Day 38 - Valence to Monte Carlo

A storm was brewing as we left Valence this morning. Thunder and lightning filled the dark sky, and it looked like we might be in for a huge downpour. After refuelling the car, we headed northeast, and fortunately, we eventually outrun the storm.

It wasn't long before we reached Col du Machine a mountain pass that has sheer cliffs and a road that is cut into the cliffs. The views from the Col du Machine we're stunning. At one point, the road tunnelled through the cliff. It was a good thing there was a rock wall on the edge of the road to prevent us from driving off. Nevertheless, Rob was constantly reminding me to take it easy.

The next pass was the Col du Rousset. A tunnel starts at the skiing village, and as you come out of the tunnel, one of the most stunning views in France is in front of you. The road there snakes its way down the hill in a drive that seems to take forever.

The route had an endless number of this and turns. As we got closer to the coast, we drove part of the Route Napoleon, a scenic road in France that follows the path that Napoleon Bonaparte took on his return from exile in Elba to Grenoble in 1815. By the time we reached Cannes, it was 30 degrees and very humid. A stark contrast to the start of our day. It was nice to sip on a cold lemonade when we arrived at our hotel.Read more