I started off this morning sort of sad that this is our last week here. I thought being here for a month that we would have done a little bit more than what we have, as far as discovering new villages, etc. One of the things about staying in Menton and the Riviera in general is that it is the extreme east side of the region, so places like Avignon and Aix-en-Provence, etc are quite far away. I agree with Paul that I didn’t come on holidays to spend all day in a car (or on the train, as the case may be…), but I just couldn’t shake the feeling like we should have done a little more. A short coming that we have found here is that although there is excellent public transportation, there is very poor communication about how to use the service. For example, I talked earlier about going to Cagnes-sur-mer and visiting the Grimaldi chateau. All the guides tell you to take the (free) bus from the station up the 2 kilometers to the Hauts-Cagnes to visit the chateau. Well, it turns out that Cagnes has TWO train stations. So which station has the bus? What number bus do you need to get up there, etc. No guide is clear on how to do it.

Anyway, after consulting the guide book, we decided to visit the Palais des Carnolès. In addition to being the museum of fine arts, it also happens to be the former summer home of the Princes of Monaco (when Menton was part of the realm of the Princes). I like it for its architecture and its interiors as well as the actual collection (which is excellent). According the Eye Witness Guide, it is supposed to be open Wednesday to Monday (meaning it is closed Tuesday). After taking the train to get there, in typical French fashion, it was, of course, closed.

Never mind. It was a gorgeous day and I’m not going to be side tracked by something like that. It wasn’t far to our favourite patisserie at Cap Martin (as discussed earlier – winner of the best croissant). So we strolled along and had a coffee and delicious pain au raisin (an eggy brioche bread rolled up like a curly-whirly that contains pastry cream and raisins – and in this case, candied fruit). It was, of course, excellent.

We have decided that if the weather is good tomorrow, we’ll take the train up to Grasse – the perfume capitol of France. We carry the Fragonard line in Pariscope and it’s a charming village – and the train comes right into the village, so there should be no problems.

Today’s photos from the top: Palais des Carnolès. A table at the Port Garavan Restaurant set for a special occasion. Memorial to the unification of Menton to the French Nation. A terra cotta urn infront of the now closed Ambassadeurs Hotel. A man vacuuming (!) the parking lot of the Port Du Garavan.

Todays weather – clear start to the day, but very hazy by the late afternoon. Hi of 24C.