The Second Smallest Country - Monaco

Europe » Monaco » Monte Carlo
July 12th 2008

Published: July 13th 2008

Edit Blog Post

Chrisby

Monaco

The shot that sums it all up.

The thing about going to bed at 10.00 is that one tends to rise early! I was up before the sun, but no matter. I came out onto the balcony to watch the beginning of the day and to write. How lovely. The hills begin to light up and mist falls. The roosters are actually crowing and I can smell the lavender all around me. What a way to start the day. Then, that pot of fabulous French café au lait arrives and the start reaches perfection.

The New Me has really taken over here. I can’t connect to the internet this morning for some odd reason. The Old Me would have had a fit and gotten completely frustrated. The New Me shrugs and reminds the Old Me that we can connect later in the day.

It’s funny how reluctant I am to leave the Chateau. I simply love being here. It is quiet and restful and I have had a lot of time to think and to write. I think there’s also an element of being so high up in the hills and looking down on the town and the coast. It’s as if one is removed from

Le Petit Train

How I saw all there is to see in half an hour.

the real world and can just observe it. But, today, I must re-enter the real world and see some more of it.

And I did. I was checked out of the Chateau and into the Hermitage, the hotel in Monte Carlo, by 9.45. Much better luck with the driving today. I didn’t get lost once. I nearly made one wrong turn, but caught myself in time. Am feeling quite proud, I can tell you.

By 10.00, I was out the door of the hotel and ready to begin exploring Monaco. Let’s start at the beginning. It is HOT today. After the cool of the hills, it’s quite a contrast. In about 30 seconds, I went back into the hotel for a large bottle of water before setting off. I realised that a lot of the sights I wanted to see were on the other side of the harbour and up a hill. Too hot. I paid my one euro to take a bus to Monaco Ville. I’m so glad I did. First of all, because the climb would have killed me in this heat, but secondly because the bus let me off right in front on “Le Petit

The Cathedral

Where Princess Grace and Prince Rainier were both married and buried.

Train”.

How exciting! A train ride all around the town. Monaco is so small that we were able to see everything on offer in half an hour. I mean small. It is roughly the size of Hyde Park and is the second smallest country in the world (the Vatican is first). There were loads of people in town today. First of all, it is a Saturday in July so a lot of people have come in from France or Italy for the day. Secondly, there was a cruise ship in port. I saw dozens of people walking around with stickers on their shirts. It made me smile and be glad that our tours were not in such hot weather. Some of those poor people looked as if they were barely keeping up.

As the tour ended, I found a park with some shade to sit and plot out the walk. As I was sitting there, about six cars came by, all decorated with flowers and ribbons, honking like mad. Turns out that when a bride and groom travel between the church and their reception, the families and the bridal party all travel together and make as much noise

The Cathedral

One of the chapels.

as possible. Although I’m not altogether in favour of the institution, even the cynic in me was charmed.

I started my walk at the cathedral. It is where Princess Grace married Prince Rainier and it is where they are both buried. Their graves get more tourist visits than any other spot in town. Must admit that I am now one of them.

From there, I walked over to the Palais Princier and - oh joy - got there just in time for the Changing of the Guard. Not as impressive as Buckingham Palace, but it was fun to see the hundreds of people trying to get a photo of it. I used that opportunity to buy a postcard for the kids and wait for the furore to die down. The Prince isn’t home today, so the ceremony was a bit curtailed. They also tend to keep it short when the weather is so hot.

I then took a long walk, zigzagging down the city walls to get the quintessential shot of Monaco. The harbour really is impressive and there are some HUGE yachts in town. A couple of them have helicopter pads on them. Now, that is

The Cathedral

Princess Grace's grave.

how to live. What really struck me, however, is the juxtaposition of the old and the new. Crammed into this small space are these really old, beautiful buildings and then, right next to them, are new blocks of flats. Everything really is just jammed all in together.

I ended up at the Place d’Armes hoping to see the Saturday market. By the time I got there, it was winding down, but I did get to see some of the stalls and the fabulous food on offer. From there, I made my way down to the port and walked along until I got to the starting point of the Grand Prix. Not very exciting, but the race is the biggest moneymaker the country has. Literally hundreds of thousands of people come in for it. They reckon one billion (with a b) people watch it on TV. I never have, but the numbers are impressive.

By this time, I was in dire need of more water and something to eat. I found a café called Le Dauphin Vert where I could (a) sit in the shade, (b) eat something more than ice cream and (c) watch the boats in the

The Cathedral

Looking back across both graves.

port. Sat there for quite a while watching the boats come in and out and the people walk back and forth.

It was as I was heading back towards the hotel when I realised that my original plan was somewhat flawed. You see, my hotel is on top of the other hill around the harbour. Deciding that a still climb would be good for me, up I went. By the time I got to the hotel, I was breathless. I was in dire need of some air conditioning, so I spent about an hour in the room getting onto the internet (the New Me was right!) and sorting out some things. The best part? Now I won’t have to worry about it at all because nothing is so important that it can’t wait until Monday.

I eventually ventured out again to see the Café de Paris and the Casino - two of the reasons I came. I decided that I would save going into both of them for tomorrow, but I got loads of photos. As I was walking around that part of town, I saw three red Ferraris drive by. I was beginning to believe what I

Palais Princier

All I saw of the Changing of the Guard.

had read about the money here until some guy who grubbed a smoke from me explained that one can rent a red Ferrari and do the Grand Prix circuit. He sneered; I kind of agreed with him.

By this time, I felt that I had seen all that there was to see and wandered back. I did not realise how lucky I was when I booked into the Hermitage. When the casino was set up, the Prince at the time declared that no one who was from Monaco could go into it. Therefore, he created a group called the Societe des Bains de Mer to run the place. (He wasn’t that noble. The royal family are the largest shareholders!) Over time, they have taken over the two largest and oldest hotels (the other one is the Hotel de Paris), the Café de Paris (again, has been around forever), the Monte Carlo Beach Club (on one of the few beaches in the country) and the best spa in town. When one stays at either hotel, one has access to all of these things with a “Carte d’Or” - but of course. I used mine to go to the spa, swim

Palais Princier

A shot of the older bit.

in the salt water pool and then bake my skin for a while.

I decided to treat myself to a drink. Gives you a clue about why they don’t want you to actually pay for anything until the end. A glass of grapefruit juice mixed with cranberry juice was ten euros! Ouch. I must admit that it did hit the spot.

I’m now back in the room, enjoying the air and feeling deliciously salty. Monaco is a lovely town, but one gets the feeling that it’s not quite real. The shops all have designer names, the people are all tanned and beautiful, the cars are top of the line and the boats in the harbour are just stunning. There is no crime and no unemployment. It all seems a bit over the top to me.

One of the other reasons I have come to Monaco is to see my friend Kirsten. Kirsten was one of the first people I met in London, and we have been friends ever since. She and her boyfriend, Steve, moved down here about a year ago. I really wanted to see them and their new digs.

I had a quick drink

Palais Princier

The view back over town.

in the Vistamar of my hotel while I waited for them. It is on the terrace of the hotel and overlooks all of Monaco. Very nice spot, but the wind had come up, so it was a tad chilly. Amazing after the heat of the day. Steve picked me and took me over to their flat.

They live in a very residential part of the town, the other side of the hill from the Palais and the Cathedral. Lovely flat that overlooks a garden and a small harbour. We sat on their terrace, sharing a bottle of wine and catching up on all the news. They are having the time of their lives and have really settled into the lifestyle. Unlike London or New York, in France people work to live. There are many, many holidays (both religious and secular) in the calendar and people think nothing of taking four to six weeks off at a time. Plus, there are no taxes in Monaco. They pay a 6% “social tax”, but that’s it. The town gets them on the other end, however. Their one bedroom flat, while gorgeous, is not huge. They pay 4,000 euros a month for it.

Monaco

What I met by the old meeting the new.

Ouch! I asked them the question everyone always asks me: when do they think they'll come home. There were smiles on both their faces when they said, "never". I get it.

After a while, we walked over to the main harbour to a restaurant called Quai des Artistes. Right on the water, it was filled with locals so I knew I was in for a treat. And wasn’t I! Escargot swimming in garlic butter followed by prawns in a chilli sauce, all washed down with Provencal wine. No wonder they don’t want to leave!

We decided that, as it was Saturday night, a nightcap was in order. We jumped into a taxi (by this time, none of us fancied a walk uphill!) and went to the main bar of the Hotel de Paris. The Lonely Planet says this is the best people watching in Monte Carlo - and we did just that. Our table was right by the door and we spent hours drinking and watching the beautiful people come in. The later it got, the cattier we became but we laughed a lot and reminded ourselves how lucky we were to be able to enjoy such a

Monaco

One of the old streets down from the palace.

place.

It got very late very quickly, so with hugs and kisses all around, I left to walk back to my hotel (luckily, right around the corner). Another great day. This trip is turning out to be one of the classics.

Additional photos below

Photos: 25, Displayed: 25