Date: 2008-04-07 11:13 Subject: 856 miles completed, 434 miles left Security: Public

In the days since my last update I have been enjoying walks in the sun as I visited Cannes, Nice, Monaco, Menton, Ventimiglia and now San Remo. In terms of progression, this means that since setting off at the end of January, I have passed through 2 countries (UK and France), 1 Principality (Monaco) and have entered the final leg by arriving in Italy.  

The injury I picked up a more than 2 weeks ago continues to annoy me but having got this far, it isn’t going to stop me now. Since my last journal 16 days ago, I have managed to knock another 235 miles off the total so I just smile (or is that grimace) and keep going. 

At times in Cannes, Nice and Monaco I thought that I was in another world. Wealth and fame were very much in evidence, the sun shone everyday and there were men sitting on top of poles in Nice that insisted on lighting up and changing colour at night!! 

Cannes famous for its film festival and the designer shops where a pair of shoes can cost over 700 Euros proved to be educational because I always thought that Darjeeling was famous as a tea, it seems it is also a lingerie company - you learn something new everyday on this walk. One abiding memory of Cannes will be the number of people who seemed to be walking on and around the beach in designer clothes – posing par excellence!! 

Going for walks along the coast every day was enjoyable and included walks to Theole-sur-mer, west of Cannes and towards Antibes to the east. I made sure that I also walked around the various marinas in Cannes, where I could walk amongst the several luxury boats and dream of perhaps redoing the journey to Rome using one of them. 

If I had been on holiday I would have taken the opportunity to visit Saint Marguerite, one of the nearby Lerin islands where the man in the iron mask was imprisoned. However, as with other places I have wanted to visit on this walk, I will save them for another day as this is not a holiday as I am sure somebody would be ready to remind me.  

Outside the Palais des Festivals et des Congres, the venue for the annual Cannes film festival which takes place in May is an area that caught the attention of many of the tourists who for a moment must have thought that they had been transported to Hollywood.  

For those film buffs among you, Hollywood boulevard has the walk of fame where gold stars feature the name of the stars. In Cannes that have the imprints of the stars hands set into tiles around the Palais, including Anthony Quinn, Charlotte Rampling, Jane Russell and Charlton Heston whose death was announced as I was writing this journal, a truly great actor and star of several of my favourite films.  

Onwards to Nice, where after being on my own for so long I was joined by a couple of old friends Mike and Nick, who had taken a few days leave to fly out especially to walk with me and raise money for the number of miles they managed to cover. It was just the thing I needed to cheer me up and recharge the spirit. Over the two and half days they managed to cover 40 miles which included walks along the Promenade des Anglais all the way to the airport boundary and back, the Quai des Etats Unis and around various parts of the city.  

Having already walked out from the city to the top of Mount Boron and its surrounds I decided that it would be a good challenge for Mike and Nick, so using a different route off we set and after about three hours stopped to take in the sight around Villefranche-sur-mer before reaching the top and stopping for lunch near the Chateau l’Anglais. 

The next day I suggested that we take the train for a half day of walking in Monaco and so the three amigos found themselves in the land of make believe or so it seemed. Anybody who has travelled to Monaco by train will know how impressive the Monaco Monte Carlo station is and gives an indication of what is to come. Being motor racing fans we decided to walk the route of the Grand Prix although it was always going to be difficult to beat 1 minute 15 seconds set in qualifying last year.  

The various aspects of scaffolding etc were just starting to be erected for the race in May but even without this it was easy to identify the various parts of the course. What you cannot get the impression of from watching it on television is the steep climbs and drops, sharp bends not forgetting the tunnel and just how dark it is in the middle. I have always admired F1 drivers but even more so after having walked the course, even it did take the best part of four hours. 

Well we did stop to see other things along the way such as the casino, hotel de paris, Japanese garden etc and make sure we covered the distance we had set ourselves for that part of the day. Mike got his passport stamped, sadly Nick and I had forgotten ours but I was going to rectify that the next day on my way to Menton. 

Back to Nice, where flights arriving at the airport occasionally seem to come right over the beach on their approach and trams speed along the tramway at regular intervals. Old Nice is worth a visit as is the port area but it is at night there are one or two surprising things that catch your eye in the Place Messina. During the day its gardens and fountains are impressive but at night the work of art which can only be described as several “men” sat on poles that light up and change colour at regular intervals is impressive and draws large numbers of people to just stand there and observe. 

The next day it was time for Mike and Nick to leave and return to the UK, so after a light breakfast and a walk to the sea front and back we said goodbye and I headed to Menton, my last stop in France. Noting that the journey from Menton to Monaco was only 11 minutes, I decided that I would check in at the hotel, get back on the train and go and get my passport stamped.  

So after the short train ride I was back in the tourist office in Monaco talking to the same lady who 24hrs previously had taken such an interest in my walk and got my passport stamped. As I had over an hour before the next train back, I decided to do some more exploring and having handed in my rucksack, camera and phone decided to explore the inside of the Casino building which also houses the Opera. Sadly unless you want to play at the tables or book tickets for the opera you cannot see anything else and so after about 4 minutes I left, disappointed and wondering what all the fuss was about, after all the outside of the building was spectacular. I had wanted to visit the Palace and the Cathedral to see the tomb of Princess Grace who my wife had admired so much but sadly there were too many people heading in the same direction so I had to give it a miss. Perhaps I may get to see it another day.  

The following morning it was time to say “au revoir” to France and “ciao” to Italy as I headed for Ventimiglia and onward to San Remo for a few days. The annual San Remo car rally which lasts for 3 days was in full swing and it was impressive to see some classic racing cars in such pristine condition and still capable of a good turn of speed.  

San Remo is known as the city of flowers and is providing ample opportunities for walking with several hills as well as a decent walk along the port area and esplanade. It is interesting to see several houses perched on steep streets that wind their way along not to mention the cobbled alleys etc which make you think you have gone back in time. 

Thank you to all those from around the world who continue to contact me via live journal with words of support or simply pass on details to their friends.

Thank you everybody for your support and please keep those donations coming both from around the world and the UK. Together I know we can reach the £50,000 target for the charities and for Anne.