Today is Friday and that means shopping in Ventimiglia, Europe's biggest open street market. You may recall we were in Ventimiglia last Friday. Susie needed to pick-up a few more items so we decided to hit the market quickly and then stop in Menton on the way back.

The great news is the rain/clouds have left and it is a beautiful sunny day!!!!

Here are a couple of shots on the way...


 

Train station power grid.
 

When we arrived in Ventimiglia we decided to stop at the food market. This is an indoor food market that has all kinds of food. Here are some shots...

The food market from the outside.


This is a big market with lots of people. Look how far the aisle goes. 
 

Some of the goods for sale:

I think these are zucchinis 






Some strange looking pears?




After a quick stop at the food market we went to the open market. I will spare you the carnage  & mayhem :-)  You can see the June 10 blog posting for all the details.

After Susie bought her stuff, we headed done to the beach for a delicious sandwich.

Sandwich Cam

A lovely place for a lunch.

Mini Rant!

I know we are in foreign country, but it still pisses me (pun intended) off that I have to pay to use a toilet. Most Europeans pay like 100% in taxes :-)   You would think that with all that revenue they could provide free toilets? You would think that the UN would have declared this a human right by now? So I had to pay .50 Euro to go to the bathroom.

Here is the bathroom... note the u-shaped thingy... that is the toilet seat. You would think paying for the bathroom would get you something better. I guess .50 Euro doesn't buy you much these days :-)



Rant Off!

Here is shot from the train ride between Ventimiglia and Menton. It was a beautiful day & ride.

Menton

• The Menton area has been inhabited since the paleolithic era, and is the site of the original "Grimaldi Man" find of early modern humans, as well as remains of Neanderthals and Cro-Magnons.
• The first major settlement occurred during the 11th century AD, when the Count of Ventimiglia constructed the Château de Puypin on the Pépin hill, north and west of the modern town centre. 
• During the 13th century, the seigneury of Puypin fell to the Vento family of Genoa who built a new castle along the Roman road, Menton was thus incorporated into the Republic of Genoa. 
• The first mention of Menton dates from 21 July 1262, in the peace treaty between Charles of Anjou and Genoa. Its position on the border between the Angevin-ruled Provence and the Republic of Genoa, which at the time claimed Monaco as its western limit, made it a coveted location.
• Through the years Menton has been part of Italy and France.
• There are about 30,000 people living the city.

A few shots from the waterfront.




Yes, the water is that blue!


Duct Tape... it can fix anything :-)


There was a little boardwalk with several restaurants.


 
Man of steel granite :-) 


After about a 15 minute walk we reached the old town area.






A few more minutes and we reached nirvana :-) 

Back story first. Menton has a unique micro-climate as it is sandwiched between the  Alps and the warm sea and  thus avoids the chilly winds of winter and maintains a temperate and moist climate several degrees warmer than the regional average. This resulted in the city becoming the center of  citrus growing. And here is the important equation citrus = lemons AND lemons = limoncello :-)  YES... they make a bunch of limoncello in Menton. 

In fact  they have a citrus festival every year. Sounds & looks exciting :-) Pic from tourist office..


This shopping area has several shops that sell limoncello. (Note the yellow canopies) 


A most excellent bottle... these are 3 liter bottles  YUM :-)


A wall of limoncello :-) 


What's he doing here? I'm sure the store paid the royalty fees to use Homer :-) 


A few minutes later we reached the harbor. Just a few boats :-) 


Finally we reached the old town area. Here are a few shots. 




Notice anything weird about this photo???


Look closely and you will notice that the shutters on the left are actually painted on the wall. (I have noticed this throughout our trip) Don't believe me... here is a close-up.




At the top of these stairs was a massive church.



A shot from inside.


A few more shots from the old town area.

Sand Ahoy!

Look.... in the distance... I think I see sand!!!!!


Looks like the Mentonites have the recipe for sand!!!


A quiet train ride back to Nice...

A nice paint job :-) 


A mini mincar :-) These cars hold 1 person...


Hope you enjoyed today's adventure.

Cheers,