As we left the top of Castle Hill we had to wrap around the front of the hill past the ocean and past the war memorial. The war memorial was impressive built in to the side of Castle Hill.
We walked past the harbour and to the bus station. The bus to Monaco/Menton was popular and very full but were able to get seats.
Turns out as the bus swerved and turned careening down the coastline towards Menton the floor remained level only sporadically. We stayed in our seats, barely and were a little queasy when we arrived in Menton. We got stunning photos of the coastline however and the Sea Mist rolling in to cover Monaco. 🇲🇨
We started in Menton where we saw the Winter Palace and had lunch on the beach, even though we couldn't see the ocean.
The website http://www.winter-palace-menton.fr/historique/history/ tells us the Winter Palace was a hotel built in 1901 and until the 1st World War was the height of luxury. However it was commandeered as residences during both wars and was cruicial to Canadian soldiers who stayed there while liberating the villages around Menton.
Menton used to be part of the Principality of Monaco from 1814 - 1848 when Menton, along with its neighbour Roquebrune, seceded from Monaco, due at least in part to a tax imposed on lemon exports(Wikipedia).
After lunch we sought out the train to Monaco, I was happy with the extent of the bus trip we had taken. Any further bus adventure would be too much!
Gare de Monaco-Monte-Carlo is the only railway station in the Principality of Monaco. It is served by trains of the French operator SNCF, on the Marseille–Ventimiglia railway line. The station, along with the entire railway line in the principality, is underground.
The Monaco train station is 3 levels. The lowest comes out at the harbour where the Palace was. We went to do the tour, but it was not open for the season. The middle level of the station is just a few blocks up the side of the hill, but the top exit is up a long elevator and you exit the station at the top of the hill in Monte Carlo, near the Casino.
While in Monaco we stumbled across a few outdoor elevators, a useful necessity when you live on the side of a hill I suppose!