Hotel Helios French Riviera - Cote d'Azur

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.

I know I always write the same...great weather, such a nice city, good food....but I have to say that Nice was a (very) big surprise for me, I can say that it is my favourite city in Europe (ok, number 2 after Lisbon). You have the mountains, the Cote dŽAzur (when you see the water you know why the name is Cote dŽAzur), the market with fresh vegetables, fruits, honey, oil, soap, you have great restaurants ...

... gesture. We can't change the world but we can change the way these children start off in life and who knows where that will lead....

It is less than 4 weeks now until I leave. There is much to do. I am trying to prepare myself for "teaching" 20 - 25 children. A bit of a challenge that. Much as I have known that I have always wanted to do something like this, now that it ...

... about a dog... Toilet time It is amazing how toilet dramas/stories are always a hot topic of conversation amongst travelers. I feel a little empty this time round as we have averted the problem as we have a Thetford cassette Porta Potti. Called "Theo"... We started out thinking would only use him in emergency situations but with the scarcity of public loos in France and more so in Italy means he is getting a lot more use than first planned. These loos are easy to empty and ...

... curly so it really isn't surprising that accidents are a regular occurrence.

Monaco is the world's second smallest country (after Vatican City) less than 2 square km, but what it lacks in size it makes up for in decadence! Streets are manicured, lavish hotels and casinos line the waterfront, and the harbour is chock a block with gigantic, plush boats.

Once we arrived we visited the Palais du Prince (or ...

... that we were still in french territory, we feasted on delish pastries galore. Dee sampled her first proper French choc eclair...OH MY GOD was her reaction! Lewey even had dessert envy, and we both laughed at the fact that our tea cost more than the dessert (so very cheap in France for the desserts, bad bad bad as we are rapidly tripling our size, wondering how we will fit on the plane home)!

Feeling a little too much like a backpacker, and needing a tidy up before donning a bathing ...

... tot boven aan het vertrekpunt van de Peïra.

Vooral de afsluitende waterval is echt de moeite waard! Vanaf een punt waar je geen uitzicht hebt op de onderkant van de canyon, moet er een stuk gerappeld worden naar een nieuwe relais een tiental meter naar onder en aan de rechterkant van de grote waterval. Daar moeten we overpikken en een nieuwe rappel installeren.

Schitterende afdaling! De foto's spreken voor zich!

... win (Soren is much better at this then I am). We cash in our chips (keep one for a souvenir) and run to catch the last train. (Interesting story: The lady with the killer heels and her partner where winning big, they appeared to have alot of money. While waiting for the train, who comes down the stairs...but them, and she is not wearing her killer heels but instead a pair of white flat shoes. Turns out that even the rich can catch the last train)

... went into the casino to try and win our way into their lifestyle. We ended up making our mandatory donation to the Principality. I feel like a chump. On the way back to Nice we visited the old city of Ezes. This was amazing, in that it's built on top of a mountain and is so old, the worn, slippery rocks that make up the sloped pavement have been ...

... along the water's edge, past all the elegant resorts. The day was gorgeous, as are many of the villas. Most appear to be closed up, waiting the arrival of their owners; clearly seemed second homes. It took maybe half-hour to drive from Nice to Monaco. We followed the signs to a random parking area, which turned out to be perfectly located under "the Rock" - the old town of Monaco. We drove down six flights to find parking, then walked back up to the entrance of the garage, then up ...