We were psyched about Monaco, but psyched with twinge of apprehension following the mammoth disappointment that Luxembourg turned out to be.
Thankfully, Monaco lived up to our amped expectations!
I remember when I was in my 20s, before I had never really been anywhere other then Switzerland, I had a Webshots picture of Monaco on my desktop… and NEVER EVER did I imagine I could ever be there one day; so I had an extra bounce in my step when we arrived. (Day trip from Nice)
We started our day in Monaco at The Café de Paris overlooking the beautiful square in front of the Casino de Monte Carlo.
Sigh… I wish I was there now!!!
Wasn’t cheap mind you!! 1 cappuccino, 1 espresso & 1 croissant was something like 20€!!!!
But what ambience! What atmosphere! AH! it was fantastic!!!
The views were slightly marred by the stands being set-up for the Grand Prix (I think about 3 weeks later) and now I just yearn to be back sometime with an unblemished view!
But honestly, having the Grand Prix buzz in town did make it fun. We walked almost the entire length of the track, and if you’ve ever watched the Monaco Grand Prix, then you know about “Turn 6” (The Hair Pin). It was fun to actually walk the famous hair pin and see it in person.
I am sure my husband wished he was racing it, not just walking around it! HA HA
It was a hot day, so we were in slow motion but we still hit all the sights… except the inside of the Casino. It’s too bad, but we were really not appropriately dressed! We would not have been allowed past the front door!
But we ducked into a shopping centre for some relief from the heat: do the local malls in your area look like this?
If you are a regular reader of my blog, you know how much I love “nice” lunches on vacation. Well, you’ll be surprised to know (especially since we were in Monaco)that we settled for an “ordinary tourist lunch” near the Royal Palace.
It was too hot outside, so we ate indoors, and because most places cater to the outdoor crowd, the inside had more of a cafeteria feel. Ah well, the food was good so it was not a waste!
We had a good reason to be late for lunch mind you! After a super mega boring glimpse of the changing of the guard at the Royal Palace, an interesting tour of the Royal Palace itself, and then soaking up the awesome views of Monte Carlo from the ramparts of the Royal Palace, we were ready for lunch.
We made our way towards the Cathedral (to see the tomb of Princess Grace), knowing that there would be a square and therefore restaurants near by, but on the way there, we got side tracked by a crowd of people gathered around the Palace of Justice. There were streets cordoned off, police everywhere and limos with drivers waiting patiently.
“OOO!” I said to my husband “possible important person sighting!!” So I found a front row spot next to a police office and waited.
See me there, in the bottom left corner wearing shades?
The crowd of people got bigger and bigger, adding to the excitement – and being next to the police officer, I was able to hear him tell the curious tourist who came to ask him over and over again: “who’s in there?” “who’s everyone waiting for?” that he had no idea. Please, as if.
Interesting that denial is the protocol. But I suppose that there is no other choice.
My poor hungry husband was getting bored and impatient and threatened to leave me there and go for lunch without me. I called his bluff. I figure I am on vacation so I have the time to wait around forever for a maybe-almost-perhaps celebrity sighting.
FINALLY after about a good half hour: movement. The limos drivers started their engines, the cops revved up their motorcycles, the police pushed the crowds back…
And out stepped (insert drum roll here) H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco.
My husband AT THAT MOMENT realised his camera settings were wrong, so in a scramble we got two decent shots.
AHHHHH Monaco. I’d go back anytime
