The [B][B][C]: August 2011

The dictionary defines a holiday as "a day of festivity or recreation when no work is done." However, the dictionary also provides a British definition, simply "a vacation."

In our 22 months here, friends and family often ask if we're enjoying our "extended holiday." Well, we have two answers for you; (1) Yes, absolutely! How could we not enjoy traveling Europe once a month, trying new delicious national cousines, and experiencing the vibrant cultures of the west; (2) However, as amazing as our experience is, I wouldn't define it as a holiday, and apparently neither would Webster. In order to afford our once-in-a-lifetime lifestyle, we still have to work 5 days a week, 8 hours a day - many times up to 10 hours a day, and even a few weekends here and there. Just like many of you, we have our challenging days, days we'd rather be checking Facebook or be at the pub. So when we do go on "holiday," as the British say, we take full advantage. Since many of our holidays are spent doing the tourist thing--Berlitz book in one hand, map in the other, camera in the pocket, and taking in all of the sites each city has to offer--we quite relish the summer holidays, as we've now made it a tradition (I think you're allowed to call it a tradition after two times), to do nothing but relax, have a lie-in, soak up some sun, and eat sweet and succulent summer foods.

So after our inaugural summer holiday last year in Croatia, we opted this year for Nice, France in the French Riviera. The weather was perfect in the mid 70's, the water was refreshing, and the Gellato and Crepes brought it all together.

We headquartered in Nice, and took a few trips along the Riviera. One was to Brandina's mom's favorite city, Villefranche Sur Mer - a quaint, little, beach village just under the train tracks, where the locals tend to spend their holidays. We spent the morning at the beach with the rest of the locals, then enjoyed getting lost in the narrow streets of the town. The other trip we took was to the lavish city of Monaco, the wealthiest place, per head and per square foot, on Earth; where the common traffic jam consists of a Lamborghini, a Ferrari, and a Bentley. Also home to the most famous casino in the world, Monte Carlo, where Bryan, being a frequent visitor to Vegas, felt he had to "test' out. After paying just to enter the casino, he left about 20 minutes later...but not before he witnessed a guy at his card table lose £1,500 in 30 seconds, while his wide-eyed girlfriend watched with anxiety. Nonetheless, it was a fun night, as we wore our Sunday best, and sat amongst the glamourous rank and file, people and car watching.