Monte Carlo

Monte Carlo is famous for two things – casinos and formula 1 racing. Arriving in town when we did, we were fortunate enough to see both. The whole mega-dense city was in the throes of preparation for the Grand Prix, to be held at the end of May. I can’t imagine the chaos this event must cause for this tiny place. Every year, the whole track has to be re-assembled- from the grand stands, to the kilometres of barriers to the road re-surfacing. As we walked from the dock into the city, we passed by the finish line. Everything was almost ready to go, and we could imagine the cars roaring through in just a few weeks. The whole place is stuck between a mountain and the sea, with hairpin turns and crazy hills- and you can see the skill the drivers would need to not fly off cliffs or crash into one of the beautiful buildings.

Tim, his mum, his grandma and I made our way up one of these hills towards the famous casino. The famous central square in front of the town was absolutely gorgeous – and the casino was absolutely splendid. We didn’t go in- the 10 euro charge to go inside seemed a bit steep, but we did sit down for coffee, croissants and people-watching. So many rich bitch types strolling by with their tiny dogs and bouffant hairstyles thinking they were the bees knees. Sam, Natalie, Leyla, Nathaniel and Curt (a passenger) all joined us as we sat there in the sun enjoying the atmosphere and the free internet. It was odd to be sitting in a restaurant that served a 214 euro dish, but the coffees were 4.50 euro and that was enough for me.

the yachts in the harbour, and the P&O ventura (PP in bg)

Natalie, Sam and I then walked back towards the old town to visit the palace. As we walked we stopped to take photos of the harbour from the highest point on the hill. You would not believe the fortune sitting in the marina. The yachts that lined every pontoon were out-of-control posh. They made the nicest yacht I have ever seen in Australia look like a wooden dinghy. There seems to be a trend towards black, evil style yachts- making a section of the harbor look like some kind of villain’s lair. There were also huge crewed personal yachts, perhaps half the size of our cruise ship. The most extreme wealthy one had its name “Lady Maura” written along the side in huge solid letters. We later discovered that these letters were 100% pure gold. It kind of made me feel sick to think that people could spend millions on GOLD LETTERS when I could barely afford a coffee in Monte Carlo… or when the people in Senegal and Togo, where I had been just two weeks prior, are living in total poverty.

We hopped a local bus up the cliffs to the old town, otherwise known as Monaco-Ville. I can’t tell you how beautiful this place was; tiny cobbled lanes led us between gorgeous pastel coloured French buildings, complete with window boxes overflowing with blossoming flowers. The lanes were lined with cafes selling coffee and baguettes.

The Palace itself was not that impressive, as it stood covered in scaffolding. The view from the forecourt however, was absolutely stunning. Looking out, you got a panorama of the city, spread across the mountain. High rise buildings of a... old style stand on every available piece of land, with the casino taking pride of place in the centre of things. It truly is a beautiful place.

On our way back to the ship, we stopped for toasted foccacias at a roadside stand and sat around a cute fountain, chowing down. We also swung by a supermarket, where I bought fresh breadsticks (hot from the oven), a big wedge of camembert, a bear, some nice bananas, a 2 euro bottle of rose and an orange juicer (for delicious breakfast times).

Freshly squeezed orange juice is dominating my life right now!

I must say, Monte Carlo was nice.. but i wouldnt' liek to live there.. despite the oppulence it just doesn't feel like much "fun" to live there.. it doesn't have that"alive " feeling barcelona had