TIME FOR THE BEACH

This is a photo of the large beach in Nice.  Notice that there is no sand.

After using a lot of energy canoeing down the Dordogne river,  Flat Hawkster needed to take a break and southern France was a great place to do it.  This area is well known for its large beaches and thousands of sun worshippers.  He was surprised to find out that the beaches had smooth rocks rather than sand.  It actually turned out to be more comfortable, with an easier clean up when it was time to go.   Unfortunately, he was less comfortable with the number of speedos being worn all around him.

Southern France is also known for its expensive lifestyle.   Fortunately, Flat Hawkster found a cheap nest to stay for a few days in the middle of Old Nice.  This area has open markets every day and plenty of restaurants, although they all seemed to offer a very similar menu.  Did you know that in France,  most people take the month of August off and head south to the beaches?  This means that places like Nice are extremely busy and filled with people.

Flat Hawkster spent a lot of time walking through these shopping lanes in Old Nice.

This is where the President of France stays when visiting Nice.

MONACO

Flat Hawkster has always wondered what Monaco is.  Is it a country, a state, a province?  Well he found out that Monaco is a Principality ruled by the Grimaldi family for over 500 years.   Prince Albert is the current ruler of Monaco and he lives in a palace perched high on a cliff that looks down onto Monaco’s only city,  Monte Carlo.   This principality is only the size of 1 square kilometer and it is surrounded by France.  (Try to imagine a large square in Ladner that has Hawthorne and Neilson Grove on two of its corners.)  It is not a very big area and only 35,000 people live there.  It also hosts some of the wealthiest people in the world with an average salary of $185,000.   Wow.  With that kind of money, Flat Hawkster was wondering what they serve during “hot lunch days” in Monaco’s elementary schools.  Filet mignon, scargots and caviar? :)

This is the view of Monaco's harbour from the palace.

This the the Palace that houses Prince Albert,  the ruler of Monaco.

Changing of the guards and the palace.

Monaco is famous for hosting the Monte Carlo Grand Prix which races
cars through the streets and tight turns of Monaco.

True or false: Monaco has the oldest life expectancy of people in the entire world?  The statement is true…people in Monaco can live to an average of 90 years of age. 

CINQUE TERRE,  ITALY

After relaxing on the beaches for a few days,  Flat Hawkster took a long train ride to an area in Italy called Cinque Terre (Five Lands).   This area has five villages surrounded by cliffs that are connected by bus, rail and hiking trail.   He decided to hike to two of the towns on his first day and ended up wondering if he should have just flown.  It was a lot of work in the heat with steep climbs, narrow paths and uneven ground.   The hike lasted over 6 hours…one way!   The next day he hiked for 3 more hours but was able to take a break on a nice beach in a town called Monterrosso.  The views were incredible along the trails and the hiking was worth the effort.  He also met a lot of Canadians and shared some laughs with them.

Vernazza suffered through a devastating flood last October.
It wiped out all of the businesses in the small town but
they have been able to rebuild in just a short period of time.

Here is a house that is barely hanging on after its foundation was washed
away during the flood in Vernazza on Oct. 25, 2011.

The view of Carniglia from the hiking trail.

The view of Manarola from the hiking trail.

The beach of Monterosso where Flat Hawster worked on his tan:)