Turin (Torino) Italy (July 2012)

I stayed in Turin, Italy for three weeks in July 2012. The purpose of the stay was to attend the 18th Boulder Institute of Microfinance course held at International Training Center of International Labor Organization of the United Nations located in Turin.

During this trip, I had an excursion to Montecarlo, Monaco and Nice, France. It was covered in another blog post.

On July 29th, Sunday, I took the city sightseeing tours on the hop-on, hop-off buses. Turin has two lines and I was able to get on both of them on one day.

The following are my observations on Turin:

• Turin used to be the capital of the Savoy family, Italia's original power.
• Turin used to be an icon of Italy's industrialization represented by Fiat.
• Turin held the 2006 Winter Olympics, putting its name in the international market.
• Turin is famous for the Shroud of Turin, which is supposed to be the cloth that was used to wrap up the body of Jesus Christ. It is preserved in a glass casket that is stored somewhere in Turin's Duomo.
• Turin has the longest river, called Po River that provides pleasant scenery and hiking trails.
• Turin has plenty of Baroque-style buildings that provide classic looks and pleasant appeals.
• Turin is one of the greenest cities in Italy with a lot of parks and hiking trails.
• Turin has access to the Alps within one-hour drive.
• Turin has also access to Montecarlo and Nice within 3-4 hour driving distance.
• Turin has more than 20 museums that attract the interests of diverse people.
• Turin is the capital of contemporary arts in Italy.
• Turin is the home town for long break sticks. 

Definitely it is one of the cities that I would like to live even for a short period of time. - Jeffrey

Montecarlo, Monaco and Nice, France...(July 2012)

The excursion started at 6AM from Turin or Torino. Approximately 30  people participated, including both Francophone and Anglophone. Language barrier naturally drew the line between two groups.

The first place to visit was a perfume factory in Nice, called Fragonard. I am not using fragrance so I am not familiar with it but I know that France is known for producing good fragrances, such as Chanel. For the first time, I bought a small perfume for Kristin. The name is "Beauty of the Night." I hope she will like it.

Monaco Bay

The second place to visit was Monaco. It is an independent state ruled by a prince although it is included in France and French is the official language. Monaco is well known for Grace Kelly who married the Prince Ranier III in 1956 and is now the Princess. I had a chance to visit the cathedral where their wedding took place. Also I was able to watch the changing of the guards at the Prince Palace.

Prince and Princess Pledged Here

The Cathedral

Princess Grace and Prince Rainier III

35,000 inhabitants live in Monaco but only 7,000 people are indigenous. All others are celebrities, particularly sports stars, and rich people who have established their residences in Monaco as a tax haven. The guide said that income tax is very low in Monaco. Monaco is the state of the highest population density in Europe and the second smallest state in Europe, after The Vatican, geographically located in the City of Rome, Italy.

Monaco Bay View

Montecarlo Casino

Montecarlo is part of Monaco, but it claims its own fame because of two reasons. One is the famous Gran Prix auto race. It draws many people from around the world. The other are the casinos and hotels that draw rich people as their leisure place. It was not so big geographically but only a large city block. Nonetheless, this little place seems to be the center place for the richest people in Europe. The guide said it could be called the Beverley Hills of Europe. There were a lot of people in front of the Montecarlo Casino because tourists were taking photos with the most expensive cars in the world, which were parked in front of the casino. The cars I could identify were Bentley, Maserati, Ferrari, Porsche plus Mercedes-Benz and BMW. Even taxis were high class Mercedes-Benz.

Montecarlo Beach View

The last destination was Nice. The guide said that it was a lot more influenced by the Italians by the Savoian family but was annexed by the Napoleon and has become part of France. Situated inside the Angel Bay, Nice is drawing tourists year-round. The weather is temperate because of the Mediterranean Sea it faces. The long boardwalk, called Promenades, alongside the beach is known for the Nice Carnival that takes place in February every year. The beach seems to be basically a pebble beach but has certain areas covered with sand. The beach width was narrow but people were sunbathing regardless of the sights of the  passersby like me. I suppose they do not care or they possibly want to show off themselves. Our stay was less than two hours, but fortunately I was able to get on the city sightseeing bus to look around the city. 

Le Gran Tour Nice

Sunbathers at Nice Beach

The tour ended back in Turin at 9:30PM. It was still not so dark. Coming back to the room, I felt that the day was very long but productive. I was grateful for the opportunity to see Monaco and Nice. - Jeffrey

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Posted By jlee80111 to Ministries of Jeffrey and Kristin Lee in Rwanda at 7/29/2012