We decided to catch a bus to Eze Village this morning...had read online that the buses were infrequent...but after over an hour at the bus stop we were getting irritable & questioning our decision. 
I hate wasting time like this when we are in a special place...the late starts are hard enough...but when it got to 12 & we still hadn't gone anywhere I was wishing myself back on the promenade! Luckily our bus pulled up soon after but waiting over an hour wasn't my idea of fun. The bus was so full that we had to stand...and the driver seemed in a hurry, so we were thrown around a bit. The bus wound itself up the hill & there were some interesting views along the way...impossible to fully appreciate while standing & holding on for our lives. We got to Eze Village around 1pm & were feeling pretty hungry as had only had a single pastry each for breakfast. There didn't seem to be much around to choose from & of the 2 restaurants we could see, one was packed & the other deserted. Obviously we joined the crowd expecting the food to be better, but all that was on offer was a set menu comprising a small piece of fish on carrot purée or a large selection of pizza...so it was pizza again.
Like last nights pizza it was large, thin & crispy - really good. Cam probably chose best with lardons (ham), potato, onion, creme fraiche & mozzarella. We then headed across the road & up the hill towards the lookout. We expected just a path up the hill but it was actually more like an old town with quaint lanes winding around the hill full of little boutiques, galleries, cafes, chapels & a gorgeous hotel. 
We did wish we hadn't eaten at the bottom of the hill as these looked so much better.
We rushed past everything on a mission to get to the top & as we neared the top there was a turnstile & we had to pay to enter a garden to take us to the lookout at the peak. We were a bit surprised but paid up & quickly reached the viewing area - wow- we could see why this village was listed as a top attraction. 
We looked out over terracotta tiled roofs to a stunning blue sea & matching sky. 
The garden was full of cacti that looked amazing contrasted with the blues. The sun was also really strong on our skin - this felt like paradise. 
The next bus was leaving from the bottom of the hill in 20 minutes & the one after was over 2 hours later. We decided to stay & catch the later bus so we could sit up here & enjoy. 
Nick even managed to find a power point next to some outdoor lights, so he made use of it to charge his phone. After a while we went for a wander around the garden paths & found there were lots of different tracks giving different views & places to contemplate. 
We were very pleased we hadn't raced back down the hill to the bus. Eventually we slowly made our way back down the hill & the boys let me look into a few of the shops along the way. 
Further down below the road was Fragonard perfumery which seemed familiar from our Contiki tour. 
We walked down for a quick look & sure enough they did factory tours & were selling perfumes in the gold metal bottles. I'm pretty sure our tour just stopped at the perfumery & didn't give us a chance to see the gorgeous Eze Village - what a waste! We headed back to wait at the bus stop with cold drinks from the local store. This time our bus turned up on time & we got seats...hooray! We were now on our way to Monacco. I didn't think there was much there to interest the boys but may as well see it since we are so close....& it's another country to add to their growing lists. We got off the bus ,around 5pm, just up from the Monte Carlo Casino & walked through an upmarket shopping pod
to get to the casino. 
We walked past the casino towards the port area looking out at all the boats. 
On the hill above we could see what looked like a castle, so Nick googled it & it was apparently only 20 minutes walk up the hill to the Palace. We decided we'd may as well take a look and enjoyed the views along the way. 
We were surprised how much there was to see at the Palace - too late for any tours (but the boys weren't interested anyway). The palace area was like another old town with lanes of shops & eating places, an impressive church & more stunning views.
Everything is in pristine condition & there was no litter to be seen. Obviously they have plenty of wealth here. We enjoyed seeing Monacco more than we expected....& the sky was lovely as the sun set.
We walked back down to the port area & found a bus stop that was for buses back to Nice via a different route from which we came. We didn't have to wait long for our bus but once again we were standing & the crazy driver made sure that standing wasn't easy! The route back was via several gorgeous villages overlooking the water, but it was getting dark & we were busy concentrating on standing upright & holding on. The total trip back was around 45 minutes & took us back to Nice's old town. We intended to look for dinner in this area, but seemed to keep finding pizza places (guess we are near Italy) & we decided on crepes at a creperie only to be told they were out of crepes...really?
We got back to our room at 10pm & Nick had just received a nice birthday email from Nana & Grandad, so we had a quick Skype with them.
Now writing this blog as the clock ticks over to midnight & it's Nicks 21st in France.
We are having a red wine & some dark chocolate as I blog, Cam sleeps & Nick is researching places to eat. It's gonna be another day of full bellies!
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