Monte Carlo

 July 2014
Having three days to explore Monte Carlo and part of the Cote D'Azur was a great way to start a holiday. Firstly the weather was perfect with maximum temperatures from mid twenties to low thirties Celsius. Coming from winter in Melbourne it was great to see blue skies and enjoy summer.

Monte Carlo has a reputation for being expensive - and it is. However, especially as the area is so small, it is easy to explore on foot and there are plenty of places where you can find good, inexpensive, food - especially on the foreshore. On our first evening we discovered a food outlet, Siklosi, near the marina, and ended up eating there each evening. The fish and chips with calamari rings were great. The marina, of course, is one of the special features of the city.

The architecture in the city is impressive with lots of apartment buildings built in layers up the hill. Every available space is used but generally there is a uniformity of theme in the architecture.

Anything too modern looks out of place.

The city, old and new, nestles into a rocky outcrop which is dominant from most places in the Principality.

There a number of casinos in Monte Carlo but the Grand Casino is possibly the best known. From any angle it is certainly an impressive building.

One evening we walked around to the square facing the other side of this building and watched people coming and going. Off this area run several small streets with shops from all the well known brands in fashion, perfumes and jewellery. The hotel where we stayed had displays in the foyer and other public places for a number of these stores.

The Monaco Grand Prix has run through the streets of Monte Carlo since 1929. During our stay our tour driver took us over a large section of the course, including the grid area and the starting line. We also walked beside sections of the course.

Grand Prix start line

One of the starting grids

Skid marks in the above photo suggest that not only Formula One drivers have started driving from this spot. Next year I will watch at least part of the race with interest.

Monte Carlo is not the place to go for its beaches but we did find a beach when we followed the promenade along the shore away from the city.

The promenade is known as the Champions Promenade where the best known football (soccer) players in the world are invited to imprint their footprints on the promenade.

And last, but not least, there is the Mediterranean Sea.

Grasse, Saint-Paul de Vence and Cap Ferrat

Wednesday 30 July
In the morning we drove into the hills to Grasse, best known for the perfume industry.  Grasse is approximately an hour's drive west of Monte Carlo.

In Grasse we visited the Fragonard Perfumery where we were shown how the perfumes and other fragrant products are produced. The shop had on display the many items produced at the factory.

View of houses across the road from the factory

 Our next stop was the village of Saint-Paul de Vence. The history of the village dates back before the fourteenth century but it was in the 1300s that the village became a border stronghold. Built on a hill it provides a good view of the surrounding country-side as well as being protected by high walls. 

We had lunch and then entered the walls of the village. The village had many narrow walkways to explore and masses of brightly coloured flowers hung from pots or climbed over walls..

There were magnificent views of the surrounding country side from the top of the hill.

The cemetery is located outside the walls of the village.

On the way back to Monte Carlo we visited the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild at Cape Ferrat peninsula, a villa built in 1905 by Baroness Ephrussi de Rothschild.

The house and its collections are impressive but the gardens are magnificent.

View from the house

Fountains

Water feature leading to pavilion

Rose garden

View from the garden

We then returned to Monte Carlo after a wonderful day exploring part of the Cote D'Azur.

Monte Carlo - Old City

Tuesday 29 August

In the morning we discovered that a small cruise ship had arrived overnight. The weather was fine and warm and it was going to be a beautiful day.

 After breakfast on the balcony of the rooftop restaurant we met Anya and Joel and the rest of the group downstairs, ready for the bus ride to the Old City. Our guide in Monte Carlo was Jean Paul. Monte Carlo is really divided into three sections - the Old City, the marina and waterfront area plus a new section of reclaimed land.

Jean Paul talking to group members

Our first stop was a lookout where we could obtain views of the Old City and other parts of Monte Carlo.

Old City

Many of the roads in this area have been cut through rock or travel through underground tunnels.

When we arrived at the Old City we walked through the gardens where we had other views of Monte Carlo including parts of the reclaimed land and its marina.

In the gardens there was a statue of Prince Albert I who devoted much of his life to studing the science of oceanography.

 The first building we visited was St Nicholas Cathedral where members of the royal family, including Princess Grace, are buried. Wherever you go in Monaco there are references to Princess Grace.

The next stop was a tour of the Palace.

At 11.55 am we watched the Changing of the Guard in the courtyard outside the Palace.

As in Monte Carlo, there were many interesting buildings to view in the Old City.

There were also lots of lanes to explore and, of course, opportunities to purchase items.

We decided not to return on the bus to the hotel but instead visited the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco.

The museum was founded in 1901 by Prince Albert I and Jacques Cousteau was director of the museum from 1957-1988. The museum is also an aquarium featuring sharks and other fish.

Children's playground on roof of museum

The submarine used by Jacques Cousteau in his explorations of the sea - the yellow submarine.

We then walked back to the hotel.

Monte Carlo

Monday 28 July
At Nice Airport we were met by Anya, our APT Tour Director, and Joel, our driver, while we were visiting Monte Carlo. Another couple in our group had also been on the plane to Nice.

We had arrived mid afternoon and soon realised that traffic jams also exist in southern France. There were lots of road construction projects which added to delays. Monte Carlo is a ward in the principality of Monaco. The area of Monaco is approximately one square mile and is bordered by France on three sides and the Mediterranean Sea on the fourth. Eight kilometres to the east is France's border with Italy.

After showing us some of the sites of the area we arrived at the Fairmont Hotel where we were to stay for the next three days. The hotel has a number of restaurants but the best place to be is the restaurant on the rooftop where breakfast was served each day. The hotel also has its own casino but the Grand Casino is next door.

The hotel has great views of the Mediterranean Sea.

View from our window

View from hotel roof

At the Meet and Greet Reception in the hotel at 6 pm we met most of the other members of our group - nineteen in all. Anya provided an update on what we would be doing during this stage of the holiday. We then went to the rooftop on the 7th floor for other views of the city.

From the roof of the hotel it is possible to walk on to a path that leads past the Grand Casino to the waterfront.

It was easy to imagine images from James Bond films as we passed the casino building.

Monte Carlo is definitely a compact city with every inch of land utilised.

The architecture has a character of its own.

However it is the boats moored at the marina that make the most impressive sight.

We spent some time exploring the foreshore with its entertainment areas, playgrounds for children and plenty of places selling food. We purchased a chicken wrap to eat as we continued our initial exploration before returning to the hotel.