The 14th of July France celebrates the start of the Independent Republic and it unfortunately for the French the Tour de France was won today by a Brit. The Dutch landed thankfully on the Mont Ventoux, just as tight as the first Dreamliner did on Nice Airport to test the asphalt for the route Oslo-Nice. Let the Norwegians come with their deep pockets, we hear everybody calling. All though, a survey found out that salaries at the Riviera are not as low as previously thought. Indeed, after Paris, the Paca area (districts 83 and 06 )is the best paid in France with an average of 32,000 euro per year. And over 300 days of sunshine as a bonus. That sun is the main reason that our local roads are clogged with tourists from the North of France and the rest of Europe. Expect traffic jams especially between Mandelieu and Monaco and for the tourusts an advice; drive as little as possible along the coastal roads unless you still want to be toasted like a potato. In the car you’ll never be as brown as the gunk that was found on the sea of Cagnes sur Mer; described as ‘chocolate mousse’. I bet a bottle of wine that it is something else; a thorough investigation is in progress. Meanwhile, the sea water on the Côte d’Azur remains an issue, as was the beach of Roquebrune-Cap-Martin closed after a sewage pipe snapped into the sea. Just not yet snapped, but was almost the appendicitis of Elton John, he was operated in England and therefore had to cancel his concert in Monaco. The French businessman Bernard Tapie (owner of Nice Matin) also had to cancel a lot of appointments, as he was seized from his house in Paris 69 million and a 48 million villa in St. Tropez. Even his bank accounts were blocked and all because he cheated the state for 400 million euros. And Tapie did not even have to lie on his back to cheat, unlike the Russian prostitute in Monaco who ‘fell in love’ with a Dutch billionaire in Monaco. The man bought her a ring of 70,000 euros, organized a private performance of the Black Eyed Peas for her birthday and gave her a check for one million euro, to prove his love. When he discovered that she worked as a whore, he blocked the check, the woman went to court and found a friendly judge that allowed her to cash the check. That was a quickie she might have thought, although the Dutchman is not finished with her yet; he appeals against the court.