First we attempted a tram ride again, this time paying for our tickets appropriately and squeezing in to the packed car heading for the train. After a very unpleasant 10 minutes we arrived and scouted around for food. We found a lovely bakery near the station that served incredible croissants and sandwiches. Medicated, fed and ready, we walked across the street to the train station in search of tickets to the famed Monaco. They were not easy to come by it turns out. The self service kiosks had an English translation option, but it didn't translate the important items on the screen, such as type of ticket, route and destination. We then asked at an information booth about where to buy tickets in person and were directed to the ticket booth. It, of course, was crowded, mostly with impatient Americans and Brits frustrated by the self service kiosk. The line moved fast and soon enough, we had round trip tickets and a pocket full of dreams (okay, no pockets, but maybe dreams).
After a packed, hot and sticky ride, we arrived in Monaco. Oh we wonders we were to behold! Grand skyscrapers, casinos and yachts of the rich, and Princess Grace stuff! Maybe it was our trip fatigue, or perhaps the awful humidity, or the traffic (ugh the traffic in Monaco, with all the windy hills and cramped sidewalks that abruptly end), but Alex and I were not feeling it. We started by heading the exact opposite way of most of the sites in fair Monaco, so we backtracked, and then sat for a Fanta (six Euros each!) in an outdoor mall that sold only the very highest end designers. Sitting and drinking Fanta was good. Next up was a brisk walk around the Monte Carlo casino, a sight to behold with all the luxury cars parked in front and the decked out doormen shooing the undesirables out for dress code violations. We did not attempt to go in. And then our self-guided tour brought us to the seaside, where we enjoyed a walk and a view of some of the most luxurious yachts I've ever seen. We sat and watched seagulls soar above us while we swatted away an unusually large amount of flies. It was lovely, the best part of our journey. Perhaps 90 minutes after arriving, we started the uphill trek back to the train station. Part of the journey took us through a very small but lovely tropical park. That was nice. More cars wars ensued on the trek back, along with a close call with a bus. Finally, exhausted from Monacoing, we took the regional train back to Nice. I was thinking on the way back that I couldn't understand what makes the wealthy flock to Monaco. It didn't make sense, given the small amount I knew about the place. And then it occurred to me that there were many places we were not allowed to enter while we were there such as buildings, beaches and even entire streets. I think the best of Monaco hides from the tourists, keeping its secrets to itself.
Home, we played a few games of Scrabble. Alex has been working on his skills for about a week now and is regularly beating me. It's actually kind of astonishing how quickly he's learned the tricks of the game. I've been playing for literally decades and he picks it up in a week. Brainiac. Dinner and more Scrabble followed, as is our way. Tomorrow we head to Lyon, the birthplace of cinema. I'm ready.
First picture: Alex's train face
Very cool that alex is playing a game, social activity!
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