Monte Carlo

Visited Monte Carlo and enjoyed ogling at the luxuries of the rich and famous.



We strolled into the grand Monte Carlo Casino and heck we even made 7 Euros at our first attempt at gambling. These earning were immediately eroded by a small lunch of tuna salad and a glass of beer.



Outside the main entrace of the Casino you can spot many a expensive cars. We spotted 2 Ferraris and some really cool Mercs.



We also visited the Royal Palace and stolled in the palace ground which give a stunning view of the sea.



We got back to Nice and got on to the hop on hop off tour of Nice which was really nice. We sat on the upper deck and enjoyed ourselves.



The tour takes you through the entire city with explainations of the major landmarks. We missed out paying a visit to Old Nice which was highly recommended by my cousin.



We ended the day with superb palak sabzi, paneer sabzi, hot rotis, rice and my favourite yellow daal.



We wrapped up the packing in about and hour and went to bed excited about our departure to Paris the next morning.

Eze Village

Thanks to some convoluted bus schedules from Nice, we had to postpone our plans to get to Monte Carlo.



But a 30 min bus ride fro Nice is this quiet little town called Eze Village. The entire village is probably a few kms wide but since its on a hill it feels large.



The walk through the village is uphill but beautiful. It has tiny streets with cobblepaths and you can get a superb view of the sea from many spots.



We spent quite a bit of time in a tiny shop that sells home made liqueur, brandy, vinegar & oils. We also ended up shopping for a few things here. The best was Fig liqueur and garlic flavoured olive oil.



We wandered around aimlessly and loved every bit of it. We were told that most hotels shut between 3 to 7 and since it was already 5, we had to make do with sandwiches for lunch. I also tried a beer called 1664 which was pretty good.



We got back by 6.30 and had to struggle with the automated entry system and were glad that someone came from inside the building and we got in just before the door closed.



After a small rest at home we headed to the Promenade D'anglais which is like Marine Drive. It has a wide footpath where you spot quite a few folks cycling, skating or jogging. The view is brilliant and you can sit on the benches and look at planes landing and taking off.



We also walked down to the beach. Its the first time I saw a beach shore with pebbles and practically no sand. The water was very clean and a far cry from the Mumbai beaches.



Dinner was home made idlis, sambar, chutney, rice and pickle. Bliss!

Fragonard Perfumery

While at Eze village, we took a free guided tour of one of France's leading perfume company, Fragonard.

We were explained the entire process of perfume manufacturing right from the flower/fruit sourcing to the distillation and the conversion to various forms of perfurme.

But since they also make pure essences, their perfumes are a bit expensive. It seems they also sell their essences to other famous brands such as Chanel, YSL etc.

One thing for sure, after the tour and a visit to their factory outlet, it sure does leave your nose confused and your body smelling good.

Drive from Nice to Florence

Driving past the Italian countryside at over 100 kmph is a pleasure. More so if you are not driving.

The route is all along the coast and is very scenic.

As usual I am fighting to stay awake in spurts. My cousin also owns a GPS device which is total kick ass. It tracks your progress on the road real time with suggestions to take turns as and when required. Cool!

Another 2.5 hours to go.

Nice

Inspite of waking up in the wee hours of the morning and racing against time to stick to the dangerously punctual schedule, we were quite fresh as soon as we landed in Nice.

The first thing that attracts your attention is the beautiful coast that runs through the city. Its a beautiful view as you land.

We were glad to see my cousin who was there to receive us. And thankfully we were fed some really good Indian food for lunch. Man the sight of yellow daal made me a trifle homesick.

Now that we are stuffed, we will be leaving in some time for Florence and will be visiting Pisa on our way back. Its going to be a 5 hour drive and sounds like fun.