Cubism, French Tacos & High Rollers

It’s been a busy couple of days and we have a lot to catch up on. Despite living in Texas, Becky has really been struggling with the heat here, perhaps related to her recent infirmities and related medication. We got an early start yesterday and headed to Antibes, hoping to beat the heat. This mostly went to plan, allowing us to make the hike from the train station to the old town while it was still relatively cool.

Though just about every French town has its daily market(s), Antibes is especially known for theirs. We made a couple of laps through, enjoying the bright colors and aromas of herbs and spices, flowers, fromage, cured sausages, and olives. After the market, we stopped for a quick breakfast (more so that Becky could sit and rest than because we were actually hungry) and then headed to the Picasso museum.

We have failed to visit the Picasso museum on both of our past trips. The first time we failed to realize it would be closed for lunch and showed up just minutes after the start of the lunch hour. The second time it was just closed for the season, period. This time we were in luck and were admitted entrance. We wouldn’t say that either of us were particularly partial to cubism or Picasso prior to the visit, but listening to the audio guide allowed us to appreciate Picasso’s work and it was overall an enjoyable visit. And their air conditioning was top notch. 5/5 stars.

After the museum, Becky was starting to feel tired and already apprehensive about making the hike back to the train station with temperatures rising and midday shade becoming scarce, so we made our way back to the train station and caught a very crowded train that continued to get more and more crowded at every stop. Thankfully there were no bachelorette parties singing karaoke as we had encountered on our Scotland trip last year, which is Becky’s benchmark for a train that is far too crowded.

Nevertheless, it was a relief to get off the train and we made our way across the street to O’Tacos, a chain serving French tacos that we had noticed previously in passing. We had heard that French tacos were different from the ones we know in the US. And in Texas, there are some pretty strong opinions about what counts as a “real taco”. We’re certain that these debaters would have a lot to say about French tacos, which include some form of protein (chicken tenders, ground beef, falafel…), some kind of cheese, and fries wrapped in a tortilla. Charles says they are a bit of a mix of Chipotle and Doner Kebab. We don’t know whether it’s right to call them tacos, but we can certainly say they are delicious and quite filling.

After lunch, we headed back to the apartment for a much needed rest and then decided to head to neighboring Villefranche to wander around and enjoy dinner on the waterfront. Despite being reasonably close to Nice, it takes a bit to get there on public transportation, with the bus making many stops along the way. The bus dropped us off at the top of the hill and we meandered our way down through the old town to the waterfront and chose a restaurant. We were seated right along the port, which was quite picturesque, and enjoyed a great meal… which helped fuel us on our hike back to the top of the hill to catch the bus.

By the time we made it back to the apartment, it was pretty late (for us, anyway) and Becky was completely worn out. So we settled in for the night and planned to set out this morning for Monaco.

Given our late (for us) night last night, we got a slower start this morning and caught a crowded and warm train to Monaco. Fortunately, as soon as the train doors opened to let us out into the Monaco station, we were met with cool air and were mostly able to stick to the shade as we made our way to a bus stop to catch a bus to the top of the hill. We strolled through old town Monaco and took our now-traditional pictures of the port below before hopping back on the bus and heading for the Monte-Carlo.

On our past trips, we never fully made it into the casino, only getting as far as the lobby. This time we paid to take the audio tour, allowing us to stroll through the famed casino, soaking in all of the lavish art and decor. It’s sometimes hard for places to live up to their Hollywood level expectations but this place hit the mark. Each room was more lavish than the last and the gaming tables throughout just added to the mystique. Once we completed the tour we decided to grab a drink in the bar area of the main salon and wait for the cafe to open at noon.

We decided while in Monaco that lunch at the Casino cafe, La Salon Rose, was the play. It was a bit pricey by our standards for lunch but it was very good. Becky had swordfish and Chuck had a burger but it was a ridiculous creation with pork belly and other toppings. Chuck also discovered corn fries which seemed to be regular potatoes coated in cornmeal and fried. No complaints. Becky finished with a cheese plate and was feeling good from the combination of food and AC so we began to plan our next moves. Once outside Chuck wanted to head over to the famous Monaco hairpin and take some pictures so Becky waited in the shade but by now midafternoon heat had reared its head and it was hard to avoid the heat and humidity. We walked to a slightly mysterious bus stop (it wasn’t where Google or the nice lady at the Tourist office said) but on the way Becky’s energy was quickly draining. We decided it was best to head back to the apartment for some cool AC and a nice nap. Tomorrow we head to Marseille and have some busy days with 3 Olympic events in 2 days and one is likely mostly in the heat and afternoon sun so we need to rest up.