I was not put off by the train issue yesterday and took the ZOU service to Menton to the start the day. In fact the train was terminating in Italy at Ventimiglia but I was only going as far as Menton. A nice run along the Med. Menton is a lovely town which does not seem to have changed much since I spent a weekend here will Helen and Paul in the early 90s. It has a lovely beachfront with tables across the road from a profusion of cafés. Helen reminded me of an incident, but I did not need the reminder, as moment’s such as this are indelibly printed in the memory. As we had sat sipping a drink a waiter was crossing the road and a car braked suddenly to avoid him and a cyclist rode straight into the back of the car and was propelled right over the car. No such excitement today. Like all of this part of the Côte d’Azor the coast quickly gives way to a climb and soon pretty high mountains. Menton is no different and I made my climb up to the old chateau and it’s cemetery for views and to keep my cardiovascular effort up. :-) There is also a delightful permanent market where real people buy their meat, fish, cheese, fruit and bread. To me this almost defines France. I then took the 600 bus to Monaco. I used to think this was the coolest plance on earth. Back in 1971, with the boys from school, we camped at Roquebrun-Cap-Martin and I could not wait to visit so walked over in the evening we arrived and settled into Casino Square to watch the comings and goings There were no hoards of tourists with phones, no desgner shops and posh appartments. The bus shelter I slept in no longer exists. My next visit was with mum, dad and Anne when we got moved on by the police in the city centre after stopping in the wrong place. I was here with Anne and Douglas a few years ago and did not like what it had become. All of the things which made it special were gone. Helen, Paul and I dined in a nice restaurant overlooking the harbour for not many Francs in the 90s and this is now a tower block of appartments. Anyway it is popular so maybe it is just me who has changed. I realised a young wish with a visit to the Grand Prix with Mike in 1978 which was brilliant. I will not visit again, The bus journey back to Nice was fine. I should note that the 600 service between Nice and Menton uses bendybuses which are pure electric. For a final night in Nice, for this trip as I hope I will come back, I went back to one of the restaurants Anne recommended, the Le Barque Bleu, for their fish of the day washed down by a lovely local vin blanc. I was there on Saturday and was treated like an old friend when I arrived this evening. There is a theme to this post which is shared experiences. I generally travel solo but have many shared experiences from the past and hopefully I will enjoy more in the future if the planets align. A lady from North Carolina while in line for a shuttle bus at the Grand Canyon, after a lovely chat, asked me where my favourite place was. I explained to her that places are a combination of location and experience so you cannot separate the two. I may sound a little sad but I am not at all, just reminiscing after a few glasses of wine. :-) I have enjoyed many wonderful moments while ttraveling round this wonderful speck in the universe and tere are plenty to come. So after that ramble here are some photos of lovely Menton a few from Monaco including what might be Roman Abramovich's new boat after the sanctions have kicked in. I’ll finish with a couple of shots here in Nice this evening.