Ciao - Italy

We got the answer to our horde of French vans on Saturday morning as they all had signs in the front announcing that they were off on a tour of Tunisia and Libya. So presumably they were taking the ferry from Genoa. I admire their nerve but wonder at how much it has cost in paperwork alone as they have cats and dogs with them.
Still that would be a real adventure so we wished them bon chance!
We headed west along the Autostrada de Fleuris as the sun shone, the temperature got to about 24C and the sun sparkeld off the Med below to our left as we went from tunnel to tunnel across the viaducts. Been here before but this time we could see over the crash barriers - and its a long way down on some of them. On the hillsides we could see the sheets of netting in the olive groves ready to catch the crop and watch the smoke from the fires of old wood (to judge by the smell). Really made me wish we could stay longer but the weather will get worse and so we might as get across France.
We arrived at our intended stop at Cagnes sur Mer only to find it closed . It was clear that they had not read the Caravan Club guide which said they were open until 1st November. So after a small panic we went on up the valley to the next indicated site( who had not read the Caravan Club guide either as it said they were closed but were open).
As we are moving swiftly on tomorrow we went to the local attractions. Haut Cagnes is home to a picture book castle and village looking down on the urban sprawl that is the Cote d'Azur. In the square the restaurants were doing a roaring trade - one booked out for a birthday with a Franch pub band who turned their hand to everything from Barry Manilow to Carlos Santana. Still it was easy to see why a flat in the village goes for 429000 euros and a house for 1.3M euros. And all the artists who ever wanted to be famous have painted it. And of course they want to be Renoir who spent his last years here and has a superb museum. The castle is an art gallery cum museum with a "panoramic tower" - well the views are. The tower has alimit of 12 people on the roof at any time but today it managed a crowd of 4. You can see all the way to Nice and along the Cote d'Azur and then away up into the Alps where the first snow has dusted the high mountains - another reminder to keep moving. Then we went down to Cros de Cagnes which is the seaside bit and joined all the locals in promenading in the sunshine along the front and stopping for a drink in a shoreside cafe. Can't do that in Southport just now I'll bet.
Finally got home and checked the score from Anfield with more than a little trepidation - 2-0 praise the Lord! Tomorrow we head west again to Languedoc and join our trail from last year but without some of the sites!! We maybe off-line for a little time but you never know I might just decide to go to a McDonalds for a salad and use their free wifi.