Cinque Terra

After all the fun and bustle of Nice and Monaco the placid Italian coastline is a welcome change. Life for the citizens of the Cinque Terra moves relatively slow, up and down the steep roads of these sunny fishing villages. We are staying in Monterosso, supposedly it is the most touristy of the 5 towns due to its nice beach, but I did not find it particularly different from the other villages, which were all packed with travellers and sightseers during the day. The Cinque Terra is famous for its rugged coastal walking trail, which links the 5 towns. The Cinque Terra is also famous for its fish. Forget everything you think you know about anchovies, because this is the place they are done right. Freshly caught early every morning and grilled with a little lemon for your meal, they are delectable. These places also offer a mean gelato. The Mediterranean is extremely refreshing, if a little chilly at first. One of the trails was closed due to a minor slide, expecting a speedy solution we were shocked to find that it would likely be more than a year before it was opened again – some work ethic!

Monaco: Bond, babes, boats, and a Bugatti

Our second full day in Europe brought us to Monaco, the most opulent and affluent place I have ever been. The most common type of car in the principality is either Rolls Royce or Bently. Any car under 100 grand appears to be scorned. The sheer amount of money in the place is mind boggling. The huge 100 ft yachts are dwarfed by the larger personal vessels in the harbour; nothing in Vancouver could compete for any kind of prestige at this mooring.
The Montecarlo Casino is a beast all its own. The building is extremely grand, reminiscent of the palace at Versailles the paintings and the gold gilt ceiling are regal and magnificent. In this monument to money, a drink of vodka will run you 18 Euro, while the tables offering blackjack, baccarat, poker, and roulette will almost certainly relieve you of any other extraneous money you happen to have. This is clearly the sort of place James Bond would be in his element.
People here take losing with good grace, while I was playing with chips in denominations of 5 euros; more adventurous people around me were losing thousands and still smiling. You pay for the experience, and if you win it is an added bonus.
In addition to seeing the yachts of my dreams like the Wallypower sailing yacht, I got another treat. One of the patrons at the Montecarlo casino decided to drive his Bugatti Veyron, while several others took their super high end or rare sportscars.

also blogspot is still hating on me, so no pictures yet, I will try facebook and see if they take more kindly to Italian internet.

Have a Nice day

After 26 hours of continuous travel we arrive in Nice. The compensation for our long journey is immediately obvious at the exit from the airport. The cab we enter is a Mercedes SLK in fine condition, and our driver is a moustachioed Italian man in a nice suit. It is also sunny. The short drive from the airport to our hotel showcases the affluence of the lower city. Nice is clearly a prosperous town with a thriving tourism industry. I contrived to catch a head cold on the plane, and both Jonn and I were excessively tired when we arrived, so we decided to sleep in lieu of exploring the town with our parents on our first night. Having gone to sleep at around 3pm local time, we were ready to experience Nice early the next morning. We spent our first full day taking in the sights and sounds of the city: visiting the beach, enjoying gelato and baguettes, and generally absorbing the flavours of the place. We climbed the hill with the old chateau on the edge of the Old town, and were rewarded with a stunning view of the city. My first dinner in Nice consisted of a seafood pasta and wine in the center of Nice’s old town, under the stars.

Internet here does not want to upload pictures, so sadly you will have to wait for them :(

Intro

Hey folks,

I have decided to resurrect the travel blog to document my family's trip to Europe. We will be visiting the south of France, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, and England. We hope you will tag along with us over the next two months, living vicariously through the pictures and stories we post here!