My Camino
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Part 2 - Meeting Angels & The Madonna
Cruising The Riviera | Miracle of Plastic | The First Step
Cruising The Riviera
We are really enjoying our evening in Ljubljana but the time soon comes to find a place to rest. Actually, I am not at all tired and suggest to the others that they can sleep in the car while I drive towards Italy. It’s about one o’clock in the morning when we cross the Slovenian-Italian border at Trieste. 
As the border guard checks our passports he disinterestedly asks our destination. “Spain”, we say. This stops him in his tracks and with a grin on his face, he replies. “In a Skoda?”. “Yes, why not?”. The guard calls his colleagues over to hear the latest joke. They are happy to pose for a photo with us and wish us good luck for the journey.
I feel wide-awake, so, as Csaba, Gábor, Andi and Gergő snooze, I drive through the night. As this is my first time in Italy, I’m really surprised by the degree of industrialisation. We cross a number of smallish towns and each has an industrial area with big box-like factories or warehouses.
It’s early morning when the others wake up. I’m still not tired but Gábor insists on taking over the driving. I try to take a nap but find it difficult to sleep in the car.
We have a little fight with Andi, Gergő and Csaba when we want to listen to some music. The engine is rather noisy, therefore the music has to play at full volume - and they’re seated in the back where the loudspeakers are. But after having driven for more than a day, driving becomes so monotonous that you have to spice it up a little and Gábor and I win the argument - the first of many about choice and volume of music.
SKIRTING VENICE, VERONA AND MILAN
As we drive through Northern Italy we pass enticing cities like Venice, Verona, and Milan, but we don’t see much of them from a distance. We’d all like to stop and check out these places but, to stay on schedule, we’re heading straight for Genoa. We’re consoled by the thought that we might be able to visit these places on the way back.
KING OF THE CURVE
After a while, the straight and boring motorway turns into a dramatically bendy road winding steeply downhill towards the coast.
I’m back in the driving seat now, and I decide to give the passengers a few thrills. Until now, good cars like Mercedes, Audis and BMWs have been overtaking us with ease, but the change of the landscape enables me to take revenge on them. It really boosts my adrenaline level - and not only mine. The helpless passengers are scared to death and screaming at me to slow down!! Don’t they realise that my excellent driving skills mean that we’re perfectly safe as I become king of the downhill curve?
GENOA
Finally, we arrive in Genoa , and decide to look around. It’s huge. The weather is hot, and it’s rather impressive to see the Mediterranean. For Hungarians, seeing the sea is always a special event because we are a landlocked country, though we do have some great lakes and rivers.
A few hours later, we reach the French border. The others are trying to convince me that I’m tired but I don’t feel it at all and their constant warnings are driving me crazy. I change the subject by pointing out that our little Skoda is doing well and start a competition to see who can come up with a name to give the car. Csaba wins the prize when he suggests ‘Lujzi’ which is a funny-sounding Hungarian girl’s name.
MONACO
Visiting the Principality of Monaco (Monte Carlo) is part of our programme, but when I realise how far down Monaco lies and how steep the road out of it is, I get worried. We’re five in a weak car, with loads of baggage, and what if Lujzi can’t manage to get back up from there? I love her but no old Skoda is good at crawling up mountainsides.
Gábor is heartbroken (wink) because he’d hoped to pop into a Monte Carlo casino and win a trillion dollars and live happily ever after. Now his life is ruined thanks to me and Lujzi!!
Everyone accepts my judgment but when I suggest that we should get through France as fast as possible and not even bother driving into Cannes, Csaba nearly has a fit!
Like all of us, he loves movies and has dreamt of seeing this famous spot - home of the Cannes Film Festival. He’s sure there’ll be some film stars hanging out on the beach!!! I’m outnumbered.
CANNES
But Cannes is rather disappointing. It turns out to be little more than a regular beach resort - and not a film star in sight! We only stay long enough to look for what we really need: shells.
The shell is the symbol of St. James, and therefore of the camino. History books tell us that not even the most ruthless villains attacked pilgrims who carried a shell.
Actually, it’s very hard to find a single shell. Gábor is the first to find one, Csaba is the second, and only when I got desperate did I find one for myself - but I think it was the most beautiful of them all. Later, we found that shells were on sale everywhere all through the camino. Seemingly people still believe in the power of symbols - especially the shopkeepers.
One thing did impress us about Cannes - the girls. Here’s a photo of us guys staring at some beautiful girls in bikinis. Sorry boys - we didn’t get a picture of those girls but I’m sure you can use your imagination, can’t you?
TOULON
We head for Toulon and make ourselves at home at a campsite quite near the sea with palm trees and breath-taking gardens all around. We manage a quick swim before eating.
While swimming my head is full of thoughts about the next few weeks. I can hardly believe we are really going to do the camino. It’s almost surreal. We are all full of enthusiasm for what fate has in store for us during the next few weeks.
Oh, it’s probable that we’ll suffer some painful blisters until our feet get used to walking, but I’m sure we’re going to meet some fascinating personalities along the way - people who might become really important in our future lives. We’re all very happy that night and it’s amazing how good warmed-up beans can taste when you’re starving.
LINKS
Part 2: Cruising The Riviera | Miracle of Plastic | The First Step