(From Jach). (Road Trip #4 July 20 - 22): If we had been on “Amazing Race,” we would have been eliminated the first week! We left Monterosso at 10:30 and headed to Levanto to catch the Autostrade A-12 heading toward Genoa and onward into France. Our destination: Monte Carlo, Monaco. The Autostrade is called a freeway, but its actually a toll road, and its a beautiful toll road and an elegant way to move through the countryside. Even though you miss the charm of the small villages, the vast landscape with those tiny villages nestle in the high mountain valleys is still breath taking and enchanting. Genoa is a large modern city but soon after passing through it, the Italian countries greeted us once again. Wheres France? That was our question. I thought the border was just passed Genoa. Its not. We traveled about 140 km and we were still in Italy. Finally we came to the “Welcome to France” signs. Once in France the signs to Monaco came up fast. Off the highway and oh my, too many signs pointing in too many directions. We got lost. We couldnt find Monaco! Its embarrassing to say but we had to ask three times. Finally we found it but even then it seemed that the entry to Monaco and Monte Carlo should have been more grand or something. Once were found the city, the next task was to find our hotel. It was a busy one way street with cars, buses, and pedestrians everywhere. We were in the harbor area so we knew we had to be close. Where else would the Port Palace Hotel be but near the harbor? We had the address on John F Kennedy Blvd. but where was that? There were no street names anywhere. At a traffic light I spotted an Information Booth. I hopped out and shouted to Enrique, “Come back and pick me up!” Our hotel was just ahead around the bend. I went back to the intersection looking for Enrique. I heard a honking horn and saw flashing lights. He was there in the auxiliary lane of the one way boulevard. Zigzagging through traffic I hopped in and we rounded the bend, and finally arrived at our hotel. We would valet park. As Enrique said, “I dont care what it costs, we are valet parking this car!” We wouldnt take it out again until we left for the Nice Airport and our flight to San Sebastián in Spain. Monday, July 21: we bought out tickets for the Hop On Hop Off Bus. We have found the hop on hop off services to be really helpful in most cities we have visited. Its an inexpensive way to get a quick overview of a new place. We usually take the full ride around once without getting off and then we go back to selected sites. In Monte Carlo, the streets – the unnamed and unidentified streets – are narrow. The HOHO (Hop On Hop Off) buses are small. We waited for the 10:00 a.m. bus. It was full. The 10:20 bus didnt stop. It was full. The 10:40 bus driver suggested we walk to stop 5, the Casino, because people get off there and we should be able to get on. We walked. None of the streets had names but we found the Opera House, the Hotel De Paris and the Hermitage Hotel (landmark 5-Star hotels), and the famous Monte Carlo Casino. The sightseeing was well worth the walk. We found stop 5 and waited. We finally got on the third bus. The new friends we had met and chatted with for 45 minutes didnt make it on our bus. They had to wait for the fourth bus. Needless to say, we stayed on the bus until we were good and ready to get off. 😊 There were three cruise ships in port today. That meant about 9000 more tourists than normal and its July, high season. We did get off at the Oceanography Museum. We had a great time. It was akin to the Monterey Aquarium in California. We were there for nearly two hours. We walked back to our hotel. We made early dinner reservations at the hotel restaurant, a highly recommended destination. Dinner was a delightful finish to a delicious day. It was a leisurely dinner lasting three hours. Wed sleep well tonight. Tuesday, July 22: Today we waked to stop #5 again. We enjoyed the walk and there was plenty of room on the bus. No cruise ships today. We hopped off at the palace, and took the self guided tour. It was impressive: the palace, the furnishings and the art, and the recorded descriptions of each room. We had fun. Then we walked the narrow streets, and made our way to the Cathedral that is rich with history and perhaps most well known now as the Cathedral where Prince Rainier married Grace Kelly (1956) and where Princess Grace (Kelly) is buried. Monte Carlo is so beautiful. The blues of the sea mixed with the blues of the sky and the greens of the gardens create an enchanting visual and an even more enchanting resonance. However, it is also the “play ground of the rich and famous.” Prices are outrageous. It is stupid expensive here. In restaurants, for example, Coke $10 Euro ($13.50 USD) water, $10 Euro ($13.50 USD) Simple lunch, $90 Euro ($121+ USD) and dinner? Ha! Yes, you can find better prices in grocery stores but where are the grocery stores in Monte Carlo? We found one. Coke $2.6 Euro ($3.50 USD). We arent eating much. Walking is far less expensive and healthier. There are no street names listed, or at least I couldnt find any street names; the road signs are laughable. For example many signs point to the left and to the left is either no streets or an oncoming one way street. Some times the signs saying the same destination point In two opposite directions. I was thinking that this town isnt too “tourist friendly.” But that doesnt make any sense, since its a major tourist attraction world wide. I have come to my own unique conclusion. The city is not tourist friendly to the pedestrian tourists or to the tourist who drive themselves around, but it very tourist friendly to the tourists who have drivers or get around town in limos, where the local drivers know the roads and ropes without signs. It a beautiful place and a fun place and after two full days we are ready to move on to Spain. I am glad we came to see Monte Carlo. Even with its beauty and resonance, its not “our kind of town.” Wednesday, July 23: Today we flew to Barcelona. Out flight was at 6:00 pm. We left town at noon and drove to Cannes to spend the afternoon. Its delightful! We had a fun afternoon at the beach. We arrived in Barcelona but we stayed at an airport hotel. We checked in at 8:00 pm and our flight to San Sebastián was at 7:00 the next morning.
Posted on: Fri, 25 Jul 2014 19:50:54 +0000
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