Annesy was an amazing place, a the base of the French Alps. Staying here for just one night did not give me enough time to be able to provide a full article on what this small lakeside town had to offer. Getting in by lunchtime we checked into our hotel for the night and then checked out the quaint town. The town is big, but not at big as some I’ve been to – most of the action is centred around the town’s canal and lake. I chose today to be a perfect day for a bike ride so took myself off from the rest of the group, got myself a bike and then set off along the lakeside bike track for a look around. The ride was fasntastic, fresh air filling my lungs, often getting a scent from the different flowers and bushes along the track, not to mention the cooking smells coming from the houses that sparodically lined the track. So after feeling the air in my ….err hair, I headed back for a quick bath where I relaxed with a chilled bottle of water (yeah I know… don’t start, didn’t have a bottle of wine on me) and a punnett of local strawberries before presenting for a walk to a local restaurant for dinner.

Our group meal in Paris had been quite rushed, however this time in annesy it made up for all that was wrong in Paris. The staff were locals, but very friendly (which reminds me – forgot to mention that I had quite a few greetings from the locals on my bike trip – must have had the ‘happy traveller’ smile on!) and back at the restaurant the meal was splendid! We had a local soup which came with a little round quiche in the middle of the bowl which was then covered (not smothered) in a cream based soup – ok we were off to a good start…mains was chicken in a tomato sauce which I swear was Rosella tinned tom soup and accompanied with vegetables followed by crème caramel… yum yum yum!!! We all left very happy, and left for Nice the following day.

Now remember back to last year when I said Nice was not at nice as I thought Nice would be? Yeah well that still stands… the city didn’t do it for me again this time around (although I still like St Tropez and would have liked to have gone to Cannes to spot a celebrity at the film festival however due to a train strike that was out of the question)….so what did I do in Nice then?? Well… Our first night in Nice we actually took our bus (well our bus drive drove) to Monaco for a meal in Monte Carlos… and again I LOVED this place. especially as part of the track from the grand prix the day before was still intact!
We took off for the royal palace, and the royal cathederal on the hill, took my camera and some amazing shots of the yacht basin, also snapped the final resting spot of Grace Kelly (while I had Mikas’ song Grace Kelly in my head, which funnily enough is playing onboard the bus now was I write!) Her tomb was under-rated..but then I guess she was just a princess from hollywood..so yeah, maybe a little underrated in death is a good thing?? The Grand Casino in Monte Carlos is beautiful and grand – but at 10 Euros to get in, I went next door with the others to the just as flash Café Del Paris and sunk my 10 Euros on the roulette table instead! I could have walked away with an extra 5 in my pocket..but meh, when in Monaco you gamble, so I did.. and lost! I was hoping to win the jackpot to A) Pay for my trip, and B) to give me the opportunity to sit down, order a drink, and place a bet at the $10,000 table…but it wasn’t to be had….
So back in Nice we set out for Waynes Bar, packed with supposed locals but more a mix of locals 10% travelers been in Nice too long 90%. It’s a small bar, so very tight, and they get you to dance on the tables as a way of accommodating for space! We lasted two drinks before the collective ‘over it’ went out and we moved on. Looking for ‘shaky shaky’ but not being able to find a nightclub open for another few hours we settled on a restaurant in the square and all ordered cocktails, and spent the night talking before returning to the hotel at 3am.

Without surprise I slept in the following day, did a bit of shopping on the shopping strip (I needed a hat due to the sunburn on my head..which I bought from Quicksilver mind you)….and that’s my day in Nice!
So from Nice we were headed for Italy, and that’s where your story finishes for today kids.