Lifestyles of the rich and famous

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Bonjour to the French Riviera! After a very long drive across the border we cross into France! We are still saying “grazie” instead of “merci”…we had just picked up a bit of the Italian language too!

The drive along the coastline from Italy to France is just beautiful! I would have to say it’s the prettiest landscape I’ve seen. I like it better than the Swiss landscape.

Before driving to our hotel we have a brief stop at Fragonard…the perfume factory. We learn about how they make perfume, soaps, and cosmetics. The guys groan again…they hate going to factories coz their wives/girlfriends usually end up buying something. And yes…I did buy something small.

Onto to our hotel in Cannes - Holiday Inn (Garden Court). The street is lined with cafes and restaurants. There is a huge bakery across the road. We have a decent sized bathroom this time, although the water ends up on the floor even when taking a shower. We also have wi-fi access yay!

After arriving at the hotel we rush to get ready for our night out at Monte Carlo. 34 of us are going so it’s a big turnout. I was really looking forward to the meal but unfortunately it didn’t turn out so nice. I had pre-ordered veal and got pork instead. The restaurant thought the pork was veal. Everyone who ordered veal got pork. Go figure! The Tiramasu was pretty good though.

Next stop we are off to the Monte Carlo casinos. I can’t remember the names! We sit in an outdoor café across the road from the big casinos and watch the expensive cars drive past. There are a lot of tourists out so we don’t actually know who is a local. We attempt to go into the most expensive looking casino but find out it’s 10 Euros to enter. No way we say. We go to the free one across the road. The free one looks just like an RSL. We didn’t even need to dress up as people are wearing jeans and sneakers. As we are running out of free time we don’t even gamble. Robert (from Texas, USA) wins 140 Euros that night.

Monte Carlo is so clean and perfect. It’s like a movie set. There are policemen about but it doesn’t seem like they have much of a job. Their police station is a very glam looking building. They also have an apartment block they get to live in behind it. Also on the night we see the royal palace and get to drive along the Monaco Grand Prix circuit.

We reach our home for the night past midnight. A very tiring day (just like every other day!). I’m enjoying the tour but am also looking forward to the end. Can’t wait to sleep in and organize my own day.

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Photos

Bus scenery
From Florence to Cannes

Monte Carlo nightlife
It costs 10 Euros to get into the casino! :)