Monaco

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Cannes, France, 7th July, 2010.

We docked at the Southern French port of Cannes around 6am to a misty day which was a sign that it was going to be quite hot. This is no surprise really as we have been sweating solidly now for 6 and a half weeks. A cold, wet day would be a blessing but that was not to be.

The port of Cannes is nothing if not very clean and beautiful with lovely golden beaches and plenty of shops and hotels on the seafront. We hopped on our tour bus for the drive to Monaco and what a lovely and pleasant drive it was. The countryside around here is stunning. We drove through Grasse and Nice and after 90 minutes we arrived at the Principality of Monaco and all can say is Wow with a capital W. Absolutely lovely. A rich mans playground situated on a narrow coastal strip, nestling between the sea and the mountains. Monaco is an independent sovereign state with Prince Albert as it’s head. Albert succeeded the throne upon the death of his Father, Prince Rainier the third of the Grimaldi dynasty that has been around for over 7 centuries. The lad is a bit of a slow starter as he is 52 years old and has only just got engaged for the first time. His bride to be is only 32 so she will be expected to produce a few little male Grimaldis for the succession pretty toot sweet because if there is no heir Monaco gets handed back to France.

A tiny State of only 195 hectares and aa population of 32.000 it is only half the size of Campbelltown and a third of it’s population, but it has one Policeman for every 6 inhabitants. You are also allowed by law to walk around the city in your swimwear. The harbor was full of millionaires yachts and most of the homes were palatial flats, very tastefully built and those that weren’t flats were lovely period homes. Extremely clean place and a great public transport system.


We started off at the Royal Palace which sits atop a big rock and overlooks the fantastic landscape of the Principality. Inside it was, well, what do you expect ? A Palace. Much the same as any other palace fitted out with the accoutrements of the wealthy to the detriment of the hoi poloi (see, I’m using a lot of French words here). I really tried out my French skills here, ordering Pomme frittes, Fantair (Fanta) and said Sivous plais and merci. Of course it holds an interest because the late Princess Grace, Mother of the current ruler, was the famous US movie star Grace Kelly who drove off a cliff in the Principality in the mid 80s.

We then had a stroll around the lovely antiquated town and did some shopping and sightseeing before being bussed to Monte Carlo where most of the group went to the world famous Monte Carlo Casino but we were not interested so we wandered around the Japanese gardens and had a meal in the town centre. A lovely place to visit and the natives were very friendly and helpful which is something I had not expected from the French, them being ‘The old enemy” of the English and the mob that we had a 100 year war with in the middle ages as well as later with that shortarsed French upstart Napolean, so seeing them in a friendly light was quite a shock. Lovely people.

A great day and another highlight of the tour. Well done France.

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