16th June 09 - Nice to Genova, Italy

At 10am, I caught the slowest train to Genova in Italy. It was an intercity train, which usually run faster than the slower regional ones. However, because it is summer & everyone is by the seaside, the train takes that much longer. But what a pleasure it was to be sharing the 6-seat cabin with the people I did. Two people especially, Jean (from Colorado) & Dario (from Milano) were a treat & we had some great laughs together which made the trip seem a lot quicker than it was. It trip itself took just over 3 hours & took us in to Genova Piazza Principale station - the main station in Genova.

The French & Their Dogs

The passion & respect the French have for their dogs was a pleasure to behold. Well, at times it was. The dogs can go on trains, buses, in shops, you name it. Everywhere, it seems, except food shops. The owners have a strong aversion to picking up their dog’s poop. There is poop all over the pavements & you have to be careful to avoid it. I was in an SNCF office (train ticket booking) & a gay guy had his dog there. The dog was cute. It started to eat the furniture underneath the assistant’s desk & it wasn’t noticed for about 5 mins when the dog started grunting, unable to break the end off. Yes, the French love their dogs.

Chagall Museum & a Trip to Eze Village

I’d planned a hectic day & that’s exactly what it tuned out to be. First stop - coffee at an Italiano café on Place Messana - delicious! Then a 30 minute walk to the Chagall Museum which I then visited & ended up falling completely in love with Chagall’s work. My legs were already pretty tired so I allowed myself the advantage of bussing it back to Place Messana. I then walked around the old town, got completely lost in its tiny & welcoming alleyways, & finally found the church I’d been searching for - the Church of the Annunciation, otherwise known as Sainte-Rita. All that walking only to find that it was closed for another 45 mins. I really wanted to catch a ride up to the small village of Eze which several people had recommended to me. And that bus left at 2:30, so the church visit would have to wait.
Waiting for the bus was an Aussie guy from Sydney - Zak. We got to chatting & I found out that he was from Sydney & worked for RailCorp, my ex employer - what a small world it is! We ended up hanging out together for the rest of the day chatting about politics, RailCorp, life, etc as we strolled about. Eze was a quaint little old village perched on the cliff tops overlooking the coastline.
On arriving back to Nice, Zak & I scoffed down a gelato, then dined at the Mexican place I ate at the night before. He is a lovely guy & it was great to meet & chat with him.

Around Nice

Nice is gorgeous! Relaxed & friendly, it was really hard to leave.

Walking Tour of Nice

I’d booked in to a walking tour of the city which commenced at 9:30 this morning. Before heading out, I’d also needed to pack up my gear & change rooms - not my favourite thing to do. The tour was okay, but over its 3 hours it dragged on a bit. I must admit, I had lots going on in my mind so found it hard to concentrate. I met 2 Aussie girls on the tour, sisters travelling together in France & Italy - they were nice to chat with. After the tour, it was gelato time...

12th June 09 - Day Trip to Monaco...darlingggg!!!

I awoke fairly early this morning (not that I’ve been sleeping right through anyway) in anticipation of my day trip to Monaco. I headed out at about 9:15 in the direction of the Gare Routiere (bus terminal) about a 15 min walk away. When there I hopped instantly on a 100 bus (1 euro) headed out to Menton through Monaco & settled in for the ride. And the ride was incredibly beautiful, weaving along the coastline all the way to Monaco. I recognised some of the winding streets from movies I’d seen in the past.
When I arrived in Monaco, I departed at the Place d’Armes bus stop & walked the stairs up to the palace - quite a long way up. The views along the way were spectacular with sweeping sights over Monte Carlo. I walked through the cathedral which was in the same area as the palace & which is where Princess Grace & Prince Albert are buried. You can sense the honour & sacredness the locals have for this church.
At 11:55 the changing of the guards takes place at the palace, all pomp & ceremony with about 30 guards taking place all up. The entire event took about 15 mins & I was able to grab a couple of photos above the sprawling crowd gathered. I then lined up to tour the palace (8 euros) & was caught amongst several large tourism groups. A working palace, the inside was extravagant & several members of the royal family are still in residence. It’s obvious that Monaco is very proud of its independent state status.

After catching a nearby bus, I jumped off at the main port & saw posters & banners already signalling the upcoming start of the Tour de France. A walk around the port was something to behold. The number & size of the boats was mind boggling. I walked by hoping some rich person would say “like to come for a ride?” Needless to say, that didn’t happen.
I continued walking around to a beach a few kilometres away where I saw the closest thing to sand so far (Nice has rocks). The sun was scorching hot & I hadn’t brought my swimmers, so I headed back.
But first a stop at the Monte Carlo Casino. There were Mercedes, Maseratis, Bentleys, Rolls Royces galore dotted around the perimeters of the casino. I went in the entrance of the casino, but you needed to pay 15 euros to get into the actual casino & I thought better of it, so left.
The 100 bus later took me back to Nice after a very satisfying day trip.

Coffee in France

Disappointed in my efforts to find good coffee in France so far, I was fortunate to stumble upon a little gem of a place in Dijon called ‘Café le Mayence’ that served quite a good petit crème café. Tours was terrible for coffee as was Avignon. But in Nice, there’s a strong Italian influence & several cafes serve café latte, particularly around Place Messena. Not quite as nice as a good latte in Sydney, but more than sufficient to satisfy ones coffee taste buds.

10th June 09 - Avignon to Nice

At midday I caught the TGV to Nice, taking over 3 hours to get there. I was fortunate enough to get a seat next to a woman called Laura from Ibiza in Spain, a like-minded individual heading towards Genoa in Italy to work on a yacht. We spoke for most of the trip about discrimination, religion, environmental sustainability, & Obama’s recent speech & health care policy - just a few small topics for the trip. The chat certainly made for a comfortable trip.
After getting a map & basic info from the Tourist Office at the train station, I decided that a 10 min walk with my bloody heavy backpack (I think I’m carrying around 18-20 kg all up) was not going to be on the agenda. So, instead of a taxi, I opted for the cheaper option - what they call a trambus (a tram). A lovely young student from Nice helped me buy my ticket then insisted on riding with me the two stops to my hop off point. We discussed his finance studies & his desire to visit Australia & live/work in the USA. A feel good conversation. I hopped off the trambus at Rue Massena & it didn’t take long to find the Hotel Regence located there.
After unpacking my bags to get my shorts & sandals out (it’s warm here), I ventured out for a wander feeling completely comfortable in this friendly city. As I strolled down the beachfront, I saw it - a tourist train, one of those little ones that take you to some of the pertinent city sites. Now, I’m old enough to know that looking like a dorky tourist is acceptable when you are almost completely anonymous, as I am in France. So I took the chance, purchased a ticket (7 euros) & jumped on board for the ride of my life (not!). We drove around for 45 mins which included a 20 min stop at a place overlooking the city. Thrilling!!!!!
After another long stroll, it was time for dinner - a delicious seafood risotto & wine - before heading back to the hotel for the eve.