Starting out at 7:30am has its advantages. The sun's only just up and the temperature was a pleasant 17.5C. We headed for the R85 - the infamous Route Napoleon. We had to ride about 20km until we intersected the R85, but when we did, it was fabulous. The road itself is a joy for a motorcyclist. Straights, bends, fine surfaces and little traffic. But this is made exceptional by the sparkling rivers, the aquamarine lakes and the majestic alps rising and surrounding the route.
We arrived in Grasse all too quickly and this was a disappointment. A traffic jammed town where the only place to stop for a coffee was a dull street cafe which was a bit "gay" and decidely "dodgy". We went from here directly to Nice and my family tomb. However, the route was via the Autoroute and, strapped to my pillion seat was our lunch. Dave was behind me and I let loose a pack of juicy tomatoes at 75mph. However, not content with that, the large "pain" was jetisonned! Dave then kept a safe distance worring that the six pack of Kronenburg was next! However, I managed to retain this essential supply! Nearing Nice, the traffic was dreadful which wasn't helped by the temperature rising above 30C. Having paid my respects at the Cimetiere de L'Est we decided to head directly north into Italy to a place called Cuneo. The rationale was simply that tomorrow is July 14th and France would be "closed".
The route was north from Nice via a scenic D road. However, far from being littered with gravel, the hair-pin bends were steep and plentiful; such that Dave suggested we head along the coast and head north to Cuneo via an easier road. So, we descended to the Grande Corniche and headed towards Menton. We arrived after about an hour with views over Monte Carlo and Monaco. The route towards Cuneo was followed and the sat nav was routing accordingly. However, we again started to climb over the "cols" and once again were negotiating steep hairpins. This time we simply had to continue and Dave was relying upon me to advise if on coming traffic was near as he was obliged to cross onto the "wrong" side of the road in order to navigate the bend. Eventually, the col was crossed and we were headed towards Italy, crossing through the Tende tunnel onto Italy. No passport control so a bit strange.
My Garmin Zumo 660 found the hotel; very impressive.
The hotel itself was soorly in need of refurbishment. Everything being pretty basic and tired. The prices were higher than in France €70
Found a fun pasta restaurant. Great house red; tasted of cherries - delicious. Decided to head directly for Lake Como tomorrow and then stay put for 24 hrs.
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