Good morning French Riviera

Mum and I shared a bed last night and we had such a great sleep after a big day yesterday. It's nice to stop for a couple of days. We went for a morning walk around The Cap and it's so amazing with all the huge houses and the yachts on the water. They even have a "petit chien" fountain. David Niven had a house here and apparently the parties at his house were infamous. We have a lovely breakfast as we look out to a massive cruise ship from the balcony. The water is very deep and it can host American war ships out the front. I saw a lady swimming out there in her bathers, and she was way out far and deep. We decide to drop our trusty car and Ken back in Monaco as it was easier than trying to do it in Nice at the crack of dawn. We head down to Monaco and I drove the car along the Grand Prix track of Monaco, which is happening two weeks later. I think Books, Frank & Stu would be impressed especially when I had to park it on the start line! Every Friday Jan and Terry go to this English pub in Monaco called the Ship & Castle and they have fish and chips and mushy peas. Well who are we to break tradition? Trisha, I think you asked me if we went there - it was good fun. We walked around the sea and now we can we see some serious mega cruises. We drove past the casino and we saw the palace up the top. We went to this lovely rose garden that's dedicated to Princess Grace as she loved roses. We went around the route of the Grand Prix, and man, are some of those turns tight! We finished the night at a lovely old village called Villefranche-sur-Mer, and they put on this magnificent fireworks display. The houses here are places people come for summertime retreats and they have minders look after them while they away. For the last couple of years the Russians have been buying everything up and renovating them. You have to keep the original shell. In peak time you are not allowed to renovate or light bonfires when the tourist are around. There is this huge house on the water that was owned by Americans and this guy from Moldova went to the real estate agent and wanted him to ask the owners to sell. He did and they declined. This guy is 40 something and he goes to the house, knocks on the door and tells them he wants to buy it for $10 million and they declined. He said how about $40 million and they said yes and would you like the curtains. He makes his money by chopping down forests in Siberia. I lay in bed and hear the water, aah.....