Beaulieu to Floence, via Portofino, April 21

We left Beaulieu fairly early after a lovely breakfast of croissants from the nearby patisserie.  We drove the middle Corniche as far as Monaco where we could overlook the tennis courts. We saw a helicopter take off from the deck of a yacht which had gone to sea to let it take off.  (It returned to harbor right afterwards)

The drive has dozens and dozens of tunnels...they became quite tiring.  We did NOT take the back roads as it was a long drive.  We decided to stop in Portofino out of nostalgia from our visit there 29 years ago when I was pregnant with David and nick was 12 and Jecca was 10.  The twisty, traffic-filled road was a surprise to us both.  And, we went there in the summer last time.  Could it have been empty then?  And, we stayed in luxury at the hotel Nacionale, which was way too expensive for us.  It was the first time any of us had pesto, served with thin, flat sheets of pasta called lasagne which looked so different for the lasagna with which we were familiar.  Anyhow, today it just seemed crowded and over priced, but we did have the pesto on the harbor anyhow.  Nick says it was that memory that made him think about being a chef.  Interesting.  (As an example of the cost, it was €5.50 per hour to park.). Anyhow, it was great to sit in the sun in a beautiful spot.

And, after we left, it bucketed with rain.

BIG CONFESSION coming!
We had a dickens of a time finding where we were going in Florence.  We were torn between parking outside the restricted parking zone and taking a bus in, or taking our chances with Gianluca, our landlord who encouraged us to just drive in.  After an hour of being lost, we did find a parking garage at €14 per day, but saw no bus stops, so took our chance and drove in.We parked along the river and Gian met us and took us to the studio at 19 Ognissante.  We met his wife, who does not speak English.  After they left, Mark said, where is the mezzanine in the photo?  Hmmm.  And, the address was not on Via  Rondinelli.  We assumed Gian had put us in a different apartment.  But NO!  In the evening, I got an email from the OTHER place I rented!  Yes, I rented TWO places, put deposits on them both, so wasted €180.  So embarrassed, humiliated.  And, I am sure the other place was fancier. But, we are settled in and they are lovely people.  Chalk it up to...what?  dumb?
We strolled along the Arno and by the Uffizi and returned "home" still upset at my mistake