Hotel Belsogguorno Ventimiglia

ok, it was more "collecting a new country" than being really interested in Monaco. Strange, when you go there from Nice airport by bus it costs you 18 € one way, when you go from Nice bus terminal it costs 1 € one way. Monaco is a very clean city. I have never seen so many big and expensive cars. I saw the casino and the castle. Nice, but not spectacular.

... have an amazing view from Colline du Chateau. On saturday (November 28) we had sunshine and 19 degrees (end of November) and I was even swimming in the sea (15 gegrees), on sunday, November 29 we had rain and thunderstorms so that caused a delay of the plane of three hours. Best breakfast in town you find in "Les pains a tables" close to the market. Nice is a city IŽd love to visit once a year minimum.....

... upon me it feels very strange and somewhat daunting. But to my knowledge no one has ever died from teaching children so I am sure I will survive.... My Amazon book order should arrive soon to inspire me. I am really looking forward to discovering the 100 things you can do with a paper plate. Life is never going to be the same!!

More when I start travelling...

... of the retired variety... nothing wrong with that, but even they are thin on the ground. Of course this has a lot to do with the time of year we are travelling and there is a festival van circuit the young antipodian crowd do each year, which is not really our thing. So it is our own fault for choosing this time and this route. The end result is that we tend to pounce upon anyone speaking English in the near vicinity. We haven't scared anyone off yet so we mustn't seem too desperate.

... of Prince Albert - no joke), then walked along the harbour. The harbour had a full fairground atmosphere with rides, games, food, lights etc. We had the most delicious kebab for dinner from a stall :-) So posh!

We then followed the curve of the harbour to gape at the boats moored there. The amount of money people obviously have is just obscene!

Next we thought maybe we would have a go at trying to win ...

... French Riviera is all that its cracked up to be, absolutely gorgeous views, the water was so blue and clear, and relatively warm in comparison to Melb beaches, and had it been a few degrees warmer, we probably would have dared a swim. Ah well. There's always Barcelona! But seriously Nice is absolutely lovely, and apparently 17 and overcast here translates as not a cloud in the bluest sky we've ever seen, with sun shining.... life's tough aye...

With the lovely weather (in comparison ...

... lapping the shore. Friday is market day in Ventimiglia, which the French call Vinnemelle, and the French know how to get there via train on Fridays. The day was clear and sunny and full of great clothes, accessories, food, and household items. We snacked on panini sandwiches, sipped cappucinos, and enjoyed vino rossi along the terrace. After loading a backpack full of gifts for the kids, we hopped the return train with a stop planned in Monaco along the way.

... cool. Oh yeah and I had sword fish for lunch. It was actually really good. Then it was on to France. I arrived in Nice, France and met some really cool kids on the way to the hostel. We just hung out there and did some drinking the night we arrived. Oh yeah, and I ran into my roommate from a hostel in Greece. She is staying here too. Yesterday we went to a little village called Eze and then went to Monocco and saw the grand ...

... should stop typing in this really. One observation is that trains in Italy are so cheap. I was playing with a ticket machine in the station earlier and it looks like it's only going to cost us 18 euros each to get to Florence. Look it up on a map, that's quite a distance. My next mission after we've found somewhere to sleep tonight is to find a bar with a TV in so that I can watch the England match. Ciao!

... how rare Peanut butter is and that i am glad i brought some with me! Anyone ive met from Cananda or the US have told me how hard it is to come across peanut butter! And the Pizza here isn't like Pizza at home, its on like pita bread, and theres cheese and all of that, it is quite good, different though, and you would have a hard time trying to find a pepperoni pizza! Not to mention the bread. Bread is cheap so that works out nicely, we ...