Subject: Report #108 Monte Carlo, Monaco April 17, 2016 Sunday Mostly cloudy, rain & 62 degrees Part #1 of 2 86 Pictures
Gosh, these ports are coming and going so fast, it has been hard keeping up with them. Today's stop was in a teensy-tiny seaside state on the French Riviera called Monaco. It is wedged between France and Italy and has a total of .77 square miles. The capital of Monaco is Monaco with a population of 32,965 French-speaking citizens. Prince Albert ll is the king of this fairytale country, although his parents were the most famous couple back in the days. Prince Rainier lll and Grace Kelly were the talk of the day.
Monaco sizzles with resident millionaires who own the mega-yachts in the harbor. Day-trippers by the millions come here to see the palace, sip champagne at Café de Paris, and try their luck at The Casino. The best time to visit is April to June, and September to October. Things to see include the changing of the guard at the palace, the Cathedral where the graves of Prince Rainier and Grace Kelly are interred, the billionaire yachts, and the world-class race car drivers during the Formula One Grand Prix in May.
What is there to do? Wear the correct clothing, and you can gamble in The Casino in Monte Carlo, get a gold dust bath at Thermes Marin de Monte Carlo, or dine at Louis XlV, Monaco's most prestigious address. Hike among century old cactus in Jardin Exotique. Or take a ride between the sea and cliffs along the Grand Cornishe.
What is there to eat? Try barbajuan-spinach and cheese pastries or stockfish made with dried cod with anise seed. Special drink? Have a champagne aperitif at celebrity-cool Karement on the waterfront.
Trademarks are millionaire lifestyle, banking, tax-free haven, Formula One Grand Prix, Grace Kelly, Monte Carlo Casino, the Grimaldi dynasty.
Random fact: Monaco grew by 20% in the late 1960's when land was re-claimed from the sea to build Fontvielle. Off and on plans to build an artificial island has been discussed to see the world's second smallest country (Monaco) grow another 5%. You may wonder what the smallest country in the world is? We were just there…….Vatican City with .44 square kilometers, which is about .17 square miles.
Ship tours offered a chance to walk the Formula One race car route with a stop at the car museum for 3 hours for $50. Highlights of Monaco and Monte Carlo for 4 hours was $75. Trips out of the area went to the Riviera, Eze, and Menton for 5 hours at $110 and $70. A ride to St. Paul de Vence for 4 ½ hours for $75 was one we did the last time we were here. Was a good alternative for staying in Monte Carlo.
But that was exactly what we did today…..stayed in the port. Crossing paths with Peter, our purser, we should have listened to his advice about the possibility of rain this afternoon. Thinking that we would be on our way out of the city by then (all aboard time was 3:30pm), we did not anticipate the rain that came down in the morning. Like most of the morning. Oh well, at least we had on a jacket and a hooded sweatshirt, and did not get seriously wet.
We left the ship around 10am, and ran into friends who were already on their way back to the ship. They walked close by, but could not remember how to find the elevators that took you up to the Casino and Hotel de Paris. We were docked closer to the Old Town, where you could ride an elevator to see The Palais Princier for 8 Euro, or the Place du Palais, where the changing of the guard takes lace daily at 11:55am. Many folks waited to see the special tradition, but due to the rain, it was cancelled. It would have been free, as was the Cathedral Notre Dame-Immaculate, where Prince Rainier and his Princess are now interred. Nearby is the Oceanographique Museum and Aquarium can be seen for 16 Euro. Since we have toured this area many times in the past, we decided to head the opposite way instead.
Walking the waterfront was interesting because we got to see the grandstands that have been erected for the upcoming Formula One Grand Prix. Many over-the-top racing cars were going by us along the harbor's edge, revving their engines about every 2 seconds. Show-offs. Fun…..
Passing by a row of cafes, we read the menus, and decided to stop at one of these if they are opened later. Being Sunday, we were told most everything would be closed. Hope that wasn't the case.
We found our way to the elevator that took us up towards the Casino. That led to a marble-clad tunnel, where we took another lift up to the top. By now, it was raining pretty heavy, so we made our way to the steps of the Monte Carlo Casino. While we squeezed in with a bunch of folks under the overhang, we spotted our buddies Heo, Greg, Sharon, and Martha. They had made their way here on the Ho-Ho bus (22 Euro), and decided to stop here at the Café de Paris for coffee. They found out that sitting inside this restaurant, they were obligated to buy a substantial meal. So they went back outside, took a seat, and waited over an hour to be served. That's when we joined them briefly, waiting for the rain to let up, then continued walking uphill.
Our next stop was in the Sun Casino, where there was no dress code, as in the Casino or the Hotel de Paris. No shorts, t-shirts, or tennis shoes. Oddly enough, the distressed jeans are still in fashion here, and some ladies were wearing those…..full of holes and rips. Wonder if they got in?
Continuing uphill, we wandered through the high-end stores that are now in a very modern set of buildings in the center of the hillside. We really wanted to walk the gardens up here, even if it was raining. We did go inside the large information center at the top, but noticed that we already had all of the needed brochures they offered. Heading back down, we passed through the meandering palm-lined grass with a stream with ducks.
From here, we followed the same path we had taken up, ending back down on the waterfront. The cafes were just opening up, and we chose the one called Brasseries de Monaco, with tables right on the raceway. We had spotted pizza on the menu, but unfortunately, they don't serve it until the evening. A cheeseburger with fries would take its place. We split the huge burger, and added two draft beers. Perfect. Even better, it did not rain. While we dined, a few of the race car drivers pulled up their fancy cars, and joined the crowd here. Pretty cool to see these custom-made cars up close and personal. Big bucks there.
We had to get moving sooner than we liked, since all aboard time was 3:30pm. Got back to the ship by 2:30pm, and used the time to download photos, as always. The sail away was held at 3:30pm, but was way nicer than yesterday's. The sun was trying to peek out of the clouds, and the chilly winds we had yesterday were gone.
The sail out of the harbor was swift, although at one point, the ship did a sudden turn, and a whole lot of pool water spilled over the side. People sure ran quickly to keep dry. This is the second time something like this has happened at sail away. Wonder if there is a problem we don't know about? Perhaps we don't want to know. Hopefully no one was injured during this maneuver.
A few were missing at dinner, because they went to a special dance party dinner in the Pinnacle Grill. So we had enough room for the ten of us at one table. It was Sharon's last evening, since she will be leaving the ship tomorrow in Barcelona, spending a few days there, then heading back to Sydney, where she lives. Barb even admitted tonight that she has begun packing. With only 13 days left of the world cruise, the days will disappear quickly now.
The show this evening was another performance by Rita Rudner. It's hard for them to fill the room when these shows happen on a port night. If folks have early tours, they tend to skip the entertainment.
Three more ports remain to be seen……..Barcelona, Cadiz, and Funchal.
Bill & Mary Ann
The Amsterdam has arrived to the port of Monte Carlo
Very cloudy skies
Waterfront apartments with the road underneath
One of many boats in the harbor
Modern city mixed with the old
The "old" was really cool
Monaco is only one square mile
Port Hercule
Moorings for hundreds of vessels
Very busy port
Some pretty nice yachts
Monaco Cruise Terminal
The way out
The bus for a tour awaits
Information desk in the terminal
Gathering maps and info at the desk
A good map on the wall
Amsterdam docked instead of at anchor
A large yacht in port
The walk up to Old Town
Checking out the boats
Fishing boats
Speed boats
One neat car
Like these boats too
Lined up vessels
A row of boats
Small sailboats
Palais du Prince
A herring gull
Grandstands for the Formula One car race
Grand Prix sign
Serious grandstands
This is where the race begins
Another race car
Menu on the Route de la Piscine
Some cafes were expensive
Margherita pizza was 10 or 11 Euro
Yellow is a popular color
Quai des Etats
Some construction happening
Walkway along the harbor
Red race car
Practicing the raceway
Some impressive yachts
They got bigger as we walked
The African Cat
Many yachts
Some yachts become homes
Harbor views
Gelato
Looks like a ship, but was not
Amsterdam docked across the harbor
This is where the rain began
The Yacht Club of Monaco
An elevator took us to this marble-clad tunnel
We exited the elevator here, below the Casino
Parking lot above the harbor
Avenue de Monte Carlo
Turn left to Hotel de Paris
View from the top (in the rain)
The Casino
Hotel de Paris
There is a dress code here
Place du Casino
Looking up from The Casino
More race cars up here
Café du Paris
The Casino
Heo, Greg, Sharon, and Mary Ann
Martha in her sun hat
The Casino and greens
Fountain of Place du Casino
Decorated with tennis balls for a tournament
Passport required to enter
The little train ride
Casino and hotel
The round fountain
Modern structure with extremely high-end stores
Stores not overly-crowded
Gardens alongside the store complex
Garden fountain
Nice walk, but it was still raining
A stream with ducks in the garden
Ducks love the rain
Had the park to ourselves
