Lovely Outliers

France

We woke up to yet another beautiful morning in France (I am pretty sure that they only have beautiful days in the south of France). After a quick swim and a coffee, we wandered through the winding streets of the old city toward the port. We caught the local bus (bus 100) and headed to Monaco. While you can take the train, which is slightly quicker, the local bus only costs €1.50, and you are treated to a scenic ride along the coast.

Monaco

We arrived in Monaco, and, hearing that the prince was in his castle, started our trek up the mountain to get a glimpse of this tiny country from a royal vantage point.

The polished patterns on this statue were somewhat suspicious. Frisky tourists. Because it is Monaco, we saw many fancy cars and some really impressive super yachts that look ridiculous and amazing. Andrea and I were considering “stumbling” onto a yacht and into a life of luxury. Our final stop in Monaco was to check out the famous Monte Carlo casino. I found the selection of cacti to be quite impressive. The building was pretty impressive as well. 

Italy

Matt had suggested that we go out for dinner in Italy, which seemed like a reasonable suggestion. We grabbed a train and continued east, stopping at the small city of Ventimiglia. While the guidebook suggests that there is “not much to detain a tourist” in this town, we had a pleasant wander, stopping at a seaside restaurant in search of sustenance. As classic tourists, we arrived hours before dinner is typically served, but they graciously opened the kitchen and served us plates of absolutely divine food. My gnocchi was a show-stopper – decadently creamy and rich, but not very photogenic (looked like lumps in a cream sauce. Uncle Albert, on the other hand, had a very picturesque meal. There was, of course, wine. We ended the day with the best gelato of the trip. Four very happy and full travellers boarded the train and cruised back to our Nice home.