Beaurivage Cagnes-sur-Mer

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 I´d love to visit once a year minimum.....

... Not only have the donations received already far exceeded my expectations, but the kind words and general interest and support that I have received have been amazing. So thank you all. It is all very much appreciated and I can't believe that between us we really will change these little lives. It is my motto here in Antibes, but this is the ultimate "think globally; act locally ...

... 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 ...

... to Nice to our hotel.

The next day we had a full free day of wandering and sight-seeing. We walked along the Promenade des Anglais and climbed to the top of a cliffside to take in the breathtaking views of the promenade, the azure blue ocean and its beachfront and the old town from Parc du Chateau. We took heaps of photos then spent most of the afternoon chillaxing. In the evening we had a really nice dinner ...

... for 6.50. Being slightly poor after Paris, we gladly took advantage of this offer, however there's only so many mini pizzas you can stomach.

The next morning, we mastered the tram service quickly and loved listening to the recorded messages that announced which stop we were at.... so chic and cute. Dani was geared up for some serious sun and sand - I mean this is the Riviera after all. She was a little disappointed when we walked down to the beach and discovered that instead of sand ...

... food, showers and a lot of cheap and tasty beer. The weather was incredibly humid - coming out of the air-conditioned supermarket in the town it had felt like you were stepping into a greenhouse - and halfway through the evening the weather broke with a vengeance. Fat summer raindrops splashed down and thunder rumbled in the hills... After half an hour or so it all calmed down again and everything felt a bit fresher.

Sleeping in the tent was ...

... ans listening to the waves. We ate lunch at an outdoor cafe and headed back for a little down time. Later we drove 5 minutes to St. Paul de Vence, an ancient walled city atop a hill. It was wonderful, art galleries, shops, cafes, small winding walkways-up, through, around. There is a church at it's highest point and a cemetery behind, really lovely. At home we prepard a hodge podge of leftovers for dinner - pretty good. John ...

... europe. Map reading is for the birds. I have watched intelligent europeans pour over a map of the city endlessly trying to find their way out of the city to the auto route. Believe me, this GPS is the ultimate guide and partner and best friend. THANK YOU GPS!!! Okay..so after several misses, my faithful GPS, who was now speaking french, directed me to ...

... All for the price of two postcards. After getting the postcards, I continued through the old part of Nice, past all of the hotels, bars, restaurants and shops, and finally made it to the beach. At this point I hadn't found anyone, but it didn't phase my in the slightest. I wandered along the promenade enjoying the beautiful weather, and the gorgeous blue of the Mediterranean ocean. It's was very cool, and I could finally say that I'd been to the Côte d'Azur ...