Debbie and Patsy got to enjoy their first breakfast this morning and know now it is a gastronomic marathon. Today's fare included, besides the usual, tomato tart, cheesecake (not the dessert, more of a pound cake) with a raspberry coulee. Once again, we had had a sufficiency.
Today was Monte Carlo and Monaco. The roads remind us of a toy where you put a marble in the top and it had different routes it can take to get to the bottom, no two times being the same. The towns are built into the side of the mountains overlooking the cool blue Mediterranean. Fortunately, they live in a modern world and have elevators to take you from the highest point, down through the mountain all the way to the harbor. They have negative floor numbers here. For example, we parked on minus 3 at the train station and it goes all the way to minus 14!
Everything is very clean there, from the train station to the long walkways that wind you through the mountain to the streets and parks. Oh, and the flowers everywhere are lush and vibrant colors, impatiens, bougainvillea, lavender, rosemary and many we don't know the name. It is crowded, mostly with tourists during the day I would imagine. The Grand Casino is ornate and fronted by a beautiful fountain. We learned that no residents can gamble at the casinos, but we don't know the reason yet.
The harbor is full of gorgeous yachts. Workers around the harbor were in the process of disassembling bleachers for spectators of the Grand Prix and are now preparing for the wedding of Prince Albert. We went to the cathedral where Prince Ranier and Princess Grace are buried and we suppose where Prince Albert will be married.
The palace is very plain from the outside. It is surrounded by cannons to this day, but hopefully they won't need to use them. It is very ornate inside. The steps leading to the courtyard are carved from one piece of marble. Amazing. The palace is definitely a place you want to see if you visit Monaco.
Ready for a break from walking, we found a cafe where a wedding reception was going on, middle of the day on a Tuesday. We made up a few stories about the older groom and younger bride, but we'll never know the true story. Did they have a fabulous yacht waiting to whisk them away?
More importantly, we had a four-cheese pizza with artichoke hearts and capers on a crust so thin you could practically see through it. YUM!! It was so good we had to order another one. Of course, vin was involved.
On our walk back to the car, we took the bateau bus to the other side of the harbor -- you know, planes, trains, automobiles and BOATS. We mustn't miss a mode of transportation. After many walkways, escalators and elevators, we finally reached our cars, which brings us to a note on driving.
First, Sara R. and Debbie are skilled drivers in France. We have gotten everywhere we wanted to safely, despite motorcyclists with death wishes and crazy car and truck drivers. They do love to honk their horns, though. And toll booths, there is one every ten miles and the price is different each time!!! We are constantly digging for change.
We made it back to the villa with a minor misstep, but it led us to a convenience store -- yes, like a gas station -- where we got wonderful cheese, salami and bread for our evening meal -- and, of course, plenty of vin. We sat on our portico recounting the day and laughing, soaking in this wonderful place and friendships. Bon nuit.
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