Category Archives: Information

Information we discovered during our travels.

Back to Monaco

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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

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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.

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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.

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

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 →

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 →