Treiso, Italy, April 21, 22

 We were a bit melancholy leaving Beaulieu-sur-Mer. We treated ourselves, Norman and Jane, to our first croissants since Arles, as we have resisted them. But, it seemed fitting to have them as we were leaving France.

  We left the apartment around 10 a.m. We drove through Eze by the sea and up to the Middle and then the Haute Corniche overlooking Monaco. And, the day was perfect - sunny, blue skies and in the low 80s. A good day for driving.
   

We took the motorway into Italy. (Cost: $22.00) When we left the motorway we encountered very secondary roads through small villages into the mountains. We stopped for a bathroom/petrol stop in one village where the grumpy owner of the restaurant/gas station could not even be bothered to help us find the toilets and watched Barbara wander around the building. Then, after Mark put in 20 Euros into the pump, we could not get the pump to respond.

We tried various things, including trying to cancel the process and even switching pumps as we weren't sure which one we had "clicked." After about 10 minutes, Mark approached a younger man who drove in and asked him. He spoke a little English and went to talk to the grump who said that the pumps were broken! And, we feel that, without the young man, he counted on us driving away minus gas and minus a refund. He reluctantly handed Mark over 20 Euros. These can be the challenges of travel when you don't speak much of the language, but certainly not enough to dampen our enthusiasm for our surroundings.
   As we approached Treiso, the vineyards began to appear as well as prosperity. We found Ada Nada, a winery/bed and breakfast via some roads that are really more like one-way driveways.

    Ada Nada is a real find. The setting on a hill overlooks vineyards and villages and villas. The bed and breakfast has 11 rooms. Ours is a veritable luxury suite with a sitting room with a little balcony and a fireplace. Then, there is a walk-in closet, a huge tiled bathroom and a luxurious, large, and very pink bedroom. Wow!

    We drove into town as it was past 2 and we were really hungry. All the standard restaurants were closed, but we were directed to Profumo di Vino where we ordered a mixed plate of cheeses and meats. And...what a feast! One of the meats is from the town of Bra, famous for its sausages.  Wow. We certainly had no need for dinner. In addition, the restaurant is the site of the Barbarescu wine collective of the area and the proprietor explained a bit about Barbarescu and Barolo wines. The restaurant used to be the church rectory and is attached to the old church there.

    We came back and relaxed. Barbara spent time by the pool reading and listening to German, Italian and French as the bed and breakfast filled up.
     The next morning we got up rather early, but not in time for sunrise. We took a little walk up the hill and took in the absolutely gorgeous views of the vineyards and the hill towns. Tractors and trucks were already at work.

Then - on to an amazing breakfast.....It would be a long list to just write what was on the table. Lots of cheeses, meats, lemon cake, chocolate coconut cake, apricot tart, potato and pesto tart, fruit salad, breads, yogurts, not to mention cappuccinos and fruit juices. We met Anna Lisa, the owner, an energetic young woman with 3 daughters. She runs the bed and breakfast and her husband runs the vineyard. She made us reservations at an osteria in town.

     After breakfast we went into Alba, about 7 kilometers away. As it happened, they were having a wine and food festival and the various squares will filled with tents selling all kinds of things. We were enchanted with the town and wandered.
We got some sausage and cold cuts and ate standing at one of the tables. Barbara also had some ice cream.

At night we went to the Trattoria Risorgimento in Treiso, as recommended by the owner of Ada Nada. We ate outside and were introduced to Jackie, an American who is working in the kitchen. She has been there for 5 years, an energetic young woman now fluent, of course, in Italian. She and the head chef, the daughter of the owners, explained the menu completely. Mark had a ravioli starter with cold pork loin and roasted vegetables. Barbara had a marinated beef dish as a starter with ravioli as the main course. All excellent and good conversation with the owners as well as a German hiking couple next to us.

Beaulieu, Monaco, April 19, 20

 We were pretty tired after our day in Monte Carlo at tennis and Jane and Norman had a very busy day themselves hiking up very high in Beaulieu.

So, we decided to have a quiet day. We did a lot of chatting and took a few short strolls. We all walked down to the little beach closest to us and later a short walk in the neighborhood. We went to eat at the Vent d'Anges for dinner.

Norman had pizza, Mark had duck and Jane and Barbara had grilled vegetables. Afterwards, we went to their apartment (which is cooler as it has cross breezes) and sat on their deck having decaff cappuccinos and lemon sorbet.
  On the 20th, we had a much busier day.

We got an early start and picked up bus 100 into Monaco, getting off at the Place des Armes. We then caught bus 1 up to the Palace area. As we got there early, we were among the first into the Grimaldi's Palace. It was a pretty good tour with an audio guide that took us through the history and the sumptuous rooms, including the throne room.

    The weather made us feel like we were at the Riviera - blue skies and mid-to-upper 70s. (In fact, we complained a bit about the heat. It has been a rough, late spring at home, so..we shouldn't complain!)

    We had combination tickets to the Palace and to the Aquarium. (19 Euros each) So, we walked to the Aquarium next. Rather than tour immediately, we went to the roof and had a relaxing lunch at the snack bar area in the shade on comfy chairs. We had almost left because the restaurant looked a bit expensive and didn't appeal to us, but a nice Englishman told us about the snack area around the back. Another stroke of luck.

    So, refreshed, we spent the next few hours in the aquarium and a little in the museum. The setting is spectacular high on the cliffs of Monte Carlo and the building is magnificent. It was built of stones from La Turbie. The Museum was inaugurated in 1910 by Prince Albert 1st, a monarch who was a real scientist. Jacques Costeau directed the museum from 1957 - 1988 and we were a bit surprised that there was little mention of Costeau in the museum.
    We enjoyed the fish tanks, marveling at the amazing variety of fish - colors, shapes, sizes etc. Very entertaining. One grouper is named in honor of Grace Kelly. It is polka dotted and chosen because Grace Kelly's wore polka dot dress in an unnamed Hitchcock movie.

     We decided to walk back down into Monte Carlo as it was a short walk and all downhill. The view afforded us a good look at the stadium seating that has been put up in preparation for the Grand Prix.
      From there - back on Bus 100 and our last evening in Beaulieu-sur-Mer. One last baguette, one last pate and one last trip to the SuperU with Jane and Norman.
       This has been a good 2 weeks, especially once the rain stopped.

 

Antibes, April 17

Today marks a full month of our vacation.
 It was a nice sunny day and we took off in the a.m. with Jane and Norman to Antibes, about an hour's drive because of having to drive through Nice.
  Mark got a good parking spot right in the old port and we first walked up along the ramparts, looking at the nice sandy beach (a rarity) and a snorkler, not to mention a HUGE yacht outside the harbor (More on that later.)

    We got a picnic lunch at the outdoor market and went back outside the city walls to eat it, along the port.
     We had a bit of adventure with the public toilet. You put in 20 centimes and go in. Then, when you come out, the toilet disinfects. Two women in front of us, put in their 20 centimes and used the toilet twice. The key was NOT shutting the door. One of them held it slightly open the entire time. Jane and Barbara successfully used the toilet, each using 20 centimes. But, Mark and Norman decided to try to use it paying just once.

    So, Mark went in and used the toilet. Then, Norman went in...BUT, he closed the door and was subjected to the disinfectant process. Oh dear.  Then, he had a bit of a dilemma getting out as it was now off synch. But, he did get out without anyone putting in 20 centimes. He could have been stuck in there without us realizing that the machine wanted some money. No harm done, but a bit of a laugh.
     Afterwards, Jane and Barbara put their toes into the Mediterranean...only to ankles as the water was surprisingly quite cold.

    Then, we all walked out on a jetty to see a large sculpture, Nomade, which looks out to sea. It is made of letters. The sculpture Jaume Plensa says, "Like bricks, letters have the potential for construction...They enable us to construct thought."
    After sufficient nourishment, we went back into the medieval walled city. Mark and Norman stopped at a coffee shop and Jane and Barbara wandered about a bit, doing window shopping. All that was bought was postcards and each a bar of soap.

     Then it was off to the Geant, a bit supermarket where we bought, among other things, some Norwegian white fish for dinner. We met for dinner and had fish, salad, baguettes, asparagus.

    Now - for the giant yacht. Turns out that it is the Dilbar, a super-yacht, the biggest in tonnage in the world! (almost 16,000 gross tons and 511 feet long.) It is owned by a Russian oligarch, Alisher Usmanov and it cost $600,000,000!  A woman on the ramparts had correctly suspected that it was a Russian owner. It has a crew of about 80 and can accommodate about 40 guests. Needless to say, it has all the luxuries - swimming pool, gym etc. Much of the details are kept secret. Also on board was a $20,000,000 luxurious specially built helicopter that accommodates 7 passengers. It includes a lunge and a galley kitchen. The owner is a Russian billionaire, among the richest men in the world. Among his many many assets is that he is a major shareholder in London's Arsenal Football Club.
While beautiful, these untold riches quite honestly made us all disgusted.
   But, the yacht did not ruin our day. It was a very good one.

 

Monte Carlo, April 18

We had a full day of tennis today and...were darned lucky in many respects.
  First of all, the train strike did not prevent our train from arriving. It was 25 minutes late, but we had plenty of wiggle room time. And, it is such a smooth ride.
   We arrived at the train station in Monaco and followed the crowds as they disembarked and...went up up up in elevators to the ground level. Monaco is so steep. From there, we followed people and met up with an English woman who had gone to the tennis matches the day before and she told us to follow her and get on the #4 bus. It was free if you showed your tennis tickets as a way to get around the strike. (When there is no train strike, the train goes right to the tennis venue.)

     So, we did just that. Then, we followed the crowds into the stadium and were there just minutes before the gates opened. Our English guide told us to be sure to retrace our steps afterwards, back to #4 bus. Getting there early was another stroke of luck. We went into a tourist shop selling t-shirts and we each bought one as the day was getting hot and we knew that we were overdressed. (We changed into them about 2 hours later after realizing that we were way overheated.)
     As the venue was still uncrowded, we easily bought sandwiches to eat. (Overpriced, as always at a venue - 8.50 Euros each)
     Our first match was Danlil Medvedev from Russia versus Kei Nishikori. Nishikori dispatched the younger man quite easily in 2 sets. By the end of the match, we were overheated and left to find toilettes and some shade, as well as to try our new shirts.

     The second match was between 9th seed Novak Djokovic who has fallen in ranking due to injuries. He took on Croatian Borna Coric who we saw a few years ago in Indian Wells. While Coric took Djokovic to quite a few deuces, eventually Djokovic prevailed in 2 sets, but it took him over 2 hours.
     The third match was between #1 seed Rafa Nadal and Slovenian Aljaz Bedene. Again, Bedene had a few moments and did break Rafa a few times, Nadal prevailed in just over 1 hour.

    By the time the final match of the day began it was past 5 o'clock and we knew that we would not stay for the finish and miss our train. So, we watched most of the first set of #2 seed, Marin Cilic, versus Fernando Verdasco and it was pretty clear that Cilic was going to win handily.
   The venue at Monte Carlo is stunning. Our seats were in the top row with the sea behind us. We could see the stunning cliffs behind the town and watch construction going on way up high.

    The bathroom facilities, however, are woefully inadequate with huge lines and narrow stairways that we jammed with 4 lines of people (men and women's lines going up and down) in a stairwell meant for 2 lines. And, the ability to buy food/drinks was also problematic. In order to simply get a bottle of water, you have to wait in a line with people ordering meals. We did buy a Coke and a water that way and then refilled the water bottles (we had taken one) in the bathrooms. The Coke, by the way, was 5.5 Euros. Typical of venues.

    Our luck continued on the way home. Most of the people filed out to busses taking them back to the center of town. The wait was very long as there were 100s of people. We followed our English woman's advice and retraced our steps and found, by luck, the right stop. We got on the first bus and then painstakingly worked our way back to the train station in gridlock traffic.

   No information on our train was apparent at the station and all the information booths were closed. But, we followed the crowds and figured out that we needed platform C. More luck. We got to the train with 4 minutes to spare. It came in on time AND were were able to get seats. More good luck

    By good fortune, we sat next to a lovely man, a native of Monaco, a Monagasque. We had never met a true Monagasque. He explained the Monaco is actually a nice small and not very busy community with 2 big yearly events that clog up the city - the tennis tournament and the Grand Prix. He said that usually the traffic is not so bad. Hmmm. He was en route to meet his wife at the airport in Nice. He was getting off in Nice and taking a bus as he said that the train to the "airport" is actually a 15 minute walk from the station. Another wealth of information and a real gentleman.

    So, we arrived home by 8, tired and hot, but feeling incredibly lucky for our ease of travel, our good seats and our adjustment to the heat. (It got to 76 degrees apparently.) The day ended with a chat back home to David and to Nick.
    Jane and Norman evidently had a nice day in Beaulieu-sur-Mer.

 

Beaulieu, Nice, Antibes April 15-17

  The weather is steadily improving! Yay!

  On the 15th, Sunday, we all went into Nice via bus. We waited quite a while for the bus as there is less service on Sundays.
  We got out at the old port and walked to the bus ticket office near Place Garibaldi, but it was closed. So, we walked through old Nice and then along the Promenade Anglaise, Nice's 4-mile promenade. The promenade was started in 1820 in a particularly harsh winter in the north brought beggars into the city. Some of the English suggested a useful project for them  - to construct a walkway. It was later expanded by the city. Legend has it that the original promenade was build in marble to keep the ladies' long skirts from getting dirty in the sand and mud.

   We chose a few benches to sit and people watch. Only a few people were swimming, but the promenade was busy. Jane put her toes and hands in the water.  
    We tried to bluff our way into the famous Hotel Negresco, built in 1912 to see the famous chandelier, but...we were caught. The Baccarat chandelier has 16,309 crystals and was commissioned by Czar Nicholas II. He could not take delivery because of the October Revolution.  The staff wear costumes based on the 18th century and it was one of those who escorted us out. Oh well....can't let the riff raff in!

     From there, we strolled back along the Promenade and back into Old Nice. We had ice cream in a lovely square and did more people watching. Jane bought some beautiful hand made soaps as presents. From there, we hopped back on the bus. I think we did about 8 miles of walking that day. Whew.
    On the 16th, we decided to stick around Beaulieu. Jane and Norman met with their real estate agent as they had issues with their apartment not having wifi. Mark and I printed tickets for the train to Monte Carlo and hope that the strike will not prevent us taking it. We had to go to a little stationery stop in the neighborhood.

    Afterwards, we met Jane and Norman and walked into St Jean Cap Ferrat and then around Cap Ferrat. It was quite a walk and beautiful. We stopped into the church at the top, the Chapelle de Saint-Hospice. It was built in the 11th Century on the ruins of a previous sanctuary. It was dedicated to a saint, Hospitius, who was a hermit in an ancient tower there. According to legend, he foretold an invasion of the Lombards in 575. He was seized, but his life was spared for working a miracle for a wounded warrior who gave up war and became a monk himself.
     Outside the church is a HUGE bronze statue of Mary and Jesus, constructed in 1904.

     Another 8+ mile day. We walked for almost 4 hours. Afterwards, we had a nice salad with chicken meal at Jane and Norman's. We were all pooped!

Beaulieu, April 12 - 14

On April 12th, we drove around between Beaulieu and Monaco. It was raining, but we tried not to let us stop exploring. Around 2, we started for the airport in teaming rain to pick up Jane and Norman who were arriving from Boston, via London. The parking lot was a challenge as it is under construction and the rain was bucketing. But, Mark found a spot and we went in to wait. Their flight was delayed a bit in taking off in the foul weather and then, the pilot had to abort the first landing. Yikes. And, it took them time to get through customs and pick up luggage. They were weary, for sure. Then, of course, there was the somewhat harrowing drive in rush hour traffic across Nice. We left them down the block at their apartment, and, after they settled in, we had a dinner of finger foods. Their flat is nice, but their wifi is not working.

  On April 13th, we woke to better weather than we have seen here since we arrived. We walked about 2 miles to start our day, half way to Cap Ferrat and back. Later, Jane and Norman joined us, hopefully starting to adjust to the time zone change. We packed baguette sandwiches and took off for Eze-le-Village, but...were unable to find a parking spot at all. So, we took off for La Turbie on the Upper Corniche and, ditto, no parking spots. So, we wandered along and found a little track to park and decided to just find a place to have our picnic.

    By great luck, we happened on a dog walker who guided us to a great view over Monaco - and, even better, in an old Roman quarry. So, we set our sandwiches on an old abandoned piece of a Roman column! The day improved immeasurably with this. Afterwards, we drove home as they had an appointment to see their realtor about the wifi. (Did not get fixed)
   We took a walk down around the Marina and watched boats being readied for the season - huge boats. It was very interesting, a glimpse of a totally different world. Afterwards, Barbara, Jane and Norman took a walk around Beaulieu, stopping at the Tourist Bureau and then along the promenade to Place David Niven and back. (Barbara - 8 miles of walking.)  Then, another dinner together, cobbled together - spaghetti, salad, bread, pate, cheese.... We planned to try to visit Eze-le-Village again tomorrow, but get an early start in hopes of finding a parking spot.

  On the 14th, we did get an early start and drove to Eze-le-Village on the Middle Corniche Road. We got a great parking spot and we all walked through the medieval village to the church at the top. Great views, great walled city and cute little nooks and crannies made into shops. We stole a glimpse at the inside of the 5-star hotel the "Chevre d'Or" or Golden Goat. As it was so quiet, there were not crowds and we did not get kicked out. Very posh and amazing views.

    After that, we drove to La Turbie and our luck stuck with us. We found a parking spot and walked near Caesar Augustus's Triumphal Arch. (We did not want to pay the rather steep price to go in). Then, we ate at one of Stan and Craig's recommendations there, Cafe de la Fontaine. Mark had a delicious chicken meal and Barbara had a leek tart. All very good.
    Later in the afternoon, the four of us walked on the marina in Beaulieu-sur-Mer.

Beaulieu-sur-Mer, April 9-11

 On April 9, we woke up to more drizzly weather and temperatures in the low 50s. We walked to the local Tourist Bureau and got information about busses/trains/museums etc. The trains here on rolling strikes. They are on strike for 2 days, then off for 3 days.

   It was a day of strikes, so we took the bus into Nice for 1.5 Euros each. We got off in the old port and walked along the waterfront in the rain. Then, we walked to Place Massena and into Old Nice. From there we walked to Place Garibaldi and bought 20 tickets for the trams and busses. It gets to cost to 1 Euro each, so quite a savings. From there we walked back to the old port and got the 100 bus back. Because of the strike, there was a huge line for the bus and we did not manage to squeeze into the first one. But, we got on the 2nd one and were able to sit down.
    Later, we took a drive into Villefranche to the Carrefour for some food and also drove down into the old port of Villefranche before heading "home."
   On April 10, we woke up to rain, thunder and lightning. We took a short walk in Beaulieu-sur-Mer to get some bread and some stamps. After lunch, we drove up to the Middle Corniche, through Eze-le-village and down into Cap d'Ail. Then, we drove around St Jean Cap Ferrat and came back to read and look out the windows. Quiet day.

   We enjoyed watching 2 large yachts anchored off Beaulieu-sur-Mer and watching what we assume are the crews coming and going into the port. One of the yachts is the 258 foot long S.S. Delphine, built in the U.S. in 1921 for one of the Dodge brothers. It sank in NY in 1926 and was recovered and restored. It ran aground in 1940 in the Great Lakes and was again repaired. In World War II, it was acquired by the U.S. Navy. After the war, it was sold back to Mrs. Dodge and restored again.  It is now restored to its 1921 decor and has its original steam engines. For a while it was owned by Princess Stephanie of Monaco, but is now under another power and is a charter boat based in Monaco.
   Another rainy day on the 11th, but we decided to drive to Antibes anyhow, a place we have never visited. While it is only about 20 k, you have to drive either around or through Nice, so it took us about an hour each way.

   It is an ancient town, founded by the Greeks. It was owned by the Grimaldi family (royal family of Monaco) for a while and was the easternmost area of France when Nice was part of the Italian state of Savoy. It is now an expensive tourist destination on the Riviera and has a big port with expensive yachts.
   After a frustrating half hour or so of wandering around and losing our bearings, we managed to park in a garage by the port. We walked (in the rain) into the old town, small medieval streets and little stores and cafes. Many were closed due to the weather. Of course, the plus side is not having crowds. Hmmm. A good trade?
  We wandered through the open food market and then to the Picasso Museum. It is in a chateau once owned by the Grimaldis, built in the 1600s, but it became the city hall in 1702. In 1946, Picasso lived here from 4-6 months (depends on the sources you read). Happy that WWII had ended, he painted "happy" pictures while here. He donated them to the museum, the first museum devoted to Picasso.

     The chateau is beautiful with a lovely terrace overlooking the Mediterranean. It was, however, disappointing to pay for entrance, to be told that the museum would be closing in an hour. However, that was plenty of time because the floor with the Picassos was closed for renovation! So, while we saw a few Picasso paintings, we mainly saw works of other artists. That was disappointing as the museum has over 200 of Picasso's works. Oh well, it was still enjoyable to walk around.

     On the way home, we stopped a large grocery store and filled up with gas as it is far cheaper at the large grocery stores. We also scoped out the route to the airport as we pick up Norman L and Jane C tomorrow. We hope that the weather changes!