A European Tell-All

By Stella Violet

Yacht parties, foreign lovers and almost getting arrested in Monte Carlo/Monaco.

It’s been a while, but I’m writing to you from my 15-hour-long plane ride back home from one of the craziest months of my life.

And, I’ve decided to tell you all about how I spent the last few weeks in the French Riviera, and hopefully you can laugh and learn from my experiences and mistakes.

June 11 — Phoenix, Arizona to Paris, France

I began my journey at the Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport also known as my own personal hell. I had just been on a spur of the moment week-long bender in Mexico with my friends and the last thing on my mind was a 16 hour flight.

But, alas here I was with a suitcase full of clothes I had thrown together the night before and the worst headache known to man.

I got to the airport way too early and had a whopping three hours to spare before I could even check-in to my flight. So, I decided to write articles and scramble to finish my summer school classes I mistakenly decided to take.

Once the time had come I had to check in my oversized suitcase, because when have I ever underpacked? And, once I finally sat down on the plane I found out I was sat next to a young boy and his father who called me “ma’am.” If you’re a man reading this, never call a woman “ma’am.”

This flight felt never-ending and was comparable to sitting on a bed of nails, but once I stepped outside and saw Paris, I instantly fell in love.

June 12- The 11th Arrondissement (Paris)

I spent a few days in Paris and stayed in the 11th, which was the best decision I could have made. It wasn’t toursity and crowded and unlike the rumors I had heard, everyone was pretty nice.

I also don’t know why everyone warned me about getting mugged/robbed because prior to my trip I bought anti-theft gear and was prepared to fight for my life over my possessions. However, I felt safe the entire time.

Maybe it’s because I’m fairly aware of my surroundings, but I did not once feel like I was about to be robbed. And, to be honest I have been more fearful of being robbed in Phoenix, Arizona than Paris, France.

Speaking of, as a solo female traveler, I felt very safe walking around in Paris. As long as you have a set of street smarts and Google Maps, you’ll be fine.

I spent my days strolling around Paris, walking into bakeries, visiting the Musèe D’Orsay, the Eifle Tower and playing soccer in the street with strangers.

I was living out my inner “Blair Waldorf Parisian Summer,” and I was loving every minute of it.

On my final day, I bought a pit ticket to see Olivia Rodrigo for $50 on a whim and it was awesome. I ran to the store in the pouring rain wearing a sparkly purple dress and a white linen button-up.

I bought a small bottle of liquor and tossed it in the trash once I got to the venue. I tried to find an umbrella but they were all taken.

Once I arrived, my perfectly straightened hair had now turned curly and my sunglasses were all fogged up by the time I came in.

I screamed, cried and laughed a lot, all by myself. This wasn’t my first time going to a concert alone but there’s something truly magical about dancing in the rain and not caring what anyone around you thinks.

June 15th — Paris, France to Cannes, France

The next morning after seeing Olivia Rodrigo, I booked it to the airport and caught an hour and a half long flight to Cannes. This is where I would be spending the next week of my life networking and meeting some of the most influential people in the world.

I’m not at liberty to discuss exactly who I met, but just know most of your favorite influencers now know my name and about Gut Instinct Media.

I spent my days attending influential talks by well-known CEOs and celebrities and my nights clubbing on the beach and yachts until 4 A.M.

To be honest, I think I slept a total of 10 hours that entire week. I really took the sentiment “sleep when you’re dead” to heart.

Here’s a look into a typical day from that week:

I woke up at 7 A.M., still reeling from the night before to my lovely roommates turned friends. We all got ready, took a fit check video and headed to the local cafe.

I got my usual, the American breakfast, which consisted of an over-easy egg, bacon, orange juice and a shot of espresso.

We then all headed over to the bus, which was a daily gamble. Sometimes the bus driver would let us on and most times she would just look at us, shake her head, and drive away.

When the latter happened, we were forced to make the 30 minute journey to the festival in 80 degree weather with 80% humidity. This did not do wonders for my hair.

By 9 A.M. I had my morning meeting and spent the next eight hours attending talks about authenticity, inclusivity and how Gen-Z is creating the future.

By five o’clock it was time to attend the daily happy hours, emphasis on hours plural. Free drinks, free food, I was in heaven.

At 7 P.M. I was well on my way to good night, I stumbled onto a few yachts, danced and found a party happening at one of the beach clubs.

Here, I ordered a vodka straight and the waiter ended up taking a shot with me while he told me how crazy I was for my choice of drink.

I danced my heart out and talked with random strangers on the beach. A specific group of influential people were at this beach and I ended up connecting with them on LinkedIn.

I took a breather by the ocean and had a “what the fuck is my life” moment before I went back to dancing.

This was also the same night I found out I made the Dean’s List for my school and decided to celebrate more.

So, I went out for drinks and my night ended with a guy I had met at happy hour on a rooftop after shattering a $70 bottle of wine.

I made it back to my room at the ideal time of 4:30 A.M. and prepared for the day ahead.

This was pretty tame compared to other day’s but I’m saving those stories for my future book I’ll write when I’m older.

After the week, I said goodbye to my new friends and headed for Nice, France while I awaited to arrival of my friend Axel.

June 22- Cannes, France to Nice, France

The first day after Axel arrived it rained, and we decided that it would be the best weather to walk up to the top of Nice, I say sarcastically.

After our excursion, we checked into our AirBNB apartment and it was like a treasure hunt. I had to find a lockbox located near the apartment and use a piece of paper to decode the lockbox.

Once we settled, we turned on the TV and religiously listened to Chappell Roan and Charli XCX, and we did this for the entirety of the trip.

I could sit and go through our entire trip, but I feel like you, the reader, would enjoy a long-form story about our time in Monte Carlo.

Monte Carlo- Monaco

This was the day we almost got arrested.

A little backstory, this was our most anticipated spot of travel, mainly due to the movie Monte Carlo starring Selena Gomez.

If you have never seen the movie, here is the summary according to Google. (Remember this plot for later.)

“Best friends Grace (Selena Gomez) and Emma (Katie Cassidy) quit their waitress jobs in small-town Texas and head to Paris for a summer adventure, accompanied by Grace’s stepsister, Meg (Leighton Meester). The prepackaged tour fails to meet their expectations, however, and soon their spirits sag. But, when Grace is mistaken for a British socialite named Cordelia, she and her companions head to Monte Carlo to enjoy a week of yacht parties and cute bachelors — then the real Cordelia arrives.”

With that in mind, we arrive at Cafe de París, and enjoyed $20 espresso martinis. Then, we decided to run to Zara so I could buy heels so we could go into the Monte Carlo Casino.

I gambled for the first time and hated it.

We then decided to go to the infamous Hotel de París, where Monte Carlo was shot.

The doorman surprisingly let us in and we made our way to the bar. A man offered to buy me a drink and we struck up a nice conversation.

He told me he knew we were “clearly not staying at the hotel” but that he didn’t care. He then went on to tell me how he hates all the pretentious people that stay at the hotel and offered to buy me a room.

I wasn’t sure how to respond, so I told him I had to go to the bathroom and I grabbed my bag and Axel and we went upstairs.

After much deliberation, I decided to accept but as we were walking down the stairs, the same man who had let us in was now asking us for our card.

The man I had just talked to was nowhere in sight and I tried to explain the situation. However, the doorman told us that it was “too late” and he was calling the police and we were going to be arrested.

To which I responded “no” and began sprinting out of the hotel, flinging my drink onto the carpet.

Meanwhile, Axel was stuck between the doorman and another man grabbing his arms. I had no choice but to continue walking and once I made it out I panicked.

I kept walking, making sure to not turn back in case one of the men was after me or wanting to take a photo. After a few minutes of walking I hear from behind me “keep going” and to my surprise it was Axel.

We both were full on running at this point, I was shoeless with my heels in my hand and we ran all the way to the train station.

Without looking at where we were going we boarded the nearest train and somehow made it back to Nice.

Did we do anything illegal? No, and upon further investigation, they had no right to call the police when they were the ones who let us in, in the first place.

However, I remember that train ride back being silent with both Axel and I hoping nobody was after us. Once we made it back we both started hysterically laughing at the situation and couldn’t believe we had a true Monte Carlo experience at the same hotel as the movie.

The rest of the stories from this trip will stay in my memory box and will also go towards my future book.

It was pretty much the usual European experience, we went clubbing, we went to the beach and we ate some really great food.

Then, I made my way home and found the flight home to be easier than the flight there. Currently, I still have a few hours until I’m back and I’m trying to cut this article as short as possible.

Consider it a holiday present from me to you, and let me know what you think about written out storytimes like this one.

As always, live your life to the fullest and always say yes to trips and social outings. You never know when it could be your turn on a yacht sailing to Ibiza. But, that’s a story for another time.