....Little Things...Fine Things....: Day #3: Nice

On Day 3, today is a more relaxing day as we only have to visit Nice and Monaco unlike yesterday. Woke up, got ready, checked out of hotel and drove to Old Nice area for sightseeing. We couldn’t find a bakery or patisserie shop around the area for a quick breakfast. But managed to find a supermarket that we can buy rolls, ham and cheese for our breakfast. Then we went to Parc du Chateau, a hill top park where you get great panaromic views of Nice and its artificial waterfall. There is a lift that brings you up to the hill top but couldn’t find it. There were no signs around the park and even they had, we won’t understand. Better off climbing the steps and Yes Indeed…the views are really GREAT!!!! You can see the whole of Nice with its pebbled beach lined with sun-bathers enjoying the sea of many shades of blue. Nice is quite Big, with developments stretching right up the hills...WoW!!! However, the artificial waterfall is nothing great and in fact it appears dirty. Still worth the look since you’re up there.

* ...Rise and Shine NoW... *

* ...Old Nice Area... *

* ...I like the Old Buildings... *

* ...Our Breakfast Rolls: Ham & Cheese... *

* ...Our Breakfast Drinks: Coke Coffee & OJ... *

* ...Up to Parc du Chateau... *

* ...In Parc du Chateau... *

* ...Just Look at the VieW - the Harbour Area... *

* ...Look at those Yachts... *

* ...Solo Shot... *

* ...Nice Pix... *

* ...Even better View - the Beach Area... *

* ...I Like the Sea Colour... *

* ...4th group Photo in Nice... *

* ...The Artificial Waterfall... *

* ...Ahhhhh... *

* ...Back Down...Leaving... *

Head back down to Old Nice town again after taking heaps of pictures and visited the souvenier shop. Drove around Cours Saleya area to see if there are any interesting things going on around the market. Nothing great but with heaps of street stalls and touristy restaurants lined alongside. Then we decided to have a quick lunch, trying this Vietnamese restaurant in Old Nice coz yesterday the girls saw Vietnamese rolls and is said to be tasty!!! And also, it is Dion’s custom to have at least one Asian/Chinese meal during his trips. Thank GOD it was Vietnamese, which I don’t mind!!! I will FRY him if it Stir Fry Pork with Hoi Sin sauce. Kah Tuiii!!!!! It turned out the Vietnamese restaurant is more like a fast food kind, not the kind we are looking for, they dished out a variety of choices for your pick. Me, Dion and WanLi had noodles while Amy had Rice, with spring rolls and puffs for side dishes. And from then, I knew that Amy dislikes Peas…Dion was irritating her with the FooD, trying to stuff peas into the spring rolls and puffs...which I thought looks really Cute of them….Hahaha!!! WanLi had 2 bowls of spicy sour soup…her favourite!!! So, in future, anyone of you can just treat WanLi spicy sour soups for every meal and if you’re thinking of un-inviting Amy to your meals, think of Peas!!!! Whats wrong with Peas…its vegetable!!!!

* ...Streets around Cours Saleya... *

* ...Our Vietnamese Lunch... *

* ...The Girl's Portion with Peas... *

* ...The Boyz's Portion...What a Diff... *

* ...Walking to our Car.. *

* ...Off we go to Monaco... *

Drove to Monaco (smallest country after Vatican), which took about 30mins and it was easy to get around. Parked our car in Monaco Ville for sightseeing at Palais du Prince and its surrounding. When we got to Oceanographic Musuem, there was a Choo Choo train guided tour, which is definitely a good choice to see the whole of Monaco in an hour. We got the last tour of the day and this time we had headsets speaking to me in English with leaflets and I can take pictures too. This train tour is really different coz they actually brought us out onto the streets, travelling alongside cars and trucks and going uphill with 60 people on board. Sure is some powerful train engine!!!! The tour covered many of Monaco’s finest sights…CooL!!!! Came back to the Oceanographic Musuem and carried on walking around the palace area. Visited the 1875 Romanesque-Byzantine cathedral where the grave of Grace Kelly and Rainier were laid. Took more pictures, had some ice-cream and souvenier shopping before we head to our hotel in Fontville to check in.

* ...Arriving at Oceanographic Musuem, renowned Aquarium... *

* ...Monaco Choo Choo Train Tour... *

* ...Leaving Palais du Prince in Monaco Ville... *

* ...Stuck in Traffic on Boulevard Albert: F1 Circuit Starting Grid... *

* ...Monte Carlo... *

* ...Nice Garden in front of Monte Carlo Casino... *

* ...Hotel de Paris...$$$... *

* ...Casino de Monte Carlo... *

* ...Cafe de Paris: Casino & Bar... *

* ...F1 Tunnel... *

* ...Palais du Prince... *

* ...Palais de Justice... *

* ...La Cathedrale... *

* ...Ice Cream break @ Movenpick...Yummy!!!... *

* ...Streets around Palais du Prince... *

* ...Port de Monaco... *

* ...Don't Make Me... *

* ...My Shot... *

* ...5th Group Photo in Monaco... *

* ...Leaving the Palace... *

The hotel is a really good one with all facilities and facing the harbourside where Super-Yachts, worth millions are docked. Someday…I would LoVe to have One of them too….!!!! Took a couple of hours to relax ourselves. Went swimming in the pool, jacuzzi, sauna, steam and followed by cold shower. Absolutely relaxing!!! We spent about 1.5hrs fooling around before we got showered and changed for dinner and CASINO time!!! It was about 9+ when we got into the restaurant. The food wasn’t really Fantastic but we were all so Hungry that anything is Fine! Dion had a steak and I had a swordfish dish. I think the girls’s choice were very GooD, they shared a Chateubriand (a thick beef steak cut from tenderloin, grilled with lard to keep it moist)….Yummy!!! No wine over dinner this time coz everyone was tired…I think its the lights, they were so dim that it made me very sleepy. After dinner, we walked to the Casino square to see the elegant Grand Casino de Monte Carlo by night. its a Must and it is so BeaaUuuuutiFUL!!! The lights are simply amazing…Lighting up every corner of the building, to garden and fountains to give a very Grand and Posh feeling. Luxury designer shops are all around the area as well as Lavish Super Cars parked outside the Square!!! I have never seen so many Super Cars in one night before….See the pictures!!! In fact this is one city I find Ferraris are everywhere…Hmmm??? We walked to the casino entrance and honestly I did felt intimidated walking in. It feels like…Hey Small Guy, have you got One Million Euros??? …Errr…what the heck, I am just a Tourist!!! And apparently you have to pay €10 for entry whether you are playing or not. I should have asked if I came with a Ferrari, do I still need to pay??? In Monaco, there is a law that restrict the locals from gambling in the casinos, which I think is ideal. The reception scanned our passport and we even had our names printed on the tickets…dats €10 weiiii…!!!! It feels really GRAND when you walked into the casino. Every room is litted up with chandeliers and the roulette room itself have 8 chandeliers. The walls are beautifully painted. The pillars and wall edges are carved and painted. It was just too GRAND…sad thing is we weren’t allowed to bring cameras in, so no pictures of Monaco Casino. Most of the men were in their best suits and ladies in nice dresses and sparkling jewelleries. Got ourselves some drinks (really generous pour), walk around a bit and then a few rounds of roulette. That’s the only room we can afford coz its min. €5 a stake while blackjack is min. €25 per stake….WoW!!! We noticed they still adopt the old fashion way of dealing, where three dealers sit at each side of the table using long spades to place bets. Everyone uses the same chip so you have to remember which number you bet on and call out when you win. Its kind of pressuring…but we won our first bet on No.8 which is our hotel number and that’s worth €175….Hehe…Beginner’s Luck!!! But my lucky numbers didn’t turn out that night, so in the end we went home with €50 winning…which is good enough for a nice meal tomorrow.