Day 3 in the books

Today was our trip to Monaco, a 25 minute train ride from Nice. It didn't take long for us to realize just how spectacular Monte Carlo is.  The harbor was filled with more yachts than we could count, and we walked along the streets where the historic Grand Prix De Monaco is run.  The famous Casino de Monte-Carlo is the centerpiece of entertainment for the uber rich of Monaco and its guests from around the world.  And there's plenty of high-end shopping for those who tire of gambling.  We walked through Fontvielle Park where there's a beautiful rose garden planted in memory of Princess Grace.  Our absolute favorite part of the day was seeing the Prince's Palace of Monaco, a fortress which sits atop a hill overlooking Monte Carlo and the entire region. It is the official residence of the Prince of Monaco.  (Did I say it sits atop a really tall hill with lots of steps?)  We didn't see the prince but we did see the changing of the guard.  The Cathedral de Monaco where Prince Rainier and Princess Grace were married is also within the walls of the fortress along with fun shops and cafes.  A great day in Monte Carlo!  

Overall we've been pretty successful in navigating our way around the Riviera with perhaps one minor (or not so minor) exception.  A supposedly leisurely 3.6km coastal walk from Monte Carlo to Cap d' Ail called the Mala Footpath turned out to be the hike that never ended.  Our plan was to walk the path and ride the train back to Nice.  Sounded simple enough. We're 2 reasonably intelligent adult women.  We can do this.  No problem. Well, not quite.  We found Cap d' Ail but could NOT find the train station.  We asked several people along the path how to get to the station, and they graciously gave us directions, albeit DIFFERENT directions.  And all of them involved going uphill, climbing stairs...lots of stairs!  Some of them the same stairs we'd already climbed, then descended, and climbed again!  Well...you get the picture!!  We FINALLY found the train station at Cap d' Ail for our trip back to Nice only to discover that we'd just missed the train and the next one wouldn't come for another 2 hours. So we set out to find a bus stop for the bus that runs along the coastline.  Fortunately a nice young man helped us find the bus stop.  And you guessed it...it was uphill from where we were.  But soon our very tired bodies were on a very crowded bus but very grateful to be headed back to Nice.  Exhausted. Weary.  11.4 miles walked.  Sense of humor intact.