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Mass In Monaco

So we got up at the crack of dawn, got ready and the guys at the campsite dropped us off at the railway station.
It was a double-decker train and a 15 minute ride to Monaco 🇲🇨 – see first photie below that I took as we were pulling in…
Then we made our way across town to the cathedral in plenty of time (but it was uphill and bloody hot 🥵). The guy on the door said I had to cover my shoulders (luckily I had a lacey thing I my bag) and the cathedral was just beautiful (and that’s me in black outside the front afterwards – if you look hard !!!)💋💗 xxx
I could just about follow the service (with my rusty A’Level French), joined in with the hymns and what was lovely was (just before the end) they say a short prayer in Latin to bless the Prince of Monaco 🇲🇨 💗💋 xxx

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You’ll NEVER Guess Where WE Are 🌎 😎

So (a little delicate) we woke about 8am on Friday morning, had a cup of tea in bed and practiced our Italian 🇮🇹 with this course Dave has downloaded on the iPad.

We had a chat and although Lake Garlate is a lovely place (and we did consider spending the weekend there doing more bike rides, exploring the town and hiring a speed boat) in the end we said we’d move on…
So we packed up and headed over to Lake Maggiore but ended up on a “resort-style” campsite with entertainment, kids club, etc – which I would have loved if the kiddiwinks were small but these days we prefer the smaller, more basic, friendly sites… 
So initially I thought we’d not made the best decision moving AND I was still getting bitten to buggery (🦟 🦟 🦟) and we knew there was rain due in a lot of places on Monday & Tuesday so we were looking to try and avoid it but still get to Lake Annecy by Friday 23rd as we are booked in there for 4 nights…
Then suddenly last night My Dave 💗 had the GENIUS idea 💡 of going south to the Italian 🇮🇹 & French 🇫🇷 Riviera then travelling back through The Alps 🏔 !!! 
So he did a sterling job today of driving us down to Genoa and then along the south coast to a place called Latte just outside Menton.  When we arrived he realised that he had stayed here previously with Paulie (my brother-in-law) about 4 years ago on a motorcycle & tent trip – and he met Simone (a guy) who he remembered and who was really lovely (so the photo of me outside Reception is for you Paulie)😊 
We then walked a couple of hundred metres to the village supermarket which was incredible – it was like a tardis and sold EVERYTHING – I have been after a pair of shoes that I can swim in as it’s always gravelly/stony on the edge of the lakes and – BARGAIN – 5.99 euros !!!
And the lemon 🍋 liqueur also caught my eye (30% !!!) so I’ve just poured us one topped up with some leftover fizz 🥂 🍾 – yum 😋 
And now My Dave is practising his 🎷 and I’m off to get ready as we’re going out to eat in the village…
We can’t have a late night though because…
BECAUSE !!!
…we’re only catching the shuttle bus at 9am to the railway station where a 15 minute journey will take us to MONACO 🇲🇨 – MONTECARLO – seriously – I am SO excited 😆 !!!
AND (it gets better) a 20 minute walk from the railway station in Monaco will take us down to “the front” to St Nicholas Cathedral – where there’s Mass 🙏 at 10:30am !!!
Anyway off to get ready now because want to get a “scenic” photo before sunset (8:30pm) and then will post this blog entry…
I tell you what – it’s not a bad life, is it ? And if I hadn’t met My Dave I would have NEVER experienced this kind of a trip – as my mum always tells me (when Dave visits too) – “Your Dave is a handsome man and you are a lucky 🍀 girl !!!”
And I am 💗  Thank you my sweetheart 💋😊 xxx

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Hammered With The Locals 🥴

So we got back from the bike ride and Dave uttered those inimitable (!!!) words, “Darling, shall we pop over to the cocktail bar for one ?”
The “cocktail bar” was a wooden hut 15 feet from our van and there was only one other chap there initially – Luca.
We started off with a red-coloured vodka (me) and rum (Dave) both with sprite… Massive (Spanish-style) measures…
What I’ve never noticed in England (and I’m not saying they don’t exist) is floral trees – and there was loads as we cycled around the lake – so when I noticed one at the cocktail bar, I had to get a photo !!!
I then switched to “Gin-Lemon” as Rino (the bar tender) was pushing it (probably had a job-lot !!!)
A few other peeps turned up (only one lady – Vita – piccie with her below) – who – by the wonder of the Google-Translate app – I managed to have a conversational with – and she was “finding herself” – from what I could gather, she’d done a Shirley Valentine – good luck to her !!!
Also below is a photo with Jordano – who I liked because he was the only one who went to Mass regularly 🙏 !!!
Suffice to say that and Dave had to remind me this morning about the pizza 🍕 that they shared with us and I cannot remember going home 🥴 xxx 💋💗

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Cycle 🚲 Ride & Picnic 🧺 Round The Lake

So we packed a picnic and trundled off on the bikes round the lake.
It was a bank holiday (15th August) – the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Catholics believe she was taken up to heaven BODY and soul) and as Italy 🇮🇹 is a Catholic country…
So everybody was out but nowhere felt rammed – families having picnics, at the (several) parks around the lake, people fishing or just mooching around and enjoying the day…
There was a safe cycle path around most of the lake, it was hot 🥵 so it was nice to feel the breeze – and the views – as ever – were amazing 💋💗 xxx

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Lago di Garlate 💗

So one of these photies is already on Facebook but basically on Wednesday we left Lake Lugano and tried to drive into the centre of Como but it was an absolute nightmare – absolutely zero places to park…
So we drove further to a place called Garlate and ended on a fab little site right on the lake – with a view of the lake from The Van.
Lake Como is shaped like an upside-down Y and Como (the city) is at the bottom left hand stalk and Lake Garlate is just under the bottom right hand stalk (I repeat – my Geography knowledge knows no bounds 😂😂😂)…
We had a LUVLEY BBQ tea and then took a bottle of wine to the lakeside (about 20 feet away) and just took in the idyllic view until it went dark 🌙 …
Idyllic that is until I realised that I had been breakfast, dinner and tea for the b@… mosquitos 🦟 🦟 🦟 !!! Xxx 💗💋