Leaving Monaco was sad, but we had seen more than we expected to. We tried to fit the ablutions on the yacht to take with us, but failed miserably. We were lucky the wind was in the right direction. Once outside the Port, Cheryl took over, for what would be a journey of just over 3 hours.

Sanremo will be our only foray into Italy. Once our stay concludes we will head back up the Riviera to Marseilles. Libby radioed in on channel 9, again putting her language skills to the test, and as usual came up trumps. We could get a birth, and by the time we reached the Port, the attendant was waiting to take us to our pen. The crew has now got very professional, and berthing was very straight forward.

This following excerpt from the internet best describes Sanremo.

Sanremo is a coastal city in north-western Italy. Its green spaces include the park of Villa Ormond, with a Japanese garden, palm trees and ancient olive groves. The 12th-century San Siro Cathedral has 12 bells in its tower, plus a huge crucifix above its altar. In an elegant art nouveau building, the long-established Casino di Sanremo includes a theatre. Nearby, the Russian Church has 5 onion domes.

As soon as we had arrived, we looked the showers and ablutions, which for some reason were located way up the other end of the Marina. You certainly wouldn't want to be busting. The girls also located the laundry which was great. Paul & Trish had located the man with the push bikes only a short walk from where we were. They also found out that the old railway line that ran the length of Sanremo had been converted into a cycleway for tourists. All in All, it was about 36kms long. The marina WIFI was terrible, so we had to use the WIFI in the small bar at the end of our mooring. We all gathered there on each of the 2 nights of our stay. A very nice young Italian waitress (who was learning English) took us under her wing. She also caught onto our sense of humour very quickly.

We then went back to our boat and enjoyed the yummiest Chicken and Mushroom Risotto cooked by chef extraordinaire Libby.

The next morning was like most others, Trish & Paul and Cheryl off for their walk. I joined them a little later for a coffee at one of the marina coffee shops. Today, was however about getting out on our bikes to see the town. We caught up with the rest of the crew after coffee and made our way to the bike shop. For a change, Cheryl and I decided to take a "bicycle built for two". We have never done it before, but let me assure you it's much better than marriage counselling. (and no doubt cheaper). If you disagree, then you must reach some sort of agreement or you simply don't go anywhere. But once I got Daisy onto the front of the bike (she likes to be in charge, and doesn't trust my driving) I jumped on the back. It is much easier than riding your own bike. (once the domestics are sorted). To be honest I was feeling as fresh a daisy when I got back. However, Daisy looked a little exhausted. The cycle track was great, and being an old railway line, it took you through some of the old mountain tunnels. The tunnels were cool and a welcome relief from the very humid/hot temperatures. Along the way you saw the typical Italian vege gardens, lots of beautiful old homes, and quite a few new homes built and aged to match the existing ones. We stopped about 12kms out on the east side of town. We were given a complimentary coffee. We then turned around and headed back into town and then out the other side. Daisy and I had managed to build up a head of steam. We made it back to town quite some time ahead of the next. (and I was still feeling great!) Once we were together again we continued through and out the other side town. Libby and Marty were keen to see the Russian Orthodox Church, and Paul & Trish were keen to see the town. Eventually Paul & Trish parked and locked their bikes under a tree and went to town. The rest of us went to a beachside café for lunch. We shared 3 very delicious pizza's. Our café overlooked the beach, the water was a really nice light green. The beach was very smooth rounded stones about the size of your mobile phone. The med was not blessed with nice sandy beaches. (though there are plenty of white pointers)

Daisy and I returned our bicycle built for two after lunch as we figured the stress on our marriage was becoming too great. We went back to the boat and I caught up on some work, and Cheryl checked out to see how the laundry was going. Eventually everybody else rocked up after checking out the town. Libby and Marty checked out the Church and the Casino, which they said was very beautiful. Given the fact that the laundry and showers were so far away, they kept their bikes for as long as they could so they could use them in the marina.

After the laundry was collected, and everybody showered etc, we went back to the café/bar for some refreshments. Again, we were looked after by the lovely waitress. This time for dinner Brian cooked us his world renowned Chicken Fettucine. We all thought it was delicious but Brian was not happy and did not think it was up to his usual standard because Libby had apparently stolen his cream the night before to put into the risotto (ooops rookie move Lib but the risotto was amazing!! Our time in Sanremo seemed to fly. It was well worth seeing, and grateful that it was recommended to us.