Full of fast cars, famous faces and fat tourists,
Monaco is the playground of the rich. It is a tiny country, surrounded entirely by
France (except at the sea shore!) and situated between Nice and the Italian Border.
As a tax haven it attracts lots of rich folk, who also come here for the great weather,
beautiful scenery and annual Grand Prix through the winding streets. I don't know
what mad hatter originally decided to have a race with the fastest cars they could
find in such a densely populated area, but it makes for good telly viewing. Which
is how it is recommended to see the race even if you are here for it, the place
is absolutely heaving.
We were in Monaco for most of a day and walked around most of the country, such is
its size. The visit to the Royal Palace was interesting as was spotting bits of
the Grand Prix track that you always see on TV. Whilst on the train a helpful
old man was showing us the good places to go and see on the map, he told us he
had been living between Monte Carlo and Bamff, Canada for the last twenty years,
working in the international oil business. When asked what company he was with he
replied "oh...mine". Cool.
The view from the hill of Monaco-Ville towards
the marina and the swimming pool which marks the start line of the Grand Prix.
Walking up to the Royal Palace in the July heat
was tough work, to make matters worse I was barked at by a guard to put my t-shirt
back on, which I had been using to dry my face. Me being me, it wasn't until after
taking the palace tour that I realised Princess Grace of Monaco and Grace Kelly
were one and the same.
Looking from the palace in the direction away from the
marina over the red roofs of the city. The mountains in the distance are of course
part of France.
James Bond's favourite casino, the Casino
Monte Carlo, and a flashy car, as they all were there. I would have had to pay
ten Euros to get to the tables inside, but not being a gambling man I decided
just to use their bogs. It was a little worrying sitting on a toilet that was
plugged into the wall and had LCD displays, but the self cleaning mechanism was
a marvel to watch.
Again the casino, viewed from the gardens which
extend north, full of statues of people in classy 1920s style clothes, just like
the people you see here.
One of the things about Monte Carlo which strikes
you immediately about the wealth of the place is the quantity of quality cars
crusing around the place. Staggering amounts of Rollers, Bentleys, Daimlers and
top-spec Mercs (mostly AMG) litter the casino square, with green-hatted chaffeurs
strolling up and down. Every 5 minutes or so a Ferrari or an Aston Martin would
growl past, or perhaps a concept car or two from the mass manufacturers showing off
their latest creations. Here we see two Rolls-Royces and a couple of Merc coupes,
with the backdrop of the casino.
One of the period statues which decorate the area
around the casino, with all the green foliage it makes a nice picture.
The most famous event or attraction in Monaco
is the Grand Prix which brings the top names from the F1 business in year after
year, and has been doing so since not long after the dawn of motorsport, as this
commemorative staute near the start line shows.
If you like you can take a walk around the entire
F1 track, at least on the pavements as the roads are in everyday use. The red and
white blocks at the tight turns are permanent, but the roads are repainted for the
race and then repainted after, in part because the F1 cars strip most of the paint
off the road! This section is at the back of the casino, the cars go down the curve of this
hill.
You know you've peaked in the world of the posh
when you are sitting having dinner with friends in the back of your yacht in the
port of Monte Carlo, whilst the waiters on the yacht next door are polishing the
cutlery and uncorking the M? Pip pip!
