Wednesday, 23 September

We set our alarm, so we had lots of time to enjoy a proper breakfast in the hotel restaurant, before we joined the group for the day’s excursion to Monaco, Eze and Monte Carlo.

Our first stop, Eze (pronounced Ez) is a mediaeval village

high on the cliffs that edge the Mediterranean. We climbed steep streets and learned about the interesting history of the place. There used to be a castle at the top, and its position was meant to be a protection against pirates and other invaders. One story involved the lack of water to the town, meaning a hard task of hauling it every day. In the early 20^th century, a wealthy resident had water piped to his house and then to a public fountain

for the rest of the town. The fountain is still there and working, but apparently not used much.

From Eze, we drove into Monaco. It’s so tiny and so densely-populated! It’s especially busy right now, with the annual Yacht show in progress.

The harbour is a showplace of magnificent boats. We also saw the route of the annual F1 Grand Prix race that winds up and down hills and through tunnels. Traffic was terrible and the streets were crowded. We strolled through the old city, stopping for lunch at a very busy, but nice restaurant, and then gathered again to drive to Monte Carlo, a very special part of Monaco.

Several of our group, including Larry, chose to sit in a pleasant, relatively quiet garden while the rest of us walked up to the casino area. I chose not to pay the 20 Euros to get into the casino itself, but saw the opulent and huge reception area

 that also serves the opera, then walked around the square outside for a while. I found that I didn’t enjoy the atmosphere of competitive wealth and celebrity-gawking, and returned to the garden. Soon we were once again making our way, on elevators (thankfully!) through the Oceanographic Museum and back to our bus. The drive back to our hotel in Nice was pleasant, with wonderful views of the Mediterranean and over the city. Once again it was snacks for supper and then packing to leave tomorrow.

All Photos of the Day