The picture shows the Place d'Armes of the palace. the cannons were donated by Louis XIV. Watched the changing of the Guard, nothing as elaborate as at Buckingham Palace. Beautiful and elegant building.

The palace was originally a fortress, begun by Fulvo do Castello in 1215 for the Republic if Geneo. This is the only section of the fortress still standing - the Serravalle Tower. During the French Revolution the palace was turned into a military hospital and was rand sacked. Prince Albert I (1894) commissioned the construction of the Tour de l'Horlofe (clock tower) and finally Prince Rainer III had the southern wing completely rebuilt.

Magnificent view of the Villa Franche peninsula from the middle road through to Monaco.

Grande-Fontaine. Most enchanting village, rising upon a rocky outcrop, still encircled by the imposing walls built by Francois I between 1537 & 1547. The winding streets (definitely not scooter friendly) are full of art galleries and souvenir shops. You can also find the renowned Hotel de la Colombe d'Or (also a museum) stopping place for many famous people. Housing paintings by Bonnard, Vlaminck, Utrillo, Matisse just to mention a few. Close by is also a mu...

Arrival time 08:41, is exactly that not a minute before or a minute after. From around 05:30 started seeing some really spectacular scenery, both countryside and seaside. Beautiful villas, towns and lots of boats as we passed thru Toulon, Cannes, Antibes and finally Nice. Got to spend the day walking around the town and orientating ourselves. Really pretty town so far and as today was Sunday there was the weekend farmers and fish market along the Avenue Jean Me...