John's full day in Monaco

John's Full Day In Monaco, Morning with Julie and the Group, afternoon by myself.

The day began with me doing a little people watching. Like Munich last year, the breakfast room in this hotel was most interesting in the people I got to see

The first group were a group of four women, Grandmother, Mum, and kids. The most interesting person was Mum. Being Monaco she looked like she could have been one of the beautiful people in her former days. The long washed out blonde hair was designer shaggy. The white pants and white leather jacket suggested former designer yachty as did the white tee shirt. All it needed was the tan to suggest a former glory now sliding away. But of course this is Monaco where style and appearance are everything. 

At the next table was another woman quite different. I remember reading a review for a French cop show that said only a French woman (in her mid to late thirties) can sit at a table pounding a laptop wearing faded blues jeans, tacky sling shoes, an old ordinary jacket and tee shirt, scraggy unbrushed hair, chain smoke, the cigarette in long fingers with red nails, ..... And still carry it off. But it was the man who was the piece de resistance!

I'd say he was in his late twenties. He had broad shoulders inside a tight fitting long sleeve light blue shirt. A strong neck supported a big head with big powerful features, and it was those features that made him look remarkable. His cheekbones were high. His nose was a large well shaped Roman nose. The long thick black curly hair, black eyes, and deep olive skin made him look as if he had just been taken off a vase from some ancient Mediterranean civilisation. 

After breakfast we went out with the group to see the Monaco Palace exterior, and the Church. Both were beautiful, great views, soldiers and cannons, and the most beautiful church interior I have ever seen. First photos of the Palace exterior - with the guard and some else ( without a yellow hat).

I'm not really a church person. Probably because I'm not a Catholic, and the interiors, although often breathtaking and opulent, for me are often overwrought. This church was different. When I saw it, I imagined an upmarket Monacan interior designer given the brief of giving the church interior a cool simple look, where everything in the church could speak for itself. For example, I've seen the big pictures of Pope John Paul the Second dozens of times before, but I've never really looked at them before.

In the afternoon Julie went off with the rest of the group to Nice and a house of the rich and famous. Having been to Nice and seen the house in a film, we agreed that it would be nice for me to wonder around Monaco on my own. It was nice to roll back the years to the last time I did it. The plan was to walk to the Casino (the last time they didn't let me in!). On the way, I would ask directions, buy a postcard, stamp and find a post office, buy lunch, and do what ever else took my fancy, but only in French. ( I only spoke English to answer an English speaking person). So let me take you on my little stroll.

The first thing you have to remember is that Monaco is built upwards, not outwards, so whenever you get directions you will be told to take the escalator, elevator, or stairs, almost as much as you will be told to turn left or right!

On leaving the hotel you will see a strip of car sales rooms. This is NOT "Moorooka, magic mile of motors!" I'm sure that all cars in Monaco are either expensive, or cute.

The first landmark you pass is the home ground for Monaco FC soccer club,  ground capacity. 18,000. Not many because "the ground" is on top of a roof - the roof of Monaco University. After that, you take a short cut through (read up) through the shopping centre. This gets you onto the road that goes up the hill beside the harbour. 

It is walking up the hill that everyone's ideas of Monaco come true. The harbour is jammed with cruise boats and luxury yachts.

How rich do you have to be to have a yacht in Monaco? A basic mooring spot ("car park) fee is $40k ......   .... A MONTH!!!

A bit further up the hill and you get to Monaco' State Theatre named after Princess Grace. I think it is quite small but the opening gala nights would be sensational. The glitterati in the foyer with the harbour lights as a backdrop. I don't think the lady in the photo counts herself as one of the beautiful people as she laughingly made a dive under the desk when my camera came out. 

At last at the top of the hill and outside the Casino, made it by 12.30. Sadly the casino didn't open until 2:00pm so time for lunch. A guide told me about a little cafe round the corner away from the extortionately priced places around the Casino. I ordered a large beer and a big ham and cheese roll and settled down. These rolls in French have the nickname of "undertakers" because they are so loaded with cholesterol.

At the cafe I chatted with two young English tourists off a cruise ship. They had €150 spending money for the week. They had their first Monaco experience when their two drinks came to €30. It was at lunch that I almost had my first true Monaco experience. Two Lamborghinis worth about one million dollars all up just missed smashing into each other. In a way I was sorry they didn't because I had my camera ready!

Anyway it was getting close to 2:00pm so back to the casino to join the queue and take some photos. Check out the cars!

I really loved the magnificent hotel there. I'm sure it's the one where Hercule Poirot stays when he in town

I must admit that once inside the casino it was a bit of an anti climax. My one illegal photo was deleted. "Monsieur no photos" camera snatched from my hands and examined. The interior was really palatial but the rest a bit like Crown. Slots binging and pinging away. With no James Bond to add to the glamour just watching a roulette wheel spin round and round was a bit boring. However I met a nice lady named Angie from Los somewhere or other who thanked me for getting her a spot at the table so she could lose her €20. After some pleasantries and chit chat Angie went off to play the slots and I caught the bus back home (Now isn't THAT very James Bond!) 

Walking back to the hotel I went into Macca's for a milkshake (not a vodkatini stirred not shaken.) and to use the WiFi. Then back to the hotel.

Reading this, the afternoon doesn't seem to be very exciting but I enjoyed it. It was nice to know that I could still get myself around O.K.