Monaco

Monaco is only approximately 10 km from Menton, so while we were waiting for strong Mistral winds to pass and with Ziggy safely moored in the marina, we took the opportunity to visit.

Monaco is a sovereign state situated on the French Riviera, ruled by a prince with Prince Albert II as the current head of state. 

Covering an area of just 2.08 km², Monaco is the second smallest independent state in the world, after Vatican City, often being referred to as a “toy kingdom” due to the miniature scale. It also has the world’s shortest coastline of any non landlocked country and with a mixture of large mansions and high rise apartment blocks, it is the most densely populated with a population of approximately 38,000.

It is recognised as one of the wealthiest and most expensive places in the world. The main contributor for its economic development was gambling, with the opening of the state’s first casino during the 19th century, along with a rail connection to Paris, the country became a tourist destination attracting affluent tourists seeking opulence and entertainment.

Despite being so densely populated, it does have several park areas with green spaces covering 20% of Monaco. We arrived by bus close to the 19th century Jardins du Casino de Monte Carlo which were instigated by Prince Charles III of Monaco to embody eternal springtime. We walked down the gently sloping gardens with perfect lawns, flower beds, trees, fountains and sculptures, and soon had views of the Belle Époque façade of the famous casino building.

The principality’s most famous casino, the Monte Carlo Casino, established in 1861, is an example of wealth and extravagance.

We went inside before the doors opened for gambling, there is a strict dress code to gamble and you need lots of spare money, it’s fair to say that we failed on both of these criteria! Prior to opening, we were able to look around all of the rooms including the VIP and member only areas. Prince Charles III managed the casino’s development and in 1866, the name ‘Monte Carlo’, (Ligurian for ‘Mount Charles’) was coined in honour of the prince.

Through the main doors is a huge Atrium with marble flooring and columns.

We continued through the many elaborate and ornate marble and gold gaming rooms, the first being full of slot machines, then onto the oldest room with roulette wheels, poker tables, black jack and Texas hold’em, all under a glass ceiling and dazzling chandeliers apparently weighing 200 kg each. There were ‘bull’s eyes’ around the room, now closed, which were once used to watch the players discreetly.

The rooms were all very opulent with works of art on the walls and ceilings, with paintings and frescoes from 19th century masters.

In the private areas, only accessible to frequent clients, there were still the same gaming tables but in a more exclusive setting where tailor made games are allowed.

Some of the rooms were used for filming the James Bond movies, Never Say Never Again and Golden Eye. There wasn’t anybody available to serve us martinis, in fact, everything was closed, even the toilets!

There are plenty of designer shops outside of the casino to spend your winnings, Paul took a liking for a new watch, I think he needs to start saving.

After the casino, we visited the Japanese Garden which was created in 1994 at the request of Prince Rainier III. His idea was to offer a haven of serenity, harmoniously blending Japanese tradition and Mediterranean species. The garden includes a pond with koi carp amid water lilies and lotus flowers, waterfalls, lanterns, small stone and wooden bridges and a teahouse.

The garden respects the strictest principles of Zen thought, before it was built, the site was blessed by a Shinto high priest from the Dazaifu temple in Fukuoka. It has been carefully arranged to create an atmosphere conducive to meditation and contemplation.

Monaco is also famous for hosting the Monaco Grand Prix, one of the original Formula One Grand Prix’s, which further enhances its appeal as a luxury destination.

The first Grand Prix was 1929 after cigarette manufacturer Antony Noghes decided to organise a race with his pals from the Automobile Club de Monaco. The race became part of the first Formula 1 World Championship in 1950, and has been held there every year since 1955. The race involves 78 laps of the 3.337 km circuit.

Unfortunately we weren’t there to experience the race but we did visit parts of the track, firstly the famous hairpin bend outside the Fairmont Monte Carlo, it’s the slowest corner of any F1 circuit.

We then went down to the waterfront where lots of boats were out, and walked through the tunnel and on to the starting grid.

Prince Rainier III was a car enthusiast and since the early 1950s, he began collecting cars, over the years, the collection grew until he didn’t have enough space in the palace garage, so in 1993 he decided to unveil his treasures to the public. Prince Albert II continued to enrich the private collection and now, displayed in a museum, there is an impressive array of over 100 classic automobiles which includes Ferraris, Maseratis, Lamborghinis, Rolls Royces, F1 and rally cars alongside a fiat 500 and a Citroen 2CV.

The mechanics working on the cars are responsible for maintaining and restoring the vehicles with the brief that all cars should be in perfect working order ready to go on the road should the opportunity arise. I thought I should take one out and give it a try.

After seeing his cars we walked up staircases, through gardens, to the 13th century Prince’s Palace.

Built as a fortress on top of the Rock of Monaco (or Le Rocher, as locals like to call Monaco’s oldest neighborhood), the palace is still the private residence of the Grimaldi family who have ruled Monaco since the late 13th century.  It is protected by white suited and helmeted Carabiniers du Prince.

The large square in front of the palace has a statue of François Grimaldi, historic cannons and cannonballs, and great views.

We walked back down through the narrow streets of the old town.

As we continued down we came to the cathedral. Built with white stone in 1875, on the site of a previous 13th century church. The cathedral has an elegant Romanesque-Byzantine facade, and hosted the wedding of Prince Rainier III and Princess Grace in 1956. 

After Princess Grace died in a car accident in 1982, and Prince Rainier died after illness in 2005, the cathedral also became their final resting place.

After a busy day, we headed to the train station to return to Menton. With most of the strong winds now blown over, the forecast was looking much better with lighter winds over the next couple of days, so we prepared Ziggy to leave the following morning.