Monaco

Yesterday we took the train to the Principality of Monaco, a city-state that is surrounded by France and the Mediterranean Sea. It's less than a mile square but it packs a big punch - there is a lot to see in this small place.

Our first stop was the world famous Casino de Monte-Carlo. This casino is what put Monaco on the modern map. After losing the towns of Menton and Roquebrun (and their olive oil and citrus tax revenues) to France as part of a referendum in the mid-1800s, the ruling Grimaldi family of Monaco needed to find a new source of revenue to avoid bankruptcy. Plans were drawn up for a resort and casino, and it took on several incarnations over a couple of decades before the palatial building designed by Charles Garnier was completed. Gaming revenues almost instantly solved the Grimaldi family's financial issues, and over the decades the famous Monte-Carlo Casino has taken on an almost mythic reputation for opulence and elegance.

The casino is only open for tours by the riff-raff (aka "tourists") from 10am until 1pm because the high-rolling gamblers arrive at 2pm when the gaming tables open. There is a strict dress code to enter: no baseball hats or flip-flops for the tourists, and if you come to gamble after 2pm you'd better be dressed to impress. Unfortunately, a passport or national ID card is required to enter at any time; we had neglected to bring ours and as a result we were only allowed into the Atrium and missed out on seeing the gambling salons. But I did discover a fun fact: the citizens of Monaco are not allowed to enter the casino gaming rooms or gamble at the casino! When the casino was built in the 1860s, the regent Princess Caroline felt that gambling was immoral and did not want her citizens to become morally degenerate (I'm guessing she didn't want them drinking absinthe, either...). Gambling revenue would thus only come from foreigners, and as a trade-off Monaco's citizens would not have to pay income taxes. Caroline's attempt at controlling the moral character of the Monégasque citizens failed in the end though; over time the tax haven advantages and emphasis on gambling turned the city into a "sunny place full of shady people" as Somerset Maugham noted in the 1930s.

Just across the port from the casino is a high promontory called the Rock of Monaco. It's a steep hike to get to the top, but when you do the view is worth it! The Rock offers views on all sides of the port, the sea, and the lower-lying coastal land behind it. This strategic area was a defensive stronghold in the Middle Ages.

It was in 1297 that Francesco Grimaldi seized Monaco's fortress from a rival Genoese faction. Using a "Trojan horse" tactic, he and his men arrived at the castle disguised as Franciscan friars and were able to get inside and take control. Francisco's cousin Ranier I founded the monarchy that has more or less kept control of Monaco since that time, making the Grimaldi dynasty Europe's longest-ruling royal family. In the 1600s Spain and France recognized Monaco as a Principality, which is why its monarchs are styled as "Princes" but not "Kings". Fittingly, a friar wielding a sword is featured prominently on Monaco's coat of arms.

Having hiked to the top of the Rock of Monaco, we were now in the Monaco-Ville district, which is the location of the Royal Palace, Cathedral, and historical village. The beautiful Cathédrale de Notre-Dame-Immaculée is where Prince Ranier III married actress Grace Kelly in 1956. And it is also their final resting place -- Grace Kelly died in a tragic car crash in 1982 and Rainier was interred beside her on his death in 2005. The cathedral faces the sea and overlooks a pretty park that is built into the steep hillside.

From the other side of the palace square, we could look down on one of the newer districts of Monaco, Fontvielle. Because Monaco is so small, the Principality has been undertaking reclamation projects to enlarge its territory. Fontvielle was constructed on artificially reclaimed land from the sea. Note the luxurious rooftop gardens and fancy yachts in the harbor. If you want to buy an apartment here in Monaco, it will cost you -- small studios and one bedroom apartments start $1.5 million and go up in price rapidly, yikes! But just think of all the money you'd save with no income taxes, right?!

Just down the street from the cathedral is Monaco's excellent aquarium -- the Musée Océanographique. 

It's more than just an aquarium, as it is also part of the Oceanographic Institute of Monaco founded by Prince Albert I in 1906. The Institute is now a global organization and lobbies for marine science education, protection of the ocean and marine environments, and preservation of marine species.

Jacques-Yves Cousteau was the director of the museum from 1957-1988. Here is one of the mini-subs he used in his research expeditions, the Anorep 1. It can only fit two people so despite the color there's no way we could "all" live in it. And now that catchy earworm of a song will be in your head all day. You're welcome.

The part of town just below the palace and beside the port is called La Condamine. Here in this district we walked through the Place des Armes and one of the prettiest open-air markets we've seen on the Cote d'Azur. Monaco is so posh even the market stalls are color-coordinated. You can see the stone walls of the old city up on the hill to the left.

Monaco's main harbor is called Port Hercule. This is where all the flashy yachts dock during the Formula One Grand Prix race that is held here every year. The port was also a location for the James Bond film Golden Eye.

If you are a Formula 1 fan but can't be here for the annual race in May, there are F1-related things to see all over the Principality. Like this statue dedicated to William Grover, the winner of the very first Monaco Grand Prix race in 1929.

I think this guy must've been channeling grand prix drivers of the 1930s. We saw him rambling around in this old racecar in front of the Hotel de Paris next to the casino. We couldn't figure out if this was a rental, a promotional stunt, or what. It was just one of the many interesting cars/supercars we saw today driving around the regular roads of Monaco.

Speaking of the roads in Monaco, here is the famous Fairmont Hairpin, part of Monaco's grand prix course. The F1 cars have to take this corner at about 30mph, which is quite a challenge when they can get up to speeds of 180mph elsewhere on the track. Due to its layout as a street course in a compact city, the race course at Monaco is the slowest race on the calendar -- on other tracks the cars exceed 200mph but here they have to drive more slowly because of all the curves. I like that the curbs are always left painted red and white even after the race.

We visited the Car Collection of the late Prince Rainier III to see some classic and recent F1 cars. Since Kevin was wearing his Mercedes Hat, I had to take this photo of him with the "Silver Arrow".

The Prince's car collection was amazing -- so many cars from different eras. I liked that he deliberately searched out this 1954 Sunbeam Alpine roadster.

Although it wasn't the exact car used in the film, the Prince restored it to match the one driven by Grace Kelly in the movie To Catch a Thief.

This interesting little corner of Europe seems to have it all: sun, sea, glitz, glamour, royalty, and flashy cars. We really enjoyed our short visit to this fairytale place where the motto seems to be "the sky's the limit"!