Monthly Archives: December 2008

Hiking in the Italian Alps

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We were all up early for our big hike. Francesca woke up with the flu, so no hiking for her. Andrea stayed with her. So Antonio, Eric and Christi set off to the Italian Alps. From the little we have seen of Milan so far, it looks nothing like any other place we have been to in Italy. It is a modern city, with mostly newer buildings. The roads are wide, like almost as wide as in America. The cars are bigger than we have seen anywhere else in Europe. It is a pleasant place with tree lined streets. Milan was heavily bombed in WWII by both the Allies and the Axis, so there aren’t a lot of historical areas left and they were able to rebuild a more contemporary city.

It was yet another perfect day, with sunshine, clear skies, and comfortably warm weather for autumn. We headed north out of the city. Once out of town, the Continue reading →

Monaco to Milan

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We spent our morning leisurely getting ready for our trip to Milan. Andrea and Francesca had planned to go hiking in the Italian Alps with their friend tomorrow, and they invited us to come along. Since Kosmos seemed to be completely safe and secure in her location, we accepted their offer.

A couple interesting things happened while we were getting ready. First, they started setting up to do a photo shoot right in front of Kosmos. The models had that high paid professional look to them, you know, tall, stunningly beautiful, anorexic. When the shoot finally did get underway, the girls were placed in a way where we are pretty sure you can’t see Kosmos at all, but the rest of the marina is in the background.

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We also happened to meet one of the richest couples in Monaco. They were Continue reading →

The Cactus Garden, Anthropology Museum and Cave

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Continued from yesterday”¦ From there we hopped on another bus and went across town to the Exotic Garden. The garden opened in 1933, after 20 years of planting. There are over 1,000 species of plants, and most are well over 100 years old now. When we got there, we were surprised to find out that it is a cactus garden, with most of the plants coming from the Southwest USA, Mexico, South America and Africa. We were also surprised to find out that our $11 USD entrance fee included admission to the attached anthropology museum and cave, as well. It seemed like a good value for the cost.

The garden is built on a steep cliff, and it is absolutely enormous. It seems to go on forever. They have carved switchback walkways and stairwells into the rocks, and you meander down the trail in and amongst the cactus. There are scattered terraces on various levels that offer fabulous views. The garden is also dotted with small statues, mostly modern art, and a couple ponds, which add to the sense of serenity. Here is a view of Monaco from the top terrace of the garden. You can see Hercules Bay to the left, the rock in the middle, and the Fontvielle Bay to the right.

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Obviously, the most notable thing Continue reading →

Changing of the Guard and Famous Monte Carlo Casino

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Today was another glorious day, sunny with clear skies and warm, but not hot. We went back to the overpriced breakfast restaurant. With no water, we don’t want to make a lot of dishes to wash (yes, you suspect right. The dishes thing is really just an excuse for Christi to not have to cook). Then we went to the palace to watch the changing of the guard. Today we took a different set of stairs up the rock. This staircase is quite close to Kosmos and let out right at the palace. This set of stairs is a lot steeper and it doesn’t wind through as much picturesque garden as the set we took yesterday, but it is still an especially beautiful setting for a staircase and the views of the bay and city are just as stunning, if not more so.

Yesterday we posted a similar photo of the bay and Monte Carlo, but it was taken from the southwest end of the bay and you couldn’t see Kosmos. This set of stairs is at the northwest end of the bay, so you can see Kosmos in her special overflow berth in the lower right hand side. You can also see the pool we mentioned yesterday, and the racetrack that they are setting up on the tarmac in front of Kosmos.

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The ceremony lasts about 10 minutes and isn’t particularly exciting. A group of guards march from the house the guards live in (the building on the left that is both cut off and kind of bleached by the bright sun hitting it in the first photo), through the stanchions and up to the palace entrance (only a few hundred feet away). At the entrance, the guards coming off duty face the fresh guards, they do some salutatory routines with their guns, then the off duty guards march through the stanchions back to the guard house. The second photo is of Francesca standing in front of the palace.

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When the ceremony was over, we decided to Continue reading →

Exploring Monaco

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Monaco has the biggest per capita police force in the entire world. There are closed circuit cameras everywhere. The entire city is closely monitored. This made Christi worried as we got dressed. With so many closed circuit cameras, there was absolutely no way to hide from the fashion police, a division that must surely exist here. We were both wearing pants purchased before we set off on our journey and they were way out of style now. Our shoes are practical camping kind of shoes, always totally out of fashion. Going out was risky. We could very well be arrested and deported for our clothing. But we’re risk takers.

We were delighted to see that one of the restaurants on the boardwalk served breakfast. Praise the Lord! We love going out to breakfast, and we hadn’t expected to see breakfast here. When we got our meal, we were sad to see that breakfast consisted of one soft boiled egg, toast, and a 16 ounce cup of tea, all for only $11.00 USD. So, yes, in this case, Monaco has lived up to its reputation for ridiculously expensive restaurants. And tax in restaurants here is 20%, which can add up fast.

After breakfast, we headed over to the historic district to do some sightseeing.
We couldn’t believe how nice the weather was. It was bright and sunny with no clouds in the sky. It was warm, but not hot. Talk about a nice change of pace from cold, rainy and gloomy Rome. We walked southeast down the boardwalk towards the mouth of the bay. At the end of the boardwalk, there is a set of stairs that takes you into what looks to be an old fortress. The round area on the right is now used as a theater.

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The fortress is built on a sheer cliff, and these days is Continue reading →