A Visit to Monaco

        We left the ancient world of the Romans and the Renaissance spirit of St Peters Basilica  behind and headed to the present world of the Rich and Famous: the Principality of Monaco.  We awoke to a dock full of Yachts!  As we looked at the buildings on the hill, we saw one that stood our like a jewel on a crown.  We thought it must be their basilica for anything that large had to be a church.  Nunan, our cruise director got on the speaker and said, "Straight ahead there is a building you cannot miss with a green roof.  It is the James Bond Casino Royal!" What! I scrambled to get my opera glasses and John got his Golf Bushnel, and we stood in our deck staring at the Baroque gilded building.  Now there must be a story about this somewhere...

           It so happens that the idea to build a casino came from Princess Caroline, a shrewd business-minded spouse of Prince Lorestan I in 1846.  The economy of the country was built on a taxation system which were very high.  Two provinces who depended on agriculture decided that they would secede and become a part of France rather than pay such high taxes to Monaco.  So the king had to think of an alternative way of filling his coffers.   Following Princess Caroline's idea, the House of Grimaldi secured a gambling license.  They contracted with several groups to build a casino and get it going.  Unfortunately, all that happened  was that it brought an unsavory element to its shores, and filled the street with thieves. That was not what Caroline had in mind.
          Caroline went the Francios de Louis  Blanc, a French Jew who was successfully running a lucrative gambling operation in Hamburg, Germany.   He was not  convinced to start an new venture in little Monaco. But Caroline would not take no for an answer, and persuaded Blanc's wife that Monaco, with its great Mediterranean climate, was just what she needed to cure her illness.  So the Blancs made the trip to Monaco to check it out.
         Blanc said he would entertain the possibility if King  Charles III, Florestan's successor, would do two things.  First, clean up the streets and get rid of the thieves, and secondly change the name of the area to Monte Carlo (Charles' Mountain).  No problem! Blanc bought the concession for a million francs.  He then constructed this grand Casino de Monte Carlo along with a grand theater, ballet, and opera house.   He set up the public Company as Societe des Bains de Mer de Monoco  which the Monaco Government and ruling family had majority interest. Then he generated more money from investors like the Bishop of Monaco, Cardinal Pecci, and Pope Leo XIII.  (That's one way of getting God's blessing!)  The company would also own the hotels, sports club, food services, and night clubs.
        Jules Putrou and Charles Garnier were the architects for the Casino and the Opera House as well as the Hotel du Paris.  The impressive Baroque style of the buildings were the perfect calling card for all the rich and famous all over Europe who came to this little country to donate their money for fun and frolic.  With new roads and added railway lines, Monaco was the place to go party for the next fifty years.

      We were eager explore this interesting country.    We had time for breakfast while the ship docked and cleared with the authorities and paid its docking fee.  The Carnival Sunshine was to be the only ship in the dock for the day, so we would have Monaco all to ourselves.  We came back to our room and looked outside our deck to see people leaving the ship and begin the walk into the city.  No need for large buses for this excursion.  We were on our own!

Leaving on foot!

Some were leaving in a Porche!

Carnival Sunshine settled at Port Hercules.

     The name Monaco comes from the nearby Phoenician Greek colony of Monoikos in the 6th century B.C.  The myth goes like this:  Hercules came to the area and turned away all other gods.  He wanted this corner of the wold for himself.  A temple of Hercules was built in Monoikos which is the house of Hercules.  In 1215 A.D. Henry VI, the Holy  Roman Emperor and king of Germany, offered a land grant to the Genoa House of Grimaldi to create a colony.  In 1297 Francisco Grimaldi, known as "Il Malizia" the "cunning one" dressed as a Franciscan Monk with a dagger under his cloak, entered the "Rock of Monaco".  He and his men secured the city.  The denizens of the area did not honor the land grand and kicked them out.  In 1419 the Grimaldi family returned and bought the land grant from the Spanish king of Aragon who was happy to get the money. Then the Spanish went back on their word.   King Honore II, not having much of an army, so sought protection from the French against the Spanish forces who wanted Monaco back.  The French helped and they succeeded. French King Louis XIII received the Monaco king as the Duc et Pair Etrange .  In so doing, the princes of Monaco became vassals of the French kings yet remained a sovereign country.   

We decided to walk up to Fort Antoin that was just up ahead from the dock. The fort was built in the early 1800s as a look out site to ward off pirates.

Fort Antoin with spaces for canons.

We had to climb up some steep stairs.

When we arrive to the fist level, we saw gardens with lovely landscaping.

Walking around to the front we saw that the canons were ready at a moment's notice with canon balls all piled ready to be loaded.

The park also had beautiful sculptures.

Dedicated to the anniversary as a colony.

We walked to the edge of the fort and saw some fantastic views.

It was clear that this was a great vantage point from this rock.

A sculpture of various string instruments called MELODY

There was also a plaque showing different parts of the fort area.

This is now is a site for an outdoor theater in an amphitheater setting.

Evening Concert

The area also houses a Marine Museum because Prince Rainier was very interested in marine life.

Marine Museum

Yellow submarine in front of the Marine Museum

The Shark exhibition at the Museum

We would have loved to go to the museum but John was eager to see the rest of the city.  He knows when he takes me into a museum it could be hours.....

We walked across the street and noticed people buying tickets for the Choo- choo train drive around the city.

Soon we climbed aboard, put on our earphones, clicked English, and we were off!

We passed by the fancy police station.  Although there is no army, air force or navy, Monaco has a large police force of 515 police for 35,000 people.  They have specialist units and operate surveillance boats that patrol the coastal waters..  There is also a body guard unit called Comagnie des Carabiniers du Prince.  They carry M16 rifles and Glocks. They protect the Prince and do the changing of the guards at the castle.

 We drove down by the open outdoor market.

Vespas and motorcycles looked like the best means of transportation and easy parking.

It was easy to get into traffic jams in such a small space with so many people living here.  Monaco boasts the highest GDP nominal per capita at  $153,777 and lowest unemployment - 0%.  The 48,000 workers commute from France and Italy each day.  It has the highest number of millionaires and billionaires in the world because there no income tax.  Several young tennis players reside here like Novak Djokovic and Victoria Azarenka.

Very expensive real estate!

 It has the most expensive real estate 458,300 per square meter. One of the biggest source of income is the casino, and another is tourism.  It's low business tax has attracted companies in banking, cosmetics and biothemics.  It is a member of the European Union and prints its euros with a Monegasque design.

We continued up the road into the tourist shops.

Soon we were in the main drag of the city  with lovely landscaping and a fountains.

We passes by some expensive apartments that overlook the  bay.

The view from the road was great as well.

Then we went through the underground tunnel.

The dark tunnel

 Monte Carlo Casino complex with the Gran Theater de Monte Carlo and Les Ballet de Monte Carlo

We came back around and circle the plaza in front of the Casino and the Opera House.
Then our trip was over. Boy that was quick!  We were back where we started and in front of the palace just in time to see the changing of the guards.
       Lots of tourist were gathered in front of the palace waiting for this daily event, so we had to jostle for position so we could see.

We loved the ceremony and the precision of the soldiers.  They were in their best white uniforms and everyone enjoyed taking pictures of the guards.

St Nicholas Catholic Church

We then visited  St. Nicholas Basilica that was near by.  Monaco is a Catholic country, but its constitution allows for freedom of religion so there are other churches in the country.  There is also  an Anglican church, St. Paul. on the other side of the city, and a Jewish Synagogue, and which also has a Hebrew school. There approximately 1,000 retired Jewish patrons.

The wedding of Prince Rainier to Grace Kelly took place in this cathedral.

Grace Kelly on her wedding day. The dress was designed by Helen Rose of the MGM studio.

Wedding day of Prince Rainier and Grace Kelly

Grace Kelly and Prince Reinier are both buried in St. Nicholas Catholic Church.

We circled around the rest of the fort area and found a statue of Francios Grimaldi .

Framcois Grimaldi dressed as a Monk

We found the walkway leading down from the Fort with people coming up and coming down.

There were open spaces to view below without being seen.

We continued down the path until we walked into the open air market!

John is thinking of buying some fruit!

All kinds of nuts.

Lots of fruit.

Fresh Vegies

Five different types of olives!

People here were ready for the Mediterranean diet!  We bought a few plums and peaches to eat on our way.  Continuing our walk, we saw several restaurants with outside seating and many people enjoying a mid-day meal.

Relaxing with a noon day meal

We soon found ourselves in the park by the Casino and like everyone else we were mesmerized by the green Lamgorghini parked in front of the hotel.

Everyone had to have their picture take by it1

John would love to drive this car!

Emblem of the Monte Carlo Casino

We continued out walk on our way to the Japanese Gardens which were recommended to us. We went down to the main road and noticed the many high rises where people lived in this city.

Toward the bay we noticed interesting sculpture by Henry Moore with the background of our ship in the bay!

Sculpture by Henry Moore

By this time we needed to take a pit stop so we went to a mall that we thought was a shopping mall.  It turned out to be a casino, and they would not let us in to use the bathroom.  We did manage to take a picture by this sitting area.

I will pose but I really have to go to the bathroom!

Back on the street we notice a MacDonalds restaurant!  Perfect, we knew there was a restroom there. We had to climb down some stairs all covered with interesting  graffiti.  The restaurant was full of young professionals having lunch.

Back on the sidewalk near the water, we came upon some foot prints that extended for about thirty yards.  They were foot prints of famous athletes, much like the stars in Hollywood Star of Fame.  We could not recognize most of the names as they were famous soccer players, swimmers, and people from other sports.  We did come upon the foot prints of Pele the famous soccer player from Brazil.

Pele's foot prints!

As we continues our walk, we saw that there was a beach on the other side of the wall and beach volleyball was being played farther along on the beach.

This lovely city was full of sitting areas and more wonderful sculptures.

Along the Avenue de Monte Carlo that we were walking, we noticed posters of historical nature that informed the public of special events in the recent history of the city.  One was a poster of the inauguration of the theater dedicated to Princess Grace.

We finally got to the Japanese Garden.

We entered the park and saw a lovely tea house.

In the middle of a cramped city with lots of high rises, it was lovely to find this peaceful park to come and meditate and spend a quiet moment.  John wanted to use the IPad to take pictures of me!

The little Tea house was popular with meditating tourists.

We sat by the Koi Pond and I found some music on my IPad that was soothing for the moment.  We sat and listen to the music as we talked to an older couple from Hamburg, Germany who was traveling through the Riviera.

Koi below the falls.

We tried to name the fish we saw in the pond.

It was a lovely time to spend the afternoon.

John posing in front of the pepper tree.

     We decided to cross the street and return on the other side of the Avenue to see what we had missed.   We were glad that we had taken that route or we would not have seen the display of old Grand Prix cars that were on exhibit in one of the bank windows.

     The Monaco Grand Prix is an annual road race of Formula One cars that takes place in the streets of Monaco on Memorial Day the same day as our Indi 500 race in the U.S. For this reason not many Americans take part in this race.

     It began in 1929 and is one of the most prestigious automobile races in the world. 

     The course is very narrow with lots of elevation changes and tight corners as well as a tunnel making it one of the most dramatic tracks for Formula One cars.  We had gone on some of the road and through the tunnel in our choo-choo train ride at a pace of 25 miles per hour.  If we were going 70 or more it would be pretty exciting.

Part of the track from above.

     The first race was organized by Antony Noghes and the Automobile Club de Monaco.  The first winner was William Grover-Willimas who drove a Bugatti.

Grover-Williams driving his Bugatti.

      In the next fifty years there were some adjustments to the course to make it safer.  In the past the race had to be cancelled due to safety concerns. Because the raceway was a street used in daily traffic, a car leaving the track would crash into trees, shop windows, lamp posts, and even the train station. So it was proposed that Armco barriers be put up along the track to prevent serious crashes.  In spite of this some cars have flown off the track where there are cement barriers,  and landed in the Mediterranean Sea.   The course was altered again placing the pit stops in places where there was a straight aways rather than on turns, and added a twisty part around the new Olympic Swimming Pool area.
       The race still proves to be a challenge due to all the changes in pace caused by the twists and turns.  In the 1982 race Rene Arnouz  led the first 15 laps then retired.  Alain Prost led until four laps from the end he spun off due to a wet track.  Then Riccardo Patrese lead and spun out with only one lap to go making way for Didier Pironi who advanced to the front.  On the last lap Pironi ran out of gas in the tunnel, but Andrea de Cesaris who was behind him also ran out of gas before he could overtake him. Some how Patrese bump-started his car on fumes, and went through to score his first Grand Prix.  It must have been pretty exciting to see him inching out of the tunnel to cross the finish line!

   

     Another great competitor was Graham Hilll who won 5 Grand Prixs from 1963 - 1969 earning the name "King of Monaco."  His record did not stand still though, as Brazilian Ayrton Senna now holds the record for the most victories at six.

Graham Hill "King of Monaco"

       John remembered Juan Manuel Fangio who drove a Mercedes and Sterling Moss who drove a Cooper.  Other cars in different races were Ferrari, Lotus 18, Renault.

We continued down the "track" until we found a replica of Juan Fangio's car and John had to try it out.

John dreaming he is in the Grand Prix!

We crossed the street heading for the dock as we wanted to see the yachts on the way to the ship.  We followed a very tall girl with long legs!

Soon we saw yachts from everywhere getting ready to set sail.

       Finally, we saw a stack of sculling boats that are probably used by the sculling club.  It was interesting to find out that Princess Grace's father was triple gold medalist Olympic sculler in the 1920 and 1924 summer Olympics.  Her mother Margaret Majer, was the first woman head of physical education department at the University of Pennsylvania.  Now, that Grace Kelly married into the Gramaldi family, her reigning son Prince Albert is promoting lots of sports activities beside the Grand Prix.  They sponsor a mens and womens football club (soccer to us), The Monte Carlo Open tennis tournament, Global Champions Tour of equestrian show jumping, The Monaco Marathon which is the only marathon to pass through three separate countries( Monaco, France, and Italy), and  the Monaco Ironman Triathlon. Finally, Monaco has been the  the headquarters of the International Association of Athletics Federations since 1993.

       We continued our walk along the harbor feeling pretty good about our sight seeing on our own.   The only place we didn't get go see was Princes Grace's Rose Garden.  So we will have to return to do just that!

Princess Grace by Kees Verkade at the Rose Garden

After returning to the ship we had to begin packing as this was our last night before we would dock in Barcelona.  We did most of our packing and then said good-bye to Monaco and the Carnival Sunshine.

John takes a last look at Monaco.

Good-bye Sunshine!

Off we went to our last port.

Full Speed Ahead!