Italian Coast, Cote De Azur, Monaco, Nice, Cannes
Trip Start
Sep 10, 2009
1
13
27
Trip End
Dec 12, 2009
Cannes, Provence, France
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Date: 18/10/2009
Location: 6km West of Cannes, France
Beers consumed to date: 555
The last few days have seen us go from the coldness of the alps to the warmth of the coast. After travelling through the Mont Blanc tunnel (which for the record isnt that exciting, its just like a normal tunnel just long) we headed towards Turin. We were going to stay there however one drive through the city changed that. Firstly we couldnt find a place to park the van and after an increasing amount of time it also became clear that the Italians have a very different style than us. They dont abide to any lane structure at all and with all the mopeds it was very difficult to drive through. The risk of crashing our uninsured van into another car or a pedestrian was quite high and so we decided to leave. Having 'seen' Turin we aimed to reach the coast for the night. Finale Liguri was the destination we arrived later that afternoon and we took a walk around for a few hours. It was weird having gone from the tallest mountain in Europe to the coast in under 24 hours.
That night was again an early night as there wasnt much to do, and as a result we woke up early on Friday the 16th and drove straight to Monaco along the windy coast road. The Principality of Monaco is the second smallest country in the world and basically consists of a port, the city Monte Carlo, a castle where the Prince lives, and two more surrounding high residential suburbs. We parked in France above on the surrounding hills, did quite a hilarious 'bushy' where we all needed to go to the toilet at once and went next to a tennis court and then walked down into the country. Our first stop was a Formula Go Kart taking place on the streets. After watching the amazingly quick karts we headed towards the port and looked at the hundreds of boats/ships there. Among them were some of the biggest we had ever seen. The boats ranged from sleek 40ft ones to one that was at least 150ft and had to be considered a luxury ship. This proved what we had heard about Monaco and the high roller lifestyle its residents have. Many of the worlds rich and famous also have houses here as a result of its tax free laws.
After visiting the port we went to the famous Monaco Casino where we were met with many of the worlds super-cars parked outside. After the 10 Euro entry we decided it would be pointless visiting such a casino and not playing on any of the tables. So Peter and I firstly played on a Blackjack table and then after making 25 Euro we threw it on a Roulette table only to lose it again. We left with the intention of maybe coming back later that night for something to do. In the meantime we got something to eat and sat on the docks and had a few drinks. Sure enough later that night we ended back up at the casino and found ourselves on the roulette table for about 2 hours betting on black and red. Marc bailed after having made 50 Euros and Peter and I were going for our last bets having been pretty unsuccessful. Marc then leaned over our shoulder and said just put it on 22. He said he had a gut feeling and so Peter just placed a 5 euro chip on it. Amazingly on our last turn in Monaco casino number 22 came up and Peter won 175 Euros. Still stunned we walked the few kilometers to our van and went to bed.
On Saturday we wanted to go to Nice and found ourselves missing the turn and paying with a 50 km detour what looked like the Mexican outback. Finally well after lunch we arrived in Nice and walked up and down the beach and shopping promenades to have a look. Nice is a really beautiful city with a more laid back feeling than others on the coast further towards Italy. That night we went out to a bar named King's Pub, in the city's centre. It was a nice venue and again we met an unusual bunch of people from varying countries. We also talked to a couple members of the band playing and asked them to play AC/DC, which they did after introducing us, the Australians.
Today we woke up and went for a swim at the beach in the morning to refresh us. We hadnt gotten a camping spot 4 nights and we needed a wash. The water was surprisingly warm and after lunch we drove off and are now at Cannes. We couldnt find any parking in the city and so at about 4pm just decided to head to a campsite. The next few days will see us visiting St Tropez and Marseille before going to Avignon and Peter's house.
