Breakfast in Antibes, Lunch in Monaco and Dinner 3ft from Italy!

After brekky we left Antibes and straight away got stuck! We managed to pass each other after about 10 mins ...

We drove straight though Nice ...

We would like to have stopped but trying to find a park can be very difficult, so we carried on ...

Street side stalls selling huge clumps of garlic ...

We stopped at a lookout looking over Villefranche Sur Mer ...

What a view, it was stunning ...

We had a chat to an English couple and their friends who all came from Wilmslow near Macclesfield!  They had been living down the South of France for about 10 years; they said Elton John had a place near Villefranche. however they missed shopping at Macclesfield!

We did a bit of research the night before about motorhome parking in Monaco.  Apparently there was a underground carpark designated motorhome friendly.  It was correct, a nice man met us and gave us a spot,  even though we stuck out a bit!  We were there for 6 hours and it came to 12 Euros, not bad for the centre of Monaco.  It was very tight parking and we did have to take the bikes off the back but it was all good ...

What can you say about Monaco, once again we were covered in bruises from pinching ourselves ...

The yacht behind us was owned by Errol Flynn until his death.  It has a fascinating history, click here to read about it ...

It was a lovely timber schooner ...

There are some unbelievable cars being driven around the streets of Monaco, but how about this immaculate Mini Moke ...

A beautiful and very expensive place, but we did manage to find a nice place for lunch and a couple of drinks, all for just over 30 Euros.

Some pretty impressive super yachts tied up in the harbour ...

We had a chat to a crew member, apparently we can hire it out for 365,000 Euros a week  in the peak season which is $543,000 Aussie dollars or about £300,000.

It was having the crap pumped out of it whilst we were there!  Wouldn't you have thought they would have fitted cassettes ... don't they know that cassettes are much better than a holding tank!

Last boat shot ...

Having a pose in front of some nice building ...

I should add that it was a stinking hot day, to be walking around.

Sammie was most excited when he spotted some water outside of a very trendy bar ...

Whooska, he was in there, much to the chagrin of the security guards!  There was also a duck in there, much to his amusement...

Elaine took this shot of the casino reflected in a sphere ...

There she is posing with the doggies outside of the casino ...

No probs parking if you turn up in a flash motor ...

The Rainers pad perched up on the hill ...

After a thoroughly enjoyable but absolutely knackering walk around Monaco we headed off in the early evening, heading towards Italy.

As we approached the border point we could see vehicles parked up so thought that there must be some sort of checkpoint ...

But no, it had been turned into an unofficial motorhome parking area ...

We drove into Italy, did a U Turn and parked up in the old checkpoint ... 3 feet from Italy!

We stayed there the night, it would have to be the safest spot we have stopped at yet, as next to us was parked a French bus full of fully armed riot police!  They kept changing shift, one bus would leave and another one replaced it.   I don't know why therywere there, they stopped no one, they just sat in the bus all armed up and on their radios waiting for who knows what!  I got a friendly Bonjour from one of them this morning, I was walking the dogs and he was having a piss in the bush!

Elaine had to have the shot, half in France….

….and half in Italy ...

Then we were off!  We thought the South of France was busy, bloody hell Italy was mental!!!!  Thousands of scooters, pedestrians and motorists all out to put the fear of Christ up this tourist trying to thread his motorhome through the streets.  If we get out of here without a scratch we will be very lucky, but then again as Elaine will tell you I am the worlds best driver!  (Yeah, OK ... I will give him that one !  El)

We are now moored up at Imperia, on the Riviera De Ponente.  We will stay here tonight and then set off somewhere tomorrow!  While we have internet we will try to work out some sort of plan for our final 17 days in mainland Europe……Switzerland and the Alps are calling rather loudly!