(Janet, I can't even count how many times I wished you were here! My French is sadly limited to about three words, two of which are "hello" and "thank you," and one is the city we went to!) ; D
So, Day One into our cruise, we stopped in the French Riviera at a small fishing village called Villefranche. It was gorgeous! Beautiful weather, although a bit colder than I had anticipated. Gorgeous water (also very cold), fun colored buildings, little old fishermen along the wharf, beautiful tropical plants . . . it was amazing!
Our tour didn't start until 1:00 in the afternoon, so we decided to get off the boat early and go exploring. We followed the sidewalk next to the water around the bay, then up some steep stairs to a beautiful castle (really, it was!), around the city a little, then back down to the dock. The bottom left picture is from the top of our walk just after the castle. The top left picture is me where we saw some cute old fishermen. Top right is Dave and I next to the old fort, where the modern city offices are held. Bottom right is a picture of the city as we were coming into the dock. Beautiful, and instantly charming!
After our exploring adventure, we met our group for a tour to Monaco and Monte Carlo. Tiny little countries inside France, much like the Vatican City in Rome, they have their own Kings, Parliaments, industry (mostly tourism, followed closely by gambling!), and beautiful coastlines! We got to see the Palace, the first and only underground bus parking lot I've ever seen, the Grand Prix race track, and the Monte Carlo!
We even got to gamble a bit in the casino--super cool, because I left my ID back on the boat. : ) I guess I look old enough now . . . not sure how to take that! The best part about that was the TWO (yes, 2!) Ferraris that Dave won! Couldn't believe it myself, but he won us a set! Not really matching, but I'm willing to overlook that. Sadly, the boat transporting them back to the U.S. was sunk by pirates. Sigh.
So, Day One into our cruise, we stopped in the French Riviera at a small fishing village called Villefranche. It was gorgeous! Beautiful weather, although a bit colder than I had anticipated. Gorgeous water (also very cold), fun colored buildings, little old fishermen along the wharf, beautiful tropical plants . . . it was amazing!
Our tour didn't start until 1:00 in the afternoon, so we decided to get off the boat early and go exploring. We followed the sidewalk next to the water around the bay, then up some steep stairs to a beautiful castle (really, it was!), around the city a little, then back down to the dock. The bottom left picture is from the top of our walk just after the castle. The top left picture is me where we saw some cute old fishermen. Top right is Dave and I next to the old fort, where the modern city offices are held. Bottom right is a picture of the city as we were coming into the dock. Beautiful, and instantly charming!
After our exploring adventure, we met our group for a tour to Monaco and Monte Carlo. Tiny little countries inside France, much like the Vatican City in Rome, they have their own Kings, Parliaments, industry (mostly tourism, followed closely by gambling!), and beautiful coastlines! We got to see the Palace, the first and only underground bus parking lot I've ever seen, the Grand Prix race track, and the Monte Carlo!
We even got to gamble a bit in the casino--super cool, because I left my ID back on the boat. : ) I guess I look old enough now . . . not sure how to take that! The best part about that was the TWO (yes, 2!) Ferraris that Dave won! Couldn't believe it myself, but he won us a set! Not really matching, but I'm willing to overlook that. Sadly, the boat transporting them back to the U.S. was sunk by pirates. Sigh.
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And LOVE the ferraris! Too bad about the pirates, though. :(