June 11 – Monterrosso to Vernazza

View from the trail


Another view from the trail


One of the many poppies dotting the path


Beautiful rose bushes on the descent to Vernazza


Vernazza


Umbrella's in Vernazza village


Doors in Vernazza village

Cinque Terre is located on the northwest corner of Italy on the Italian Riviera. Monterrosso is the most northern village, then Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore follow. Cinque Terre translates directly as Five Lands. Monterosso, Vernazza, Manarola and Riomaggiore are located on the water; only Corniglia sits on top of a hill.

A walking trail and a train line connect the five villages. There are no cars in the villages. On our first day in Cinque Terre, we hiked from Monterrosso to Vernazza. Little did we know, this was the steepest, most gruelling part of the Cinque Terre. I’m not much of a hiker, and wasn’t really looking forward to breaking a sweat in the 30C+ temperature. BUT. Once I did break a sweat, and hiked onwards and upwards, it was so enjoyable. The path is steep and snakes around olive groves and vineyards. There are beautiful vistas all along the route, flowers in abundance, and the sweet smells of the woods permeated our walk. Coming around the corner and seeing the view of Vernazza was the highlight of the trip.

June 10 - Nice to Cinque Terre

It looked so close on the map... 280 km from Nice, France to Cinque Terre, Italy. Leave bright and early in the morning, a nice train ride along the ocean, and we’d be in Cinque Terre in time for lunch. Do not assume the Italian train system echoes the timely French system. (Our train ride from Paris to Nice was delayed by over half an hour, and the SNCF refunded us a portion of our ticket.)

Our ticket was purchased to avoid Monaco due to construction on the tracks. However, once we arrived at the train station in Nice, we found out we were going straight to Monaco on an early morning commuter train. There were so many people on the train, and it was so hot, we all found positions where we felt least like throwing up or passing out.

From Monaco, we hopped on a train to take us to Ventimiglia, on the Italian border. Welcome to Italy; things aren’t so organized here! We bought tickets to Monterosso, Cinque Terre by an attendant who was texting the entire time – not something that instils confidence that you just purchased a ticket in the right direction.

Three of us, plus six month old twins in a double stroller and all our luggage, found ourselves comfortably seated on the next train to Genova. Not so fast! The train to Genova was cancelled, we found out from an Italian train steward, rapidly waving her arms around. At least, we thought that's what she meant! We had to unload all our gear off the train and over to another platform. It should be noted here that Europe is not at all handicap friendly. All the handicap accessibility we enjoy in North America barely exists in Europe. Elevators are hard to locate, sidewalks are narrow, and you have to climb vertical heights to get onto trains. Lugging suitcases and a baby stroller up and down countless stairs and on and off trains in 30C heat is stressful, to say the least. So bailing off one train and onto the next is not a welcome exercise.

Once situated on the next train, we realized that this train was going to Savona, when we wanted to be going to Genova to transfer to the train to Monterrosso. Much Italian-English translating and sign language later, we found out we were still headed in the right direction and all would be ok.

You get what you pay for - our ticket from Ventimiglia to Cinque Terre was only 11 euros. In the end, it took us eight hours to go the 280 km distance from Nice to Cinque Terre. We arrived in Monterrosso in time for afternoon coffee. Walking out of the train station onto the beach in Monterrosso, all the heat and frustration was forgotten as we took in the magic of Cinque Terre...

Ivory Vintage Market

Ivory Vintage Market

Commercial break!

We interrupt the European blogging to bring you an update from our local sponsors!

Ivory Vintage Market has another market planned for Saturday, August 21 9am - 4pm, Ocean Park Hall, 1577 128th St, Surrey, BC. Come out and visit all the fabulous local female entrepreneurs!

A Word (or Two) About Shopping!

Photo courtesy G Dempster

French shoes

A wise woman advised me before I left for Europe that I should just take an empty suitcase, and so many times her words came back to me! I didn't think I'd be doing a lot of shopping in France and Italy. I'd heard it was expensive, and the exchange rate was dear. I couldn't have been more wrong! There was reasonable shopping in abundance, and the Euro was approx. 1.30 CAD. (Have I done the exchange rate correctly... I always get it backwards!)

European stores seemed to be far more reasonably priced there; Zara, Mango, Benetton. Found some new favorite stores too, Promod and Naf Naf (clothing) and Andre (shoes). Birkenstock's could be found on every corner... they have spiffed up their styles and sell between 40 and 55 Euros. See... totally reasonable!

Nice is a shoppers paradise for any budget. The main shopping district straddles the tram line. You can happily while away an overcast afternoon shopping for shoes and clothes, which of course we did!

I also fell in love with French homewares. The top floor of Galeries Lafayette is loaded with fabulous, modern, European brands. Maison du Monde offers an eclectic mix of home furnishings not unlike Pier 1.

Unbeknownst to us, we lucked out flying into France and out of Italy. Reason being France has a 50 lb luggage allowance, whereas Italy has a 60 lb luggage allowance. As our bags got heavier and heavier with our purchases, we feared we'd be in trouble checking into the airport in Rome. A little online detective work revealed that we'd be in the clear. But next time, I will be taking an empty suitcase and a full wallet for fun new clothes, fabulous shoes, and the fabulous leather goods from Florence... more on that in Italian leg of our tour ... coming soon...

Links

Promod

Naf Naf

Zara

Benetton

Mango

Galeries Lafayette

Maisons du Monde

June 8 - South of France: Nice

Nice

I was one lucky girl to be included on a family vacation, which included visiting more family who are living in Nice right now. We got to stay for ten days in Nice, hanging around the town, and doing day trips to other towns in the area, as per previous posts. We stayed right on the tram line that runs perpendicular from the mountain area down to the beach. Pass was only 15 euros for a week. We jumped off and on the tram at leisure... stopping off in the shopping district, beach area, old town, train station, bus station.

Nice is full of the craziest characters! I loved the owner of the grocery store, who sat at the cash desk and randomly mutter-yelled things into his microphone. In his black leather vest, goatee, earrings and chains, he would have looked more at home bartending in a goth nightclub rather than ringing through people's daily groceries. Some of the women on the street wore crazy get ups... not more that once we saw nylons and shorts combo... not sure what the deal was with that, in 30C heat!

I had fun with my limited high school French... trying to read signs and order meals in French. I did manage to go to a farmer's market and order produce in French... for me the hard part was remembering any number over 50... I could fake it with poor French and sign language until it came time to pay. As soon as they asked for a total with "soixante..." in it, I stood there and stared at them. No matter, it was all fun... just next time I need to do some serious studying!

I loved Nice... it was a bit sad to leave. Beaches, amazing shopping, great weather, fantastic people watching, 2 euro cheeses, outdoor cafes, amazing pain au chocolat. Not so hard to leave though, as we were moving on to Italy: Cinque Terre, Florence and Rome. Besides, we just found out that our hosts are going to be in France for several more years, so will definitely be making a return visit!

June 7 - Return to Monaco

Monaco

We returned to Monaco to visit the Musée Océanographique, as we hadn't had enough time on our previous visit. It being a hop, skip and a jump from Nice, we felt quite posh just to pop over to visit the aquarium! This lovely museum houses the aquarium on the bottom two levels, a maritime museum on the next two levels, and a cafe and viewing platform on the top level.

I thoroughly enjoyed studying all the tropical fish, and visiting the shark tank! How much does the fish in the middle picture look like a Chanel design, with it's polka dot chiffon detailing!? Stunning!

(I shot these photos with my 50mm fixed Nikon lens... love that lens, it rocks in low light!)

June 6 - South of France: French Riviera

French Riviera

How to cram the amazing-ness of the French Riviera into a Sunday afternoon drive? You savour every second and pinky-promise yourself that you will be back, one day real soon. Marseille to Nice is just over 200km along a winding coastal road, complete with crazy French drivers passing you in Sunday traffic on a double-solid. Marseille, Toulon, Frejus, Saint-Raphael, Cannes, Antibes, Nice. There is a reason they call it the playground of the rich and famous. Fabulous beaches, massive yachts, hot cars, expensive shopping, beachfront hotels with private beach clubs. I cannot do it justice with words or photos... you just have to visit for yourself!

June 5 - South of France: Avignon

Avignon

I must confess to knowing nothing of Avignon prior to walking through the ancient walled city itself. Avignon is home to Palais des Papes (Palace of the Popes) which was the seat of the Papacy instead of Rome for 70 years in the 1300s. Avignon is also home to Pont d’Avignon... a bridge that used to cross over the Rhône River. Only four arches remain of the original 22 arches; most of the bridge was taken out in a flood in the 1600s. Perhaps the reason the bridge is so famous is because of the legend behind it’s construction; a shepherd boy was visited by angels who commanded him to build the bridge.

The day we visited, it must have been 40C. The town itself was vacant of people, everyone hiding out from the heat. We had ice cream in a shaded park at the top of the village prior to visiting Palais des Papes. In the courtyard of the Palace, there were several little cafes... that would be the place to sit and drink a cold drink under the tress while admiring the beautiful architecture of the old papacy.

June 4 - South of France: Mairie de St Jeannet

Mairie de St Jeannet

Monaco by day, French countryside by night… a girl could really get used to this! Half an hour drive north of Nice, you are in another time. We visited a couple of ancient villages set high on the hillside, Mairie de St Jeannet being the first. Walking through town, we felt very conspicuous as tourists. It was a Friday night and all the locals had gathered at the only bar in town, spilling onto the outdoor patio as it was too tiny for all of them. As we walked by, we felt all eyes on us. Fortunately, it wasn’t the wild west, so no one got in our face and drew a pistol! We wandered around the village, poking around in corners and peering over fences. We discovered a small raised pool, tucked into a slight cave, where the villagers would have gathered to do their washing in ancient times. We saw roses tumbling down over stone fences. We then drove on to Vence for dinner; grilled fish, head intact, at an outdoor café. Loving the French experience!

June 4 - Monaco

Musée Océanographique de Monaco


Swimming pool at Hercule Harbour

Monaco

I’ve had a fascination with Monaco since I was a little girl, pouring over Majesty magazines. I learned all about Princesses Caroline and Stephanie, and their brother Prince Albert. I don’t think there was a more beautiful woman than their mother, Princess Grace. Princess Grace lived every girl’s fairytale, falling in love, marrying a prince and moving to a castle in a gorgeous, foreign country. Monaco seemed like a fairytale itself, a tiny principality, less than two square kilometres in size, ruled by a prince, who’s family had been ruling the country since 1297.

I was excited for the opportunity to visit Monaco. It’s close to Nice, a twenty minute train ride. Popping out of the train station, you swiftly realize Monaco is ‘tidy town’. A welcome change from the urine soaked, dog poo caked sidewalks of France. For once, you didn’t have to watch where you walked. Instead you could look up and marvel how they packed so many buildings into cliffside of the two square kilometres of the second smallest country in the world!

The palace is set on top of the hill, Monaco-Ville, overlooking the principality, as is the Musée Océanographique de Monaco. The Musée is located out on a point, overlooking the Mediterranean, and was once under the direction of Jacques Cousteau. Built in 1910, it’s an impressive piece of architecture that is home to various collections of marine species, as well as an aquarium on the lower two floors. Between the museum and the palace is the beautiful cliffside gardens and pathway, Jardins Saint-Martin.

We spent a perfect sunny day exploring Monaco. We stood outside the palace, imagining Princess Grace living inside the very walls. We admired the expensive cars out the front of the Monte Carlo casino – oh yawn, another Rolls Royce? Finally, we picked out our fantasy yacht amongst the myriad gigantic boats in the harbor. Loving every minute of it, we decided a day wasn’t enough, so we would come back again the following week...