In August we took a week long cruise of the Western Mediterranean. These next few days I will be posting some of the pictures from that trip.
First port of call, Monte Carlo, Monaco. It is a beautiful city, built on a hill. We decided to explore on our own instead of taking a guided tour. We had a great time. This first picture is across the port as we were leaving the ship.
We had to stop and get a picture of Mike in front of the Yacht Club. The old structures in the background are where we ended up heading next.
Of course before we got too far Mike had to study the map to see where we wanted to go. Because the map wasn't that great or clear we walked farther than we intended, but enjoyed seeing the sights.
We climbed the hill on a very long ramp to see the Prince's Palace. This picture is a panaromic view of the harbor from part way up the path.
Here is another view of the harbor. The day was simply beautiful, clear. Just perfect to enjoy the city.
When we got to the Palace at the top this was the guard walking infront of the entrance.
After leaving the entrance area we came upon this beautiful church. We sat in the shade for a drink and to enjoy the view.
While at the top, Mike had to try to get one of the cannon balls. There were cannons and these stacks of balls along the wall.
The is the path going back down. As you can see it was fairly steep.
And finally, this is sunset as we were leaving port that night. If you look closely you can see another cruise ship on the horizon.
Here I am in the traditional picture trying to push the tower back up.
Mike on the other hand chose to push the tower over.
As we walked around to the other side of the tower we couldn't resist this picture of all the people taking pictures holding the tower up. It really was quite amusing.
This is the baptistry (sp). This building was very beautifully decorated on the outside. the inside was quite simple but the accoustics were amazing. While we were inside they has a sound demo, which is done every hour. This man walked into the center of the main floor and sang a note. It hung in the air for the longest time I have ever heard. He then preceded to sing each note of the cord, which stayed and sounded like a full cord being played. It was really beautiful.
This is a view of the cathedral from the window of the basptistry. You can see the leaning tower on the right hand side behind the building.
Here is the detail work on the door of the cathedral. It was raised iron work, very detailed. Very beautiful and amazing to see.
Here is the final view of the tower as we were leaving. 
It was really an enjoyable place to see and visit. I even found a mosaic on the tower that I might turn into a quilt pattern.
