Monaco

Our next stop of the day was Monaco.  We drove the Grand Prix course and I was shocked by how small the loop was.  Jeremy told me that the course record is 1:34 seconds around the course.  The course may be smaller than I expected, but not that small.  That is crazy fast!  We found a place to park then Bruce and Jeremy changed from their hiking attire to their James Bond attire.  Destination: Casino Monte Carlo.  The boys were all decked out in their duds and I couldn't help but picture the scenes from Casino Royale as they headed into the casino.  Now it's true, we don't gamble at all and the only time I've ever been in a casino was when walking through them in Las Vegas, but we felt like the big boys couldn't pass this up.  They were each given a $10 chip upon entry and went to spend it on a game.  They played one round of roulette.  Jeremy said it was wild seeing so much money on the table being wiped away by a bad spin.  

They were only inside for about a half hour, but that was plenty long for the kids waiting outside.  They were tired from their hike and hot from the sun.  We found a place in the plaza that was basically out of the way of everyone.  

As we sat and people watched, I couldn't help but notice the money oozing from the people around me.  I was surrounded by stores like Chanel, Louis Vuitton, and Cartier.  I couldn't help but notice that my REI backpack was not quite the handbag these fine folk were used to.  Do I get serious mom points when I'm eating a kid fruit snack with my mom backpack in front of the Monte Carlo?  

Parked on the streets were BMWs, Lexus, Mercedes, Bugatis, and Rolls Royce.  I was terrified my kids would touch them and I'd be hosed.  Just as we were about to find somewhere else for the kids to roam the boys came out.  Jeremy came out with a lone $5 chip as his souvenir.  They said it was definitely worth a visit and now I want to go watch some James Bond movies!

We walked through the city a bit more and saw some huge yachts, Tesla taxis, and just serious amounts of wealth.  It was insane.  

We took wanted a way to cool off and refresh so we went to the beach right there.  The beach was made up of small pebbles, almost like gravel.  They seriously tickled my feet as I walked across it.  It was easier playing in these pebbles than the larger rocks by Nice and the kids had a blast.  The girls just floated in the waves and were repeatedly washed up onto shore.  

We took turns burying the kids and I have to say that pebbles definitely have their perks over sand.  Kids are a lot easier to bury in pebbles, and you don't have to worry about sand in their eyes.  

When they emerged from their burial plots though they were covered in the small pebbles. I thought they looked like walking everything bagels!  

The sun set behind the sky scrapers earlier than we had really planned on and it grew kind of chilly.  

Back at the car we decided to make one last stop before heading back to the Airbnb.  We went in search of a thousand year old olive tree.  The directions given by the GPS were taking us through some narrow winding roads.  When we finally found the olive tree there was barely enough room for us to drive the car.  Just as we were about to get out to admire the tree, a nice old lady came hobbling down the street motioning with her arms.  She spoke no English and we speak no French.  The gist was that the road was too narrow from that point and there really wasn't a good place to turn around.  We'd have to back down the way we had come.  She obviously lived there and was really nice, she was also concerned about us getting out of their okay.  Unfortunately it felt like we couldn't stay and linger and enjoy the olive tree.  I had time for one quick pic and that was it.  

Jeremy had to back nearly a quarter mile down a very narrow lane.  We didn't scratch anything but it was close.  It was definitely an experience off of the beaten track.

Nietzsche Trail and Eze

On Monday we made sure that we set our alarms and didn't let ourselves sleep in.  We had a full day of adventuring up the coast and we had to make sure we had time for all of it.  Our first adventure of the day was the Nietzsche Path up to Eze.  Every travel tidbit I had read said that if you want stunning views of the coast this is the way to do it.  Most of them recommended that down was probably all you needed to do, but I thought my kids would enjoy the walk up too.  I had no idea how far it was.  I had no idea how steep it was.  I only knew that it was supposed to take about an hour to reach the village of Eze up top.  Imagine my surprise when the "path" I thought we would be walking up was actually a full-blown hiking trail.  It was steep and rocky, and definitely too much for Daxton to handle unassisted.  My other kids were actually loving it, which is what I expected.  It was warm but we had expected that and packed plenty of water.  The kids found walking sticks and up we went.  

Even though they were little rockstars it was still huge relief to come around a point and see our destination up top.  

The village itself was just as picturesque as it claimed to be.  We were greeted by a little spice vendor and I wish that I had bought something, just because it looked so colorful and yummy.  

Inside the village the streets were just wide enough for two people to pass side by side.  It was a hillside village so the streets were pretty steep and wound through the village in unexpected ways.  I felt like I saw something beautiful at every turn.  

We had promised the kids some gelato once we made it to the top, so we made that our first priority in the village.  It took us a couple of meandering turns, but we eventually found a shop that had the perfect scoop for each one of us.  

After the kids were refreshed we explored the village some more.  We found the chapel up top.  I noticed that most of these hillside villages had very similar chapels perched in the center of the city.  

We also found the Eze cemetery.  It was one of the more unique cemeteries I've ever been to and I just enjoyed the peaceful walk through it.  My kids were shockingly and amazing quiet too as they walked.  

We knew it was about time for us to head back down the mountain but I thought that a potty break would be really good idea before we hit the trail.  We found the public toilets back near the chapel.  There were a couple of signs that said we had to pay (not unusual for Europe) but a couple signs that said it was libre (free).  I decided not to take my chances because I didn't have the right coins, and grabbed the door before it closed once someone was done with it.  Kelton went in first with McKenzie in the stall next to him.  I couldn't tell what was going on, I just heard squealing and commotion and confusion.  Kelton came out with water dripping from his face.  What on earth?  Cambrie and I went in next.  I didn't notice anything unusual except that the floor was wet.  Meanwhile I could hear Cambrie next door squealing.  Jeremy took Daxton in, but Dax did not want to go in willingly.  You could tell that he was not okay with the noises he was hearing.  Somehow Jeremy got Daxton to go potty even with the screaming but he brought him out of the stall still half naked and screaming.  I caught a glimpse behind him of the toilet being retracted into the wall and suddenly everything started making sense.  In between each patron the bathroom would go through a cleaning cycle where it would completely spray down the floor and toilet.  The kids all happened to be in the stall during the cleaning cycles.  Poor Cambrie and McKenzie were still sitting on the toilet when it started being sucked into the wall and they were pushed off!  It was the most dramatic, hysterical, and memorable bathroom trip we have ever had.  I don't think Daxton is going to be quite the same after this.  

Now fresh and clean we made our way back down the path.  Going down was definitely faster but not necessarily easier.  Daxton kept face planting and my quads were killing me.  The views were simply stunning though just as promised.

Ile Saint-Honorat

We had every intention of going to the ward there in Nice on Sunday.  However I didn't set my alarm assuming that there was no way my body, or my kids would let me sleep past 9:00.  I was dead wrong.  I didn't wake up until 10:45 and the rest of the house was still asleep!  I couldn't tell you the last time that I slept 12 hours, even when I've been sick.  We must have all really needed our sleep.  By the time we got up and out the door we had time, just barely, for a trip to St. Honorat island off the coast of Cannes.  We missed our ferry by two minutes, which was disappointing.  However the kids loved climbing on the rocks there on the shore and simply hanging out.  If we had to hang out somewhere we couldn't have asked for a better spot or better weather.  

When the new ferry arrived we hopped on and settled in for the quick trip across the bay.  We had to make the decision when we purchased our tickets to visit Ile Sainte-Marguerite, or Ile Saint-Honorat.  We chose the later.  On St. Marguerite we would have been able to see the prison where the man in the iron mask was kept.  However the pull of St. Honorat with its functioning abbey and peaceful atmosphere called our names so that's where we headed.  The view of Cannes from the ferry.

The island itself is not very large at all, only about 1.5km long and 400m across. It was easy to explore the whole island in the short window that we had.  

As we strolled through the island to find the perfect picnic spot we found the monks' vineyard as well as the functioning abbey.  

Further still we found a much older fortified monastery that was the perfect location for our picnic lunch.  The kids munched on Nutella biscuits, sandwiches, and Raisin juice before we explored the inside of the ancient monastery.

 

 

Parts of it were still in really good condition and it was easy to see the quality of workmanship put into the place.  My kids loved exploring and finding rooms, balconies, and overlooks on the property.  

The views from the top were very pretty, but that's just what I've come to expect on the Cote d'Azur!  

We made a quick stop inside the Lerins Abbey where we admired the chapel and gardens that the monks have done such a great job maintaining.  

Then we explored the trails around the island.  It was one of the strangest sensations for me walking down those paths.  We were surround my a forest complete with pine trees if I looked to my right.  Yet if I looked to my left I saw waves crashing against the shore.  I could smell both salt and pine at the same time and my brain couldn't decide if it was in the mountains or on the beach.  A lot of local people come to the island to swim in the little coves made by the rocks.  It looked really peaceful but we had decided not to pack our swimming suits.  

We had to hustle a little bit at this point to ensure that we caught the last ferry off the island.  Daxton's legs were tired and so Cambrie offered to help.  I don't know what kind of face this kid is making though, he actually really liked the island.  We made it back to the launch just in time and boarded the ferry back to the coast.  The island was like a hidden little treasure and I loved that we were able to visit it.