Winter's Arrival

Castelrigg Stone Circle - Whilst this field lies at some elevation,
the snow has not quite reached it yet.

Winter has arrived in the Fells so Scott and I had to venture out for some photos. Our flat faces the Whitehaven Harbour with the Irish Sea beyond and we are not able to see the fells from our home. I am always surprised, then, when I drive over a hill or round a bend and come face to face with these beautiful mountains. Capped in snow they are quite spectacular!

Out and About in the Lake District

Scott has always enjoyed taking photos and this past June we bought a new camera and lenses. He has had a fun time trying out his new camera whilst enjoying the beauty of the Lake District. On a Saturday we often drive to one of the lakes and do some hiking around. Occasionally we even expand our walks vertically and try going up the fells, although I will admit Scott is much more enthusiastic about that sort of walk than I! The last few weekends of autumn were quiet for us so we ventured out, Scott armed with his camera, and these photos are a few that he captured. Hope you enjoy them!

Dan and Jamie Visit!

First Stop: Castlerigg Stone Circle - You might recall this stone
circle is in the middle of sheep fields surrounded by the fells.

Just after we returned home from our cruise we were treated to a visit from Dan and Jamie! They spent a few days checking out the London sights, then boarded the train for the trip north. Scott and I picked them up at the train station and immediately set off showing them some of our favourite spots in Cumbria. They stayed with us for a few days and then we sent them off on a trip to the Scottish Highlands and Loch Ness. At the end of the week Scott and I joined them for a fun weekend in Edinburgh where we visited Edinburgh Castle, the Palace at Holyrood, and even squeezed in a ghost tour which, of course, Dan and Scott termed "lame"! On Sunday Scott and Dan set off for a museum whilst Jamie and I managed to get in a little retail therapy. Jamie and Dan were treated to very little wet weather, a real novelty here in the UK. Here are some photos from their visit.

Castlerigg Stone Circle

Next Stop: Derwentwater - We are still on our way home from 
the train station mind!

I showed off my UK driving skills (which are, at times, still quite debatable!) and took Jamie and Dan to Muncaster Castle, and Wastwater and Buttermere, two of our favourite lakes. One of the days I took them to Ravenglass where we boarded "The Ratty", the small gauge steam train that chugs along into the fells. We disembarked at Dalegarth Station, the end of the line, and hiked two miles through the fields and forests to Stanley Ghyll Force, a beautiful 60 foot high waterfall. 

Dan and Jamie on "The Ratty". 

This was taken along the pathway leading to the falls.

The falls at last! 

A couple of photos from Edinburgh...

We had a wonderful time with them and too soon they left to return home to America. We are looking forward to a return visit from them, and more visitors in the coming year! 

Eze, Monaco, and Monte Carlo

Monday, October 1 found us in the port of Cannes, playground of the rich and famous and home to the internationally recognized film festival. Our boat was much too large to dock here, so we had to be tendered in and out. The harbour is quite protected and with calm waters ferrying back and forth on our small tender was not a problem. Once on dry land we boarded a bus and headed for Eze, a medieval village nestled atop a cliff face.

The streets of Eze

Our tour guide explained that often there were two villages by the same name: one on the seaside and one high up on the cliff. For obvious reasons, the village on the cliffs was easier to defend from pirates who frequently ravaged the seaside villages but would not attempt to climb the cliffs to reach the villages perched at the top. Eze is one of those villages. Today the ancient buildings of Eze are shops, restaurants, and there is even a hotel. There is a small church at the top as well. After an hour or so at Eze it was time to reboard our bus. We were headed for Monaco. Hmmm......was that thunder we heard?

Eze

Yes it was definitely thunder. As we drove along the coast we encountered torrential rains and thunder and lightening. Things did not improve one bit in Monaco. Through our time in England Scott and I have learned that, when leaving to sight see for the day, there are a few things you never leave behind. Raincoats are at the top of the list. But this is France, not the UK, and that morning we had checked the weather and decided raincoats and umbrellas would not be necessary. We were not alone. Of the 50 or so passengers on our tour more than half were Brits who, like us, should have known better, but came away without rain gear as well. We arrived in Monaco to some seriously heavy rain and our tour guide never missed a beat. Off the bus, out into the pouring down rain, and off for a walking tour of Monaco we went. Thankfully Scott spied a small shop with umbrellas for sale in the doorway. Unfortunately, by then we were positively soaked. Be assured for the rest of our trip we always had raincoats packed in Scott's backpack! And, of course, over the next 4 days we did not need them one time. But, back to Monaco.....

The streets of Monaco

No, we don't really know what the purpose of this sculpture is, but it we came across it in Monaco as we were returning to our bus. Notice the people standing below it! This baby is huge!

Monaco is surrounded on 3 sides by France, but sits less than 10 miles from Italy. The total area of Monaco is less than 2 miles making it the 2nd smallest country in the world. With a population of 36,000 people, Monaco is the most densely populated country in the world, due in large part to the fact that there are no personal income taxes in Monaco. Don't get too excited though. Monaco's real estate goes for about $65,500 per square metre! Not surprisingly, Monaco has the highest number of millionaires and billionaires per capita in the world. Monaco was the home of Princess Grace, Grace Kelly, until her untimely death in a car accident. After a nice lunch in Monaco, where we began to dry out, we headed to Monte Carlo. 

Monte Carlo is actually a principality of Monaco and is home to both the Monte Carlo Casino and the equally famous Formula One Grand Prix. 

 The famous curve in the Grand Prix.

The Monte Carlo Casino

This car was parked in front of the casino, along with a few others. The sign says "please don't touch the car", in about 25 languages! Most people just took photos!

A few of the "toys" floating in the harbour in Monte Carlo. 

I just cannot imagine what these are like on the inside!

We have finally found the sunshine, just in time to re-board our bus and journey along the coast to Nice. We wandered around Nice enjoying the sunshine and also walking along the beach. This is our last day in the French Riviera. We are a little out of order with our blog as tomorrow we will be in Italy and our first stop is Pisa. Anyway, here are some photos from Nice, another beautiful seaside town.

Provence

Harbour inCassis

In between the mountains of France and the Mediterranean lies the region of France known as Provence. Our ship docked in the port of Toulon. Due to the size of our ship (huge!), we were docked in the industrial area of Toulon where there was really not a lot to see. No worries, we were off for a tour of two seaside towns: Cassis and Sanary along with a quick scenic tour of Marseille and a stop at the Notre Dame de la Garde Basilica.

Cassis is a small seaside resort village. We visited on a Sunday morning so very little was open. We did walk around the harbour for a bit and we took a few pictures. There was a market along the harbour front full of fresh cheeses, olives, breads, and fruits and vegetables.

From Cassis we travelled on to Sanary, another seaside town nestled between the mountainous French Alps and the Mediterranean Sea. In Sanary we came upon a local parade with folks dressed in traditional costume. We aren't sure what the parade was about, but there was also a large wine festival with tastings going on at the same time.

The waterfront in Sanary. We ate lunch at one of the cafes here.

Local parade in Sanary. 

As you can probably tell, it was a rainy day on the French Riviera. Our tour guide was quick to point out that rainy days are rare here and that the rain was definitely needed. Oh well, on to Marseille. After a "scenic tour" of Marseille, as in looking out of the steamy bus windows as we drove past in the rain, we reached our destination: The Notre Dame de la Garde Basilica.

The Basilica sits on the highest point of the city and faces towards the sea. Locals refer to the basilica as la bonne mère ("the good mother"). It is the site of an annual pilgrimage every Assumption Day, which is 15 August. The inside of the Basilica is quite interesting and we have included some photos here. After leaving the Basilica we returned to the ship where we enjoyed a fabulous dinner and  a great show. Hopefully tomorrow we will escape the rain!