Home in Champaign, IL. USA May 12, 2011
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Eze, Italy May 10, 2011 ..... 5/10 As we left Monte Carlo this morning – I took a few more photos from our hotel room showing the Palace and the preparations for the 69th Grand Prix Race of Monaco which will be held on May 26 – 29, 2011. You can see the blue grand stand seats which have been built for the race fans and miles of barbed wire fencing around the course of the race. The Circuit de Monaco is a street circuit through the city streets of Monte Carlo and La Condamine around the harbour of Monaco. Preparation and building of this infamous circuit begins six weeks before the big event and then takes a further three weeks of dismantling when it's all over. Again, we are really pleased that our visit to Monte Carlo did not occur during this event! We will enjoy watching it on TV and reliving our visit without the massive crowds. We then drove along a winding coastal road high above the deep blue Mediterranean to the Vill...
Monte Carlo, Monaco May 9, 2011 ..... 5/9 Well, we made it to Monaco. The drive from Lake Como to Monte Carlo only took a little over 4 hours - and Tom did another fine job driving....this time without GPS once we left Italy. It seems the rental car's GPS only had maps loaded for Italy - which Tom only discovered when he was programming our Monte Carlo hotel. So, wish us luck again tomorrow when we venture to Cannes and Nice, before we head to Milan for our final night - before our flight on Wednesday for home. The drive was very pretty with lots of lush green hills and mountains - AND LOTS of tunnels....too many to count. But, it was easier to go through the hills/mountains than up and over them!! Our hotel overlooks the harbor with lots of beautiful ships and yachts. In the distance we face the Palace where Grace Kelly & Prince Rainier lived - and now their son, Albert II lives as His Royal Highness. ...
Lake Como, Italy May 6 - May 9, 2011 ..... 5/6 We are now "back on land" - (if you have forgotten, Venice lies on a group of marshy islands in the Adriatic Sea, about four miles from the mainland of Italy) - having left Venice BY CAR!!! We picked up our rental car & drove from Venice to Lake Como….about 190 miles in about 3 hours. The scenery included some wine country. We had a GPS system that was very good, with a navigator that gave precise directions with an English accent. Tom actually did a fine job….so we should enjoy having wheels once again. We are staying in a lovely villa turned hotel – the Grand Hotel Imperiale – located at the southern end of the Lake Como and 7 miles from the town of Como. The hotel is on Lake Como. The view from our hotel room is absolutely gorgeous….as is the view from the hotel’s restaurant, plus the food was delicious, too. 5/7/2011 Well, we are back on wate...