Nice, France

The family moved from Menton, France to Nice. Jer rented a car to take their and our luggage to the new digs. A, b and I went by train as there was no room for us.

The rocky beach 

Skipping stones

A new chapeau purchased in Old Town Nice

Old town Nice as seen from a ferris wheel

Christmas in France and Italy

How did they put that on those apples

Ferris wheel at Christmas Market, Nice

Christmas tree ride where we were in an ornament

Nice, France

Sweet pigs

Those are the smallest Christmas trees I've ever seen!

Inside the ornament ride

Christmas Market

Champagne Bar at the market

How civilized. Champagne!

Wearing a Santa hat

Wine bottle creche

The sheep are champagne corks

Creche in a vegetable market in Italy

Log ride at the Christmas Market in Menton 

178 tunnels to Pisa

We made a day trip to San Remo to visit the market. We stopped for lunch on a nearby plaza. 

San Remo for lunch

We rented a car for the 4 hour trip to Tuscany where we spent 2 nights in Pisa. 

Arno River, Pisa

Leaning Tower

Leaning Tower of Pisa Facts:

• Tower of Pisa stands at 60 metres and until 1990 was leaning at about a 10 degree angle.

• Although it was designed to be perfectly vertical, it started to lean during construction.

The first building constructed at Campo dei Miracoli, Pisa, was the cathedral, or Duomo di Pisa, which rests on a white marble pavement and is an impressive example of Romanesque architecture.

 The Pisa tower is one of the four buildings that make up the cathedral complex in Pisa, Italy, called Campo dei Miracoli or Piazza dei Miracoli, which means Field of Miracles.

Baptistery

The angle is a bit off, but had to do it!

Dave holding the tower on his shoulders

Watching the crowd do all these arm gestures is fun to see. 

We went through 178 tunnels between Menton and Pisa.

Our first view of the tower

You can get into the cathedral free if you take a designated time slot

The River Arno at night

Walking Cap-Martin

This coastal footpath is part of a longer walk between Monaco and Menton, alongside the picturesque Cap Martin, a rather wild peninsula with very secluded villas separating the two towns.  It affords fantastic views of Monaco, the perched village of medieval Roquebrune, Menton and the Italian coastline so is well worth a few hours on a beautiful afternoon. 


The path winds its way along the coast, offering views of the skyscrapers of Monte Carlo, the older buildings of Monaco Ville as well as hang-gliders diving from the mountains and landing on the beaches.

Roquebrune

Roquebrune Cap Martin Castle is 900 ft above the Mediterranean. The castle was built in the 10th century and was a fortress without luxury or ostentation. The Castellans, appointed by the Republic of Genova between 1157 and 1395, lived a soldier's life in the castle.

View from the castle

Monaco as seen from the castle

Some of the houses in Roquebrune

Narrow walkways in the town

Wine bottle creche

We walked around the Cap (as seen jutting into the Med) to reach the city

View from the castle