Driving the Grande Corniche

Another travel day, another day of surprise adventures. Waking up this morning on the side of a cliff, while simultaneously on the side of a highway, was a little surreal. It was quieter than it had been last night, with little but the wind and the sound of cyclists whizzing by to keep us company. We chose this spot because of its proximity to the Cap Roux hiking trail, and so after breakfast, we lace up our boots and walk down the road to the start of the trail. It's not a very challenging trail, but this being our first hike of the trip, we don't want to over-do it, either. It turns out, this trail is somewhat of the local multi-disciplinary trail behind Anthéor, and though we think we are adventuring into the middle of nowhere, we pass tons of cyclists, couples out for their morning walks, people walking their dogs...I was not expected it to be so frequented, but then again, the sheer population we are finding crammed into the cliffs known as the French Riviera is mind-boggling. I was thinking a lot of it was large and uninhabitable, but distances are shorter than they seem, and there are houses settled in every little nook and cranny available in these craggy cliffs, and there are just people EVERYWHERE. We take every moment we can to enjoy the quiet while on this trail, taking in the views, the air whipping up everywhere, the sun starting to warm up the earth, the plants releasing their intoxicating scents into the atmosphere.

Camping on the side of the highway	Nice wide gravel trail
View of the roadway below	View of the red rocks above

Today, Mario is driving the Grande Corniche, a wicked, curving road high above the coastline, offering magnificent views of the coastal cities below. He says that, even in a campervan, he would regret not driving one of the top-rated drives in the world, and so the challenge is on to get our beast of a campervan all the way to the Italian border in one piece. Not to worry, the Grande Corniche is actually a very busy 2-way road that even the big city buses travel - we will have no problems. What we didn't anticipate was the lack of pull-offs and view points available, be it for cars of campervans alike.

 

Curving along the coastline	THIS is the vehicle we need for this drive!
The skinniest roads(lanes)are in the biggest town	Spotting ancient roman ruins in La Turbie

I think that, once upon a time, it was considered a very prestigious thing to drive your vehicle around the sweeping curves of the Grande Corniche, but perhaps too many people wanted that feeling, that thrill, and ended up clogging up the road like a big city traffic jam, everyone fighting for the best viewpoints. Whatever happened, all of the homes built up here, and there are LOTS, are surrounded by high fences covered in privacy screens, block out any chance of seeing the communities below. On top of that, any remaining free space is filled with overgrown trees, or municipal fencing. I make a concentrated effort to snap some shots, but most of the best ones are permanently engraved on my brain instead. I was a lot less stressed by this drive compared to navigating through Arles, or even the residential neighborhoods above Saint-Raphaël and Fréjus. We even lucked out and found space at a picnic area halfway through for lunch!

Not much later, we are turning another bend in the roadway, and heading into Italy. you read that right, we are driving just past the Italian border into the town of Ventimiglia, which, it turns out, is the most affordable option for camping near Monaco, and is only a 30-minute train ride away! Plus, how can you say no to spending any time in Italy? And it becomes apparent immediately that we are no longer travelling in France anymore! Cars are parked all over the place compared to the neat lines of the French, the language, the mannerisms, even the lifestyle is different. I thought, with this being so close to the border, there would be some obvious blurred lines, but not with Italy - things are clearly Italian here. We take advantage of that fact - we climb up into the Antico Borgo that hangs above the rest of the city, navigate the covered passageways, find a caffe where the tables are filled with old men playing cars and drinking beer. We descend into the newer side of town, to the train station to buy our tickets for tomorrow. Everyone is out walking, some having gelato, others doing their groceries for dinner. We buy some cold pizza at a Panificio(bakery), and then stock up on supply at the grocery store: Cinotto soda, salami and bresaola, nectarines, cheese. Too much cheese. Even Mario admitted it was too much cheese. Hopefully we can eat it all before our flight home!

View of Ventimiglia from the old city	Narrow laneways close in around us
This wants us to return to the smaller lanes	Down in the new city

Monaco, here we come!

Our campground is nice, tucked under the edges of the old town, where we can look up at the church spires lit up in the night. So far, the sky is clear, but there is a Rain Warning in effect for tomorrow, so we shall see how our visit to Monaco goes. Our umbrellas are packed. Wish us luck spotting a Formula One driver or two wandering around as we walk the Monaco street track. Maybe we should also pack the extra cheese to offer them?