Finishing Up in Nice

To some of our favorite people in Nice:  Pascal at the Spar store (kept us stocked with Armagnac), the lady at Carrefour who barked out the lane assignments for the checkouts (listen up!), the seamstress at the shop downstairs (and her many cats), the lovely gal at Nver (who greeted us every time we walked by), the dude at the Socca stand (more pepper!), all the friendly people at our local Casino Supermarket, Frederic the Optician (Optique Deppon, 21 Rue de France), the folks at the local bakery and our landlords, Declan and Helen, even though they're technically in Dublin.  Salute to you all!

Along the hiking path:

Nice's Coulee Vert with its fabulous fountains:

A geezer watching the girls go by in the Square Messena (wait!  We know that geezer!):

And farewell to Nice for 2016:

Our summer promises to be a quiet one, if anything can be quiet during this rather interesting Presidential primary season.  We'll be at a couple of auto races and that's about it until September when we visit the Galapagos Islands.  No Nice next year, by the way.  Stay tuned, because January 2017 will mark the beginning of quite an adventure!

Of course, no trip is complete without the Wiener Dog contest results:

Gordon kicks butt once again:  Gordon 39, Pati 31.  He spotted his last one at the airport on the way out of town...right after we ran into David Coulthard at the check-in counter.

Wanderings in March 2016

We returned to Monaco for a day of shopping and walking around.  We set out on our "usual" route:  past Port Hercule and the Avant Port, up to the Casino, out Boulevard Moulin, down to the beach, pit stop at the Grimaldi Forum, through the Japanese Garden, then the famous tunnel, and back to the shopping areas in Fontvielle.

The Japanese Garden:

Monaco's Opera House amid the "rooftop gardens" above the Fairmont Hotel:

So, did the Principality think that if they built this ugly thing out of glass, no one would notice it?  Honestly, look at the various architecture.  It's what makes Monaco...Monaco.

Time out in Mid-March for a quick trip up to Vienna to visit the family.  Jeff, Sherry and the SWW's ditched the munchkins for the day and went hiking in the hills:

Along the Danube, gratefully without busses or river boats:

But back in town, the Easter Markets are unbelievable.  Food, fun, and Easter eggs:

Looks like the family will return to the States this year, and frankly, we'll miss visiting Vienna.  It's a great city with lots to see, do and eat.  Especially eat.

Formula 1 Testing, Barcelona, 2016

Circuit de Catalunya, March 2016.  The weekend began with a quick flight from Nice to Barcelona, and upon landing, we discovered that we were in the company of Red Bull driver Daniil Kvyat.  He, of course, was in business class.

Overall, good weather, although there was a pretty cool wind up in the hills behind Barcelona.  This year, since rain never threatened, we spent four full days at the track and skipped the usual Barcelona sightseeing.  All except for seeing the sights inside our favorite restaurant, El Mussol!

The great thing about testing is that there are very few people at the track compared to the actual race weekend.  Almost everything is easily accessible (if you're willing to walk), it's an opportunity to watch from practically everywhere and there's plenty of action on-track.

Morning at the circuit:

Check out Red Bull's newest paint scheme on "smiley" Daniel Ricciardo's car:

Final turn and onto the main straight:

Sebastian Vettel's Ferrari:

But Kimi's Ferrari broke down.  Oh, the secrecy!

Red Bull pit stop:

View from the circuit's clubhouse...this is a treat.  Only members are allowed during the race: