Fall is here - still catching up!

 We have been back one week now from our trip and all is good.  According to the news there is a bedbug infestation in Europe but the news exaggerates and we did not see one bug!  And crazy travelers that we are we just booked a trip with our travel buddies in May of 2025 - yes 2025!

And as always I do my 3 mile walk every day and nature is awesome and snow not too far in the future! And on to trip memories!  And we did fly home on Friday the 13th with no problems!

So going from last day of trip backwards in time!

Day 13 October 12, 2023

Monaco and Nice - French Riviera

Our lodging was in Cannes hotel built in 1939, which has 22,000 population and is very well known for the film festival with Hollywood stars!  The festival location was chosen at that time over Venice when Mussolini was in power.  8 September 1939 German invaded Poland so festival ws cancelled and later resumed in 1951 and changed to May instead of September.  1997 a jewelry in a Palm shape was awarded and valued at 20,000 euros - I did not buy one.  The AIDs festival started by Elizabeth Taylor and now by Sharon Stone - not sure if it's still running.  A mysterious man called "The Man In the Iron Mask" was moved from prison to prison and was on an island prison off the coast of Cannes and it was mysterious and he, whoever he was, died in 1703.  I need to do research.

Nice - capital of the French Riviera - lots of fancy cards - Lamborghini, Ferrari etc.  We passed through Antibes where Ross and I stayed many years ago on a road trip and Picasso lived for one year and I did visit the museum way back then.  Picasso was married twice and had 5 girlfriends.

Also birthplace of August Escoffier who started first cookbook and restaurant and with a friend last name Ritz started the hotels.

The marina is called Angel Bay and tourists holiday here. The bay is named for a 3rd century Christian female who was beheaded and put on a boat to Nice.   Price of a 700 square foot apartment rents from 400-500,00 per month.  Nice is also the home of Matisse and author Anton Chekhov.  Tina Turner had a house nearby as did Bono of U2 which we passed but it's pretty well hidden with a beautiful water view!

Monaco is the capital of the Principality of Monaco and the leader now is Prince Andrew II.  It is the 2nd smallest country in the world after Vatican with 142 nationalities.  The children of Prince Rainier and Princess Grace (Kelly) are Caroling, Andrew and Stephanie who all still live here and Stephanie still suffers from the pain of being the driver of the car when Princess Grace was killed.

Wed 11 October 2023 - Aix en Provence disembarked boat in Arles. for hotel in Cannes.

Visited the Rhone-American Cemetery of Draguignan.  Operation Dragoon was called the second D-Day of WWII for Southern France and one of the most controversial operations of WWII on August 15, 1944.  15,000 Americans killed , 10,000 French, 5,000 Italian and possibly more. In 1944-45 soldiers asked for a Michelin travel guide as it had maps which they did not have and it helped the Allies go through France as invaders had destroyed all city and street signs.

As we were eating lunch outside I looked up at the building next door and realized they were manneqins and not real people!

We had the greatest waitress and she asked if she could have a picture with me.  I'm pretty sure she appreciated the kindness and patience of "us Americans" who chatted with her.

Yes it is in front of our hotel and LOTS of fancy cars all over the place.

Met a new friend and she said we could be sisters!