Day three on the ship - tendered at Villefranche-sur-Mer. We decided to visit Nice, Monaco and Monte Carlo on our own today. We left for Villefranche via tender boat around 9:00 a.m. After a long walk up the hill to the bus stop, we caught bus #100 for Nice and were at the beach (Promenade Des Anglais) by 10:00 a.m. or so. The water was absolutely gorgeous - crashing against huge boulders along the shore at the base of the city wall then cascading gently across smooth stones about the size of your hand along the beach area. We enjoyed a leisurely walk along the beach, although it’s not easy walking on stones. We much prefer the sandy white beaches of the Gulf of Mexico. And yes, there were a few women without their tops on, but unfortunately most were middle-aged or older. Sonya did not join them. Oh, and we met a cute interracial couple on the beach from San Jose, California. It turns out they were from our ship as well. We took turns taking each other’s pictures along the beach. We didn’t catch their names.
We stopped by McDonalds to take advantage of their wifi before hoping a train to Monaco. It was quite a hike up to the train station, but good exercise. We left Nice around 12:25 p.m. and arrived in Monaco 25 minutes later. It didn’t take us long to realize that Monaco and Monte Carlo were definitely hot spots for the rich and famous. Ferraris and large yachts were everywhere, along with many other high-priced cars and beautiful homes. We heard that Bill Gates has one of the most beautiful homes in the area, but weren’t sure which one it was.
We hiked up a steep zig-zagged trail to Monaco-Ville - home of the famous Cathedral were Princess Grace and Prince Rainier III were married. We managed to take a quick tour of the inside of the church which was quite beautiful. We also visited the outside of the Prince’s Palace. We were not invited inside for some reason, so we found a local restaurant and enjoyed a Crepe (with Raspberry and Grand Marnier). After our delicious snack we hiked back down the hill to catch bus #100 back to Nice. Wow! What a stunning drive around the coast line of the French Riviera! We were back on the ship by 4:00 or so, just enough time get ready for a “meet and mingle” with other folks from Cruise Critics Online. Sonya won a decent door prize - a bag full of Royal Caribbean crap - and we enjoyed a visit with a couple from Scotland, John and Susan. They looked to both be around retirement age and had recently moved to Marbelle, Spain. They have been on a lot of cruises and we really enjoyed hearing about their travels over the years.
Dinner was amazing again. We each enjoyed an appetizer of shrimp and scallops mixed with lettuce, onions, tomatoes and lime juice. For our main courses, Sonya had grilled sol and I had shrimp dumplings (Asian style). I honestly don’t remember what I had for dessert. It must not have been worth remembering. Haha.
After dinner we attended the Ice Show. It was very impressive. I think the best part was meeting new friends, Richard and Lauren. They’re a young couple (31 or so), both originally from Columbus, Ohio, but had recently moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan. After the Ice Show, we went to the Love and Marriage Game where we auditioned along with Richard and Lauren to be contestants. However, neither couple was successful. After watching the show though, I’m glad we didn’t make it. I think I would’ve blushed!
Off the bed by midnight for an early start on Wednesday…
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