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.