A rather mundane looking picture, but I'm all about the details and this photo really illustrates what I'm trying to describe to you my fellow future traveler! In Northern Italy, (because I'm not sure about the South,) most of the buildings have this type of window shutter by default. They are called Tapparelle and basically they reside inside the walls and are raised or lowered with a rubber rope for want of a better word. They are heavy and extremely sturdy, you need some muscle to use them. When I first arrived in Italy I hated these things because when they are lowered the outside of the buildings really look like nothing, or in short, just plain ugly.


But over time I really began to appreciate the usefulness of the Tapparelle. In the winter they all but shut out the cold. As you can see they form a pretty tight seal around the doors and windows. (This one is not lowered all the way.) In the summer they serve the same function in reverse; they cut down the heat inside.

They can also look very romantic. If you don't extend them down to the ground or floor the slats stay about a half an inch apart, insuring privacy but also letting out the soft glow from your lamps. From the outside it looks as though you have blinds, but more awesome blinds than usual.

So I've come to love them now and will miss them deeply when we leave, yes I'm afraid we've thrown in the towel, mostly due to the economy here at the moment, that is making it impossible to work. But more on that later...
In the end, these awful looking shutters have become a great source of comfort for me. When the wind howls, it actually sounds like it is howling outside of my home, in back of the shutters instead of whistling though, This of course adds to the feeling of coziness and safety inside my apartment, (nothing can get in!) and warm too, as a bonus!





Here's another photo from the inside. Although they build the Tapparelle into the walls for the outside of the window, it is traditional on the inside to have some type of window treatments or curtains. Here in my living room, you see the window Tapparella about a quarter of the way down, and of course the one in the door is closed completely..

Practically zombie proof!

In our meanderings, we came across a church in Cap Ferrat, France. We had to stop after having glimpsed this enormous statue next to it in the distance while driving up a windy road. It's just incredible! Next to the stature is my son, who is staring up at it. You can see the height by using him as a comparison!


As all art European, the detail is just stunning but it was the sheer size of it that left us in awe!
The statue is of the Madonna and Child and is located inside of St. Hospice. We stepped inside the church next to it to see if we could learn about this super-sized icon and heard several voices chanting in unison. Not wanting to intrude, (actually it was more like the chant reminded us vaguely of a horror film where things escalate very quickly when there's chanting involved...) so we quickly left.


We'd originally come to visit Eze, a small medieval town that is now home to many artisans. Being December however, most of the artisans were gone, closed down for the season.
Sigh..


But we weren't disappointed because we discovered something we'd never expected or even guessed we'd find in France; a large garden, a garden dedicated only to cactus!
This garden houses some of the rarest cacti on earth. It was such a treat to explore! Little pathways circle up and up until you finally reach the top where you can look down at not only all the cactus plants, but the entire sea view and local areas. (On a clear day, you can see all the way to Nice!)

All in all it was a nice little day trip, and thanks to the season very quiet, no crowds to fight.

It costs €3.00 to get into the cactus museum, which is worth it just for the majestic photos you'll take.

Eze is just outside of Monaco. Above it actually, very easy to find on your map

The statue is located on Saint Jean Cap Ferrat. Here are the directions from the Wiki, as we stumbled upon the lovely lady and her child by accident!

On Cap Ferrat, just behind the town, go right up the lane from La Madone. At the end, turn right and follow the road up to the chapel.
Here's the link for the Wiki on Cap Ferrat.

If you are crazy about Bonsai, this is the place for you!

Located just outside of Bussana Vechia, the International Artists Village salvaged from an village destroyed in an earthquake, is this huge warehouse simply called as far as I can tell, "Bonsai." Here they've created bonsai with what seems like every plant known to man and each and every one of these miniature landscapes are exquisite! I read that they have over 10 thousand different bonsai plants and I believe that number is accurate. As an eye witness, I can say for a fact that this warehouse stretches forever, seemingly without end. The place, with bonsai after bonsai,  is absolutely stunning and of course I had to tell you about it, even their site is striking! Bonsai (the entire store) will take your breathe away and stop your heart with it's beauty. You stroll along the isle, stopping at each plant along the way to take in it's uniqueness. Each bonsai evokes it's own mini universal story, complete with past and present, and you get lost inside it's tale. Be prepared to spend a LOT of time there, imagining each small bonsai world in detail.
I can't say enough about this place. Just go, it's well worth the trip!

Here is their webpage:
Bonsai Center Of Valter Frediani


Here is the contact information. I'm sure since Bussana itself is a major tourist destination, they will speak some English. Bussana is located just outside of San Remo, Italy.

Bonsai Valter Frediani
Road Bussana, 102-18038 BUSSANA SAN REMO - LOCATION BUSSANA OLD - Liguria - ITALY
Tel: +39 0184510638 - Fax +39 1782235297 - Mobile: +39 3383069462 - frediani.bonsai @ tiscali.it - www.fredianibonsai.it

To get across the border from Italy to France or vice versa, there is a quick little mountain pass that leads up to a 3 mile tunnel inside of the mountain. It is called the Col De Tende on the French side and the Colle Di Tenda on the Italian side. The whole experience of driving through this pass and the 3 mile tunnel that separates the two countries, is unique, each side offering it's own form of entertainment. But it also offers a common frustration as well, a 15 minute long wait.

On the French side, pictured above, there is a station that appears to hold round the clock, fire "type" men, who live there. If you suddenly find yourself in trouble, there's instant help available which is a comfort on those cold dark nights at the top of this high pass in the Alps. But the unique attraction at the entrance to this tunnel happens after dark. If you find yourself traveling up through this pass after the sun sets, be sure and bring some food. As you sit in your car waiting for the light to change you'll be greeted by a skulk of foxes. That's right, very cute, very cuddly and very clever foxes will suddenly appear and sit by the side of your car where they will wait patiently for you to well.., feed them.

Being particularly smart, these little guys have us all figured out, wait at the light looking adorable and of course hungry and eventually one of the humans will feed you. 

The small animals roam freely between car and truck and pose for photos while showing absolutely no fear of the people making baby noises at them and snapping photos. When the light changes, they run to the side of the road, sit down, (and I mean literally sit down, I've seen em!)  and wait again for the next red light and a new batch of travelers. It is very charming, and makes that 15 minutes seem to almost fly by..,  
well.., for them..


On the Italian side, they offer a helipad, although I've never actually seen a helicopter there, still, it's great if you need a quick medical emergency exit and there is of course, a bar where you can drink your Italian espresso and chat with fellow travelers while waiting for that 15 minute light to change to green, damn. 
The charm here is in the food, espresso and the words of interesting people. Sip your cafe while checking out the uber fantastic motor bikes parked along side the road. The bar, a cozy little place that sits on the edge of the roadway, (it's almost at the top of the alps, so the bar literally sits on a precipice.) offers every necessity from warmth in the winter, to ice cream when it's hot.

So there you have it, entertainment on both sides. Which makes this adventure kind of cool, except that it's forced upon you..,

for 15 minutes!

Why is there a wait? I have no clue! When I used to come through here 14 years ago or more, they not only stamped your passport to cross between countries, (back than we actually had bragging rights thanks to country stamps in our passports.) but the the tunnel itself, had two lanes, so there was no wait aside from the guard stamping your passport, which never took 15 minutes. 
I heard they were going to build a new road and a new tunnel, which is why they cut it down to one lane and installed a couple of lights at each end, but I've seen no sign of that new road or of, you know, actual construction.

Oh and did I mention, that this pass closes down? Sometimes, when it's not even snowing, meaning it closes for no apparent reason. Also, heads up, be careful of late night travel through this pass because many times they decide to shut the tunnel itself down at 10:00 PM. Why? Maybe., zombies?

Anyway, it's Europe, so you gotta love it. Grit your teeth and enjoy that hot chocolate, or feed the foxes and WAIT. I'm sure there's a game on your phone if the foxes don't show and the bar is closed for.., well it's Italy, it might just be closed. Anyway, you'll have lots of time to "level up" your game or get up close and personal with your iPhone. 
They say patience is a virtue and you'll learn to be patient as a fox, although the motorcyclist above, just about ran out of his, on this charming high mountain pass!