It was a very long and tiring day - but it was a good day. We started off by heading to a tiny Medieval town called Eze that sits on the top of a cliff overlooking the Mediterranean.
This is what Eze is surrounded by...
...and this is what Eze looks out on.
It wasn't much of a town - just a tiny little place with small roads and shops. The streets were very pretty to walk along, and there was a gorgeous small five-star hotel that made you drool just to think about staying there. There's apparently a whole list of small five-star hotels and this is one of them. It's a pretty amazing place to stay!
Some of the "streets" of Eze. It reminded me a bit of Mont Saint-Michel except it was full of flowers and palm trees.
More streets and one of the churches on the hill - this is the newer church, built in the 1700s.
We paid to go into the "exotic gardens" at the top of the mountain that led up to the ruins of the old castle. The gardens were full of strange flowers and tons of cacti. There were also spectacular views of the Alps and the Mediterranean from the top and from the ruins of the castle. It was a bit hazy, but it was neat because sometimes the fog would come rolling in and we'd be momentarily engulfed and then it would clear up again. But we never saw the horizon; the sky and sea just kind of blended together. It was a pretty magical setting - it didn't seem like it could possibly be real.
Some of the plants in the gardens. The cacti and plants were from all over the world. The Mediterranean climate is apparently friendly to all (flora and fauna).
The view looking down on the gardens and the town from the ruins of the old castle.
At the top and the view to the west (back toward Nice).
A shot showing some of the fog coming in.
After exploring Eze we got back on the bus to go a few more kilometers down the road to Monaco. Monaco is less than one square mile but is its own country - with voting rights in the UN and everything! It's a principality, so it has a monarchy. The Prince of Monaco - rings a bell, right? It's a tax haven and essentially a playground for the rich - and most of the city is horribly ugly! The casino, Monte Carlo, is fabulous and the old town is very pretty, but the rest of Monaco is horrible apartment buildings surrounding a port of incredibly expensive yachts. Everyone does have a very gorgeous view of the sea, though. But you'll be able to see how different most of Monaco is compared to the old part of town.
They were also in the process of setting up for the Grand Prix all over the city. There were grandstands set up all over the place and railings going up in all the roads. The cars race all over town when it happens.
We started by going into the casino. You can't take pictures inside, but you can go in for free and wander around some of the gaming rooms. It was unbelievably elaborate inside and also a very pretty example of Belle Epoque architecture. Monte Carlo is also one of the oldest (and certainly the most famous) casinos in Europe.
A Rolls Royce and two Bentleys parked in front of Monte Carlo. They were only a few examples of the extremely expensive cars that we saw in Monaco.
Monte Carlo!
A statue in front of the casino - the only way I could get the entire building into one photo!
The casino wasn't too busy when we went in so we wandered around a bit and then walked from the casino around the port to the other side which is where the palace, the aquarium (an enormous building which was once curated by Jacques Cousteau), the cathedral, and the old town are located.
View of the Mediterranean from the casino area.
Some of the (many) massive yachts in the port. On the opposite rise is the old town and the Prince's palace.
The other side of the port was much nicer. The old town was small but pretty (though very touristy) and the palace was surprisingly unassuming; it wasn't big and gaudy as I was expecting. There were some beautiful gardens overlooking the sea and a really amazing cathedral (where Grace Kelly and the other royal family members are buried). The Grimaldi family has ruled Monaco since the 1200s - meaning the current prince is a direct descendant of the original prince. Pretty cool! Though I don't really know what you do as Prince of Monaco. His city is .78 square miles. And the responsibility of protecting the country falls to France. And everyone who lives/hangs out there is unbelievably wealthy. And the weather is awesome.
I'm thinking he doesn't do much. Though we learned over Christmas that sometimes he has to go watch a circus.
But speaking of the Prince, we saw him. We were outside of the palace around 6pm waiting to see if there would be a changing of the guard ceremony when the guards (who were all strangely handsome - we all agreed on this) blew a whistle and moved the chains that blocked the entrance to the palace. Two police motorcycles came around a corner followed by two cars. We were waiting for a long motorcade and didn't realize until the one car drove past us (about six feet in front of us) into the castle that Prince Albert was inside. We were looking in and there he was, right in front of us, before we even thought to grab our cameras. So that was pretty cool!
Here's the rest of Monaco:
The massive aquarium. It was a really amazing building right on a cliff over the sea - the perfect location for an aquarium!
Some of the gardens - they were up on cliffs above the sea as well. Very lovely.
More views of the sea. That's the back of the aquarium on the left.
Exterior and interior of the cathedral. Everything was gold leaf inside the cathedral. Not surprising when the prince is estimated to be worth $1 billion.
Streets of the old town. The town houses look over the port and city of Monaco - probably some of the most expensive real estate in the entire world.
The royal palace. Pretty plain. The Prince drove in through the main gate right there. We were standing to the right by the chains there.
Monaco port.
I saw a ton of stuff today - it was great! I absolutely loved this area of France, the Mediterranean coast, and would most certainly come back. It was great that I was able to see four different cities/villages while I was here, all of which were very different. And I got really lucky with the weather! I'm actually sad to leave this area. I wouldn't mind staying another few days to see some more villages and explore a bit more. But I can't complain that my next stop will be Venice!
Time for sleep since I have to get up tomorrow and get to the airport!
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