Christine in Monaco

Monaco really is for the rich.  I only spent half a day in Monaco.  It is a short train trip from Antibes, France.  But wow.  I live in Stuttgart, Germany, so I have seen some nice cars.  But the lot outside the casino shames Stuttgart.  I mean, I saw three Ferrari's (two red, one gray).  Yes, more than one.  (Side note:  I'm not the only tourist taking pictures.)  And a few Maserati's.  A Maybach, which will ceased production in 2013.  Some Bentleys, and an R8 (Audi).  The Porsche's aren't even that big a deal at this point.

Next, I went inside the casino.  They don't let you take pictures inside the casino.  So we will rely on my memory.  There were about 10 game tables inside.    This includes poker, roulette, blackjack, and craps.  Plus some slot machines.  I didn't gamble any.  I seemed like a lot of work to make that happen.  Instead, I drank a Grand Prix drink.  Probably the most expensive drink I'll have.  Since they charged 20 Euro for it.  But I figured a drink was a sure thing.  In that I actually got something for my money.

Finally, I checked out the aircraft carriers parked in the harbor.  I'm sure some could double for them.  Those yacht's were huge.  I don't know why anyone other than a military would need a ship that big.
See the little boat in front?  That is to show you the size.

More of the city:

Christine

Christine at the French Riviera

I summered at the French Riviera.

Thankfully I did not start my summers in southern France.  Because I never would have made it anywhere else.  And I love seeing new places.  The French Riviera is that wonderful.

Lets start with the sun.  Many beaches are pebbles in the area.  However, Antibes, France, had beaches with sand.  Lots of sunbathers in the final days of summer.  Well, August.

Lots of cool streets and buildings.

With a tree in the street?  Literally.  I couldn't help but stare at them as I walked.  

A great market:

And I loved the Picasso museum.  If you have been paying attention, Picasso's paintings are all over Europe.  Additionally, many museums are dedicated to him.  He was invited to paint in Antibes for a couple of months.  He then donated some of the artwork to the museum.  His son further donated works.  The museum has photographs of him working and of him with some of the works.  There are also tribute pieces.  My favorite is Hommage a Picasso (Homage to Picasso):

I loved the food.  Right out side of the hotel was a bread stand.  It smelled delicious.  I could eat macaroons all day long.  The market hall sold some of my favorites.

I had a wonderful fish dinner from La Marmite.  And rich chocolate moose.  But I loved the bouillabaisse at Restaurant de Bacon.  And since that was a bit pricey, at the other restaurants, I substituted soupe de poisson (fish soup).  Both were served with croutons and rouille sauce you spread on the croutons.  Wow.  That's the best way to describe the flavor when you mixed the three.  Tastes better than it looks.

I may retire here.

Christine
PS, I'm not taking suggestions on how to film better.  haha

Christine at Schloss Eberstein

I love castles.  I love visiting them and taking pictures of them.  And I love eating delicious food.  Of course I found a lovely Michelin restaurant in a castle.  So I can enjoy all my indulgences at once. 

Some of the delicious food.

Amuse Bouche:  

Fillet of sea bass accompanied by mango chutney:

Black Forest venison:

Chilled Opalys chocolate cannelloni with apricots, raspberry and rose petal syrup:

One of my favorite parts:  chocolate!  But, don't disappoint your guests.  Fill up all the spots next time. No, I did not eat some and then take a picture.

The views were pretty spectacular as well.

The vineyard at the castle.  Surprisingly, I enjoyed the German wine.  

Christine

Christine in Copenhagen, Denmark

I traveled through Copenhagen for my beach trip back to the States this summer.  I did this because I knew there is a late afternoon flight to Stuttgart, Germany from there.  So this was my chance to check out the city without actually having to pay astronomical prices for a visit.  The Scandinavian countries are not on the Euro.  And with all the oil up there, they are expensive.  But still, I wanted to see at least one.  So Denmark won out.  Because I could spend 7 hours there between flights.

There is plenty to see in 7 hours.  Well, no food.  I ate in the airport lounge.  For free.  Thank you United Gold and Star Alliance.  Plus, I figured I would be too jet lagged to remember the fancy food.  And I didn't have the chance to visit any museums, just the wonderful sites.

The shopping street:  Strøget street.  All the high end shops.  No time to browse though.

Famous Nyhavn, the old port with many colorful houses and restaurants.

Another view.  Imagine people watching from the balcony on the orange house.  

Changing of the guard at Amalienborg Palace:

More of the palace and The Marble Church (background):

The church in the park (also, a great photo):

The Little Mermaid (not a great picture but the sun was not in an ideal spot).  The statue is smaller than I thought it would be.

Rosenborg Palace:

I went up The Round Tower to see the city centre view.  It is mostly ramps, until the very top.  Which are steps for one person to walk up or down at a time.  Needless to say, there was a traffic jam going up.  

One view from the top of the tower:

All of this from the self-guided walking tour in the free city map.

Christine