Day 9: Nice, Monaco and Monte Carlo

Yesterday we really lived it up and went on a tour offered by the ship of Nice, Monaco and Monte Carlo. It was nice being chauffeured around instead of having to figure out train and bus schedules. The day was short (had to be back on the boat by 2:30pm), so we only got a taste of each place.

Nice was nice. We were there as the market opened, so we got to nosh on raspberries, olives and a fresh croissant (an eclectic variety, but all quite good).

Then it was off to the tiny country of Monaco. Apparently all of Monaco fits into half of Central Park in NYC. The old city of Monaco was nice. We didn't have time to go into the Aquarium or Palace, which are both quite highly ranked sites. We did wander around, take in the spectacular views, and pay half a Euro each to use the toilets.

Then it was off to the main event - Monte Carlo. This was going to be the highlight of the cruise for Shira. Sure, Michelangelo's David was classic and Pompeii was impressive, but the Grand Casino in Monte Carlo - that is a sight.

But, alas, it was a let down. The casino looks nice from the outside, but the tables did not open until later in the afternoon, so Shira couldn't even play. The fun part was the people and the car watching.

Then, it was back to the boat. At Villefranche, we couldn't actually pull up to the dock, we had to drop anchor, so they used the lifeboats to tender us back and forth. Good to know the lifeboats actually work.

We relaxed for the rest of the day. Hung out by the pool, took in one last comedy show, enjoyed our last sunset on the boat, gambled Shira's last dollar and had a fabulous anniversary. It was a nice last day of the cruise.

A snapshot of Monaco:

The slowest turn in Formula 1 (approx 30 Mph):

Ben totally wiped from the day: