Saint Jean Cap Ferrat

Just east of our (perfect!) base in Villefranche is the peninsula of Saint-Jean Cap Ferrat, another playground of the rich and famous who hide their villas behind high walls and hedges.  We spent today roaming around the Cap, taking a couple of very fine seaside walks and visiting the splendid Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild.

Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild

The Cap is mainly residential with one small commercial center and beach adjacent.  Nearby we walked the 2 kilometer Promenade des Fossettes which provided views of the coast in both directions.  Lunchtime found us at the marina with a slice of quiche and two sandwiches provided by a handy boulangerie.  We chatted with a British woman who suggested several local outings, all of which sounded just right for us.

Next on the agenda was the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild, built in the early 20th century by Beatrice, daughter of the French banking family.  The house and extensive gardens kept us busy for two hours.  Wiki says:  The Baroness filled the mansion with antique furniture, Old Master paintings, sculptures, objets d'art, and assembled an extensive collection of rare porcelain. The gardens are classified by the French Ministry of Culture as one of the Notable Gardens of France.

Monaco Casino

At 5 we headed east again and returned to Monaco to take those photos we missed yesterday.  Parking near the large marina, we walked past many impressive yachts and noticed the dismantling of large seating stands.  The Grand Prix de Monaco had taken place May 21-24 and they were still clearing out the apparatus.  Rob wanted to walk to the Casino so we guessed at a route which unfortunately included a car tunnel but did eventually lead us to that famous ornate building. (I recall that on our 1965 motorcycle trip we tried to enter the Casino but were turned away since Rob did not have a suit jacket.)

We found a more scenic walk back to the bike and realized that we had walked the entire route of the race circuit.