May 22nd Monaco to Switzerland
At 5:00 a.m. we woke up in a parking lot to a view which rivalled that of the nicest hotels...
...Looking down over Monaco and the Mediterranean Sea, we planned a trip to the beach.
It was a little chilly but warm enough for a quick dip (shower).
A long ride north that straddled the French/Italian border eventually brought us to Switzerland late in the evening. We started ascending steeply into the alpes as the sun began to go down.
It was hard for me to believe that I had been warm ealier that morning, it seemed like a dream...
It was too cold to camp, so we decided to cross the pass. We climbed into the clouds. The rain made it hard to see through a helmet, but raising the visor let the hail pelt your face...I chose visability. 11:00 p.m. we threw up a tent on the other side of the pass. We set alarms for 5:00 a.m. and went to bed in our slightly wet gear.
-J.