfect time" in life. As a kid, I always wanted to grow up faster, so I could finally be an adult. Today, everywhere I look, people are giving you advice on how to slow down the aging process visually. And I take care of myself as best as I can to stay "Forever 21." But if I had been older back then, I might not have had this spontaneity to book a hotel at my destination within a few minutes on the way to the airport. This form of internet, online bookings, and the ability to plan a sightseeing tour anywhere on the other side of the world in a few minutes simply didn’t exist. And if I had been born later, maybe I would never have found my passion in the way I did. I probably would never have ended up in Shanghai, if my father hadn’t worked as an expert in China. Simply because the boom nowadays of "Made in Germany" is over and today, even the Chinese know to build really good electric cars.

And maybe having control over time and over our own life is probably a human perfection problem. One of my favorite movies from the 2010s is Project Almanac. The movie combines time travel with the desire for controlling the mistakes and regrets in everyday life. The core message of the movie is the butterfly effect: Every correction in the past whether passing an exam or avoiding an embarrassing moment, can trigger an unpredictable chain reaction that positively or negatively affects other people's lives. Trying to perfectly choreograph your life and erase every mistake slowly takes away the authenticity of the moment and eventually lead to isolation. In the end, it is about understanding that you cannot force destiny. Sometimes you simply have to accept the present and appreciate it. One of my regrets is, never being to south of France definitely.

My friends had always been talking about the beaches, lavender fields, huge natural lakes, and of course delicious cheese and wine. Funnily enough, I have to realize that I’ve been to the smallest corners of Asia, but I somehow never really had the chance to experience the South of France. This time, at least, my flights were properly booked and planned because in less than 48 hours I would be watching two lovebirds get married in Rome. And with time running out, I booked my hotel before the Lufthansa plane was taking off heading south.

This time, I was invited by MEXC, one of the larger crypto exchanges in the world, to participate in a gathering event. Including a helicopter flight to Monaco, networking, and a casino night. Just flying to Nice and booking the hotel for the helicopter flight to Monaco would have been an experience in itself. And since I had never been to Monaco before, landing at the small airport in Nice made the whole thing even more exciting. The flight was smooth.

The tram went directly toward Nice City, and with my 24-hour ticket, I was completely independent when it came to getting around for work and sightseeing. In Nice, I decided to stay for a while since there were plenty of luggage locker shops. And then I was basically ready. Between French supermarkets and numerous condom vending machines in the city of Nice, the architecture of the old buildings was also pretty interesting to look at. While looking for a restaurant for lunch late, I finally ended up in a pizza restaurant near the small port of Nice. The pizza was super affordable.While filming for YouTube, I noticed a completely sticker-covered car across from me.

People kept stopping and taking pictures of it. The car was called MemeMachine. After taking a closer look, I noticed all the crypto and meme stickers covering it from funny crypto coins to Bitcoin, Trump and Pepe. Apparently, the crypto community had already arrived for the event.

Ten minutes later, I was walking directly into the small Port Olympia, the Port of Nice, whose history goes back to the 18th century. It was an interesting sight and at the same time, it felt like a preview of what Monaco would look like with all its yachts. Each one bigger than the last, in the most diverse architectural designs and all the way to the longest and tallest ones.

And I started wondering: What would it feel like to own your own yacht? How much do you actually have to earn to afford a hobby like this and how many stories would you experience traveling the world? And most importantly: What would freedom actually fee like? Owning one myself is still a goal someday. What is money anyway, if you obisouly could Imagine yourself being a multimillionaire when money at some point is just a number? The contrast between how much one person can earn as an employee over an entire lifetime compared to someone who usually lets their money work for them. Of course, apart from people who simply inherit their wealth, they still have to earn it somehow, instead of growing to much liabilities.

Sometimes I still hear stories from people saying they want to travel the world when they are older. But what does "older" actually mean? And isn't it risky to live in the future while we are living in the present With these thoughts running through my head, I started noticing several public beaches along the way. The walking path went directly along the sea.

The sound of the waves and the beautiful blue water, reflecting the sunlight like crystals, it felt the perfect moment to simply jump in. What did I have to lose anyway? Wet underwear? At 30 degrees, sunshine, and blue skies, I would be dry anyway. Plage Publique de Castel is not only free, but also quite rocky. And with my brand-new white Nike shoes, it immediately became an adventure. But at the same time, it felt amazing to stand in front of the waves, listening to the waves and breathing the fresh salty air when the waves where crashing together in front of me. It didn’t take long to feel the coolness of the cold water, and a refreshing moment with a cold French beer that swim my worries away for a moment.

I had never seen beer anywhere in the world in a bottle that is sealed with a champagne cork, and even sound like it when opening it. With dried clothes, I looked up toward the tourist spot on the hill at Pointe de Rauba-Capeù. It was pretty easy to walk up the stairs, and the view over the sea was amazing. The view itself was beautiful and I also enjoyed the adventure of simply being there alone.

I had never really known Cimetière du Château as a tourist attraction. It felt like a huge park that had already witnessed a lot of history. The park was free entry and filled with ancient olive trees that could probably tell the whole history of the city if they could talk. Since the park offered several ways to walk back down towards the city center, I decided to take shortcut. Only later did I realize that there was actually an elevator from the bottom to the park, and apparently there was even an old waterfall that I somehow completely missed.

On the way down, I came across the local cemetery which completely looked different from a German or Korean cemetery. The gravestones and all those lived human beings with all there memories sitting in the ground, reminded me again how short life actually is. Cemeteries shape me time and time again. They remind me how important it is to follow your passion.

In the end, I decided to take a little afternoon break with a coffee and a fresh raspberry macaron. It was the best energy and sugar injection I needed to be back with energy.

Waiting for the train to Monaco, I had one main question in my head about, how does Monaco actually look like compared to all those Tv shows and Instagram videos. Is Monaco actually really the way people describe it? On the way in the train to the Monaco Station, I learned about the history between France and Monaco. Sometimes boring history can become very interesting when you think about how people managed the past before the internet, AI and smartphones existed. On the way to my apartment hotel, I was accompanied by the unimaginable prices of real estate agencies with there listings for properties in Monaco.

And I started wondering: How much lifetime does it actually cost to finance one single square meter in Monaco? Sometimes I wonder when people buying properties, if they ever calculate the square meter prices in years of working life. At the same time, Monaco definitely felt incredibly safe. Not only because of all the cameras and incredibly clean streets, but also because you barely saw beggars or drug addicts, I was used to seeing them in Frankfurt.

To enjoy the sunset and explore more of Monaco city, I took a quick shower and started looking for some affordable restaurants that weren’t completely ridiculous with their prices. Eventually, I paid for an octopus salad, beer, and a piece of pizza, which is enough money to pay an average hotel in Germany. Eventhought it still was more like a self service restaurant.

On my way toward the harbor of Monaco, I was guided through countless streets going in every possible direction. Monaco was quite mountainous almost like a mini version of Seoul, Korea. As the evening arrived, the heat slowly disappeared. And the sunset covered the south side of Monaco in orange and golden light. It almost looked unreal. Like Monaco had been built specifically for this moment. Walking down toward the harbor, I could already see countless yachts. And by sunset, I finally reached the Monaco Yacht Club.

And I have never seen so many yachts in one spot in my entire life. The question at some point was no longer: Which one is the biggest? But rather: How much does it cost?

It felt like standing at a car dealership. Just with million to hundred million dollar price tags. And once again, I started wondering how unbelievably wealthy these people must be to compare someone like me.

Not far away, I could already see the first signs pointing toward the Monte-Carlo Casino. I kept walking till I reached the tourist spot in front of the casino. Countless luxury cars, the rich and beautiful and myself. The entrance area was free to access at the casino but the actual casino entry was paid, which included however a drink at the bar. Pretty smart idea. The architecture of the casino was indescribable.

Every detail, down to the reflection on the marble floor. In the end, standing there gave me pure motivation to keep working on my passion. Not because of the wealth. But because everything there somehow felt again that everything in life is possible to reach.

On my way home, I made a quick stop at the French supermarket Carrefour and was relieved by the prices. To finish the night, I grabbed some amazing French blue cheese, a few snacks and drinks and went back home to enjoy the rest of the evening. But the night was shorter than expected.

With an emergency morning Run to Zara…