Author Archives: Eric

Back to Monaco

Posted on by
Reply

We had to get up painfully early this morning in order to make it to the train station by 0645 for our train. Andrea was sweet and got up with, then walked us to the bus stop and told the bus driver where we were going and to make sure we got off at the right place.

The train ride to Ventrimiglia was uneventful, other than the fact that we were running late. The layover was only supposed to be 10 minutes. Because the people in the train station didn’t speak English, we’re not sure if our first train being late meant we missed the second train or if both trains were running late, but our layover turned out to be closer to an hour and a half. Of course, we waited diligently in the station the whole time.

We arrived back to Monaco around 1330. Eric called the Port Captain right away and apologized, letting him know we’d be there in a few minutes. We went to Kosmos, Eric dropped off his bag, and immediately was off to see the Port Captain. It turns out that Continue reading →

Hiking the Alps and Visiting a Medieval Village

Posted on by
Reply

Continued from yesterday”¦ As we trudged up, we passed through a clearing with two small buildings surrounded by a grassy field. They were well maintained and looked like they were actively used as vacation houses. Christi was amazed that anyone would want to be in such a remote place, with such a long hike down to the closest village. And there wasn’t much of a village there, for that matter. To get to the nearest grocery store was a fairly long drive. Antonio explained that in the olden times, these were summer houses. One building was for the people, the other(s) for the cows and goats. Farmers would bring their livestock up for the summer to graze in the cleared fields. The farmers made cheese and other goods, then would go to their winter homes lower down on the mountain.

imgp8636-small.jpg

We continued upwards through the forest, and passing through two or three more of these cleared areas. Each clearing had two or three small buildings in the traditional style with a circle of grassy fields around them. They were all abandoned, which Christi thought was no surprise. They were too high up and too isolated to be practical. We stopped for lunch in a shady spot in the forest.

imgp8641-small.jpg

After lunch, we continued up and came to Continue reading →

Hiking in the Italian Alps

Posted on by
Reply

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

Posted on by
Reply

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.

dsc02130-small.jpg

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

The Cactus Garden, Anthropology Museum and Cave

Posted on by
Reply

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.

imgp8539-small.jpg

Obviously, the most notable thing Continue reading →