Florence, Monaco & Nice France

Florence was beautiful - much better than Venice. It was a rainy day again, however there was so much more to do and to see as well. Florence is a nice romantic city with all the history, art (Da Vinci & Michelangelo) and just plain nice. We walked through the Baboli Gardens - which was a hike but worth the effort. Just beautiful. Also went through the Acadamia Galleria showcasing Michelangelo's sculptures including David. The statue of David is massive and very impressive. It was another long day walking through the city. We went to a leather demonstration that gave us the heads up on how to spot fake leather. We didn't buy any leather goods but there were plenty of fake stuff around to make your head spin.

That night we went for a Tuscan dinner, with opera singers and great food and really, really bad wine! It was a fun evening, the atmosphere was like being in a big Italian family's party.

The next morning we travelled to France, stopping in a perfumery and then finally at our hotel in Nice. Last night we went out to Monaco and saw the Grimaldi's palace and just driving through Monte-Carlo is absolutely beautiful. A duplex overlooking the ocean start at around 2.8million euros which is about $5million Aussie - think I might buy 2. We had a lovely dinner near the palace then went down to the Monte-Carlo casino. Outside the casino are only expensive cars - ferrari, masserati, bmws, mercs, & bentleys. It was nice for a moment to walk into the glitz and glamour. Make sure you check out the bond movies that feature Monte-Carlo - as it truly is! Oh yeah we also drove past the house where 'Dirty Rotten Scoundrels' was filmed - looks smaller than the movie - but still a nice house!

Today for our free day we just walked around Nice, along the stoney beach and through the shopping promenades. It rained for most of the day, and then the sun came out in the afternoon. Such a pretty place. Wish we could stay longer and relax here - but tomorrow we are off to Barcelona. Big drive ahead so its an early start.

Ill keep you posted!