And so we leave for the South Of France where their October weather is still as warm as we can expect in Scotland during the summertime.
Unfortunately Kay could not come with us as she had studies at University and so it was just the Four Hunter's in France & Italy this time.
Many months ago we had booked a hotel to stay at in Nice called the "Beau Rivage" - and after arriving at Nice airport from London and collecting our rental car, we duly arrived at the hotel in the old port district of Nice.
This is an area of small shops and restaurants and was bustling with Saturday night locals and tourists alike when we arrived. Needless to say we could not find a space to park and so Carolyn, Laura and Fiona were dropped off to check-in to our rooms whilst I went to find a parking spot for the car.
However once they got to the rooms they found them to be decidedly below par for the money being charged and certainly not up the the standard that we expected and that we had seen from the pictures on their internet site.
So we checked out, cancelled the reservation and made one call to the Marriott in Monte Carlo where the manager eventually told me he "couldn't believe that a Marriott Platinum Elite member hadn't booked with us in the first place!"..... And he was quite right.
So a 30 minute drive along the coast to the Marriott in Monaco and we were automatically upgraded to a suite overlooking a beautiful marina filled with millionaires boats (perhaps billionaires judging by the size of some of them).
This was the view from our balcony on following morning.
(Click on any picture to enlarge it in your browser)
And here are some pictures of the marina and our hotel in Monte Carlo - this was a lovely view to wake up to every morning and as the hotel manager had offered free cooked breakfast every day and an open free mini bar - what could be better!
So now that we had slept well, and were fed and watered - it was time to go off and explore Monte Carlo.
Monaco is a principality that has been owned by the Grimaldi family since 1297 and is currently ruled by Prince Albert II who took over from Prince Rainier III who famously married Grace Kelly in the 50's. Prince Rainier ruled Monaco for more than 50 years making him one of the longest ruling monarchs in modern times.
Monte Carlo is known as a playground for the rich and famous because it is a tax haven for those with enough money to protect - and the number of boats small ships in the three harbours certainly shows that the rich are still rich despite the recession.
The main harbour as you can see is very crowded with millions of £'s worth of boats.
These pictures are taken from the "Rock of Monaco" which in the past was strategically very important in the Mediterranean and the main reason that Monaco exists. The safe harbour meant trade and the high "Rock" meant that it could be defended from it's enemies.
It is also where the Palace is situated which you can see here.
All this walking around in balmy 28°C temperatures was thirsty work and so time to take some refreshments in the shade and enjoy the views.
This is the harbour from the east side and you can see the Palace in the rock in the centre left of this picture.
In the harbour below the millionaires moor their boats / ships / liners
However it is clear that some of these playboys have just too much money.
Look at the name of the black boat in the foreground when zoomed in...
"ONE MORE TOY"
Monte Carlo is of course world famous for it's casino, and here it is facing out into the blue Mediterranean Sea.
From the front main entrance you can see the "high rollers" enter the casino leaving their Ferrari's and Rolls Royce's at the front door (helps with the image of the casino to let them park free)!
This is an interesting picture taken looking into a piece of art on show in the gardens opposite the casino.
By this time we are getting tired and have to make the walk back to the hotel so a rest in the gardens first and then off for dinner.
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