A Nice Day for a Drive
Our pickup was later today, but we had to take a tender into the docks, so we lined up to departed around 8:30am. We finally connecting with Norm and Marlene. They had been at Manhattan for a bit, then ended up eating at the Chinese restaurant.
We met Rolf at the dock just after 10:00 and he drove us through the city of Cannes and began his tour by non-stop talking about various landmarks, beautiful hotels, conventions, events, prices of rentals, and stories of former guests for the next two hours. We arrived in Nice and drove along the Promenade and he talked about the recent terrorist attack and how they were continuing to change the roadways and walkways to prevent future tragedies.
From there we drove up through the hills on the other side of Nice with great views of the Cotes d’Azure. Then we went though Eze sur Le Mer and drove along the waterfront to Monaco, which is only 2 square kilometers.
Our first stop was at the aquarium and we walked up the hill to the Cathedral famous for the wedding of Grace Kelly and Prince Renir. Then continued to climb the hill to their Palace. Rolf showed us the borders of France and Italy around Monaco. We then had some time to wander the streets and buy some shitty lunch and some souvenirs
We were dropped off at the Opera House and Casino and were given some time to explore on our own. We enjoyed the architecture of the area and the beautiful cars.
Rolf picked us up in the Mercedes van and took us to Eze (back in France) and gave us some time to explore the old city on our own. Marlene stayed in the parking lot, Lou and Barry found a cafe outside the city walls to enjoy a cold Coke Zero, while Bill, Norm and I hiked up and around the old city on the top of the hill. I was really taken by the views, the old narrow city streets, shops and cafes. I would have loved to explore more, but we had to get back into Cannes before the traffic got too heavy.
We had 30 min to spare, arriving back at port. We clearly defined the dinner plans, so there would be no misunderstandings again - we all ate at Manhattans at 6:30. The meal fine, nothing special.
Bill and I stayed in a lounge to watch a jazz act, then caught the “Other Guys” act at Epic Theater. I was really enjoying the show until I thought I was going to be sick, so I left the theater and went straight to bed.
