Grace Kelly Land

Betcha thought I was over the whole Grace Kelly thing, huh?  Nope!  I'm just getting started!

The next morning Mom and I took a lovely day trip over to Monaco , and it was GORGEOUS!  If Nice is Daytona Beach/Panama City where all of the regular folk hang out, then Monaco is the Hamptons.  I'm surprised I wasn't asked to provide a bank statement before I was let in.  Ha, if that was the case, I wouldn't have even been allowed on the train to Monaco.  Anyway, long story long, it was absolutely beautiful, fancy, and very clean.  I loved it!

We started out high up on the mountainside at the Exotic Garden and worked our way down.  Here are a few views from the top!

The main port - La Condamine.  Monte Carlo Casino is to the left of the port

The area to the left is called Le Rocher.  It is where the palace is located and the oldest section of Monaco

These signs are all over the city showing pictures of Grace Kelly throughout her life in Monaco.  I'm not the only one who loves her!

This area is called Fontvieille.  It's the newest section of the principality

Check out the next two pictures below.  Mom and I couldn't help but feel sorry for the people who live in those houses to the left.  What if you built one of those 50 years ago and had a beautiful view of the water, and over time more and more high-rises go up around you until that one goes up directly in front of you?!?  I would be furious!

Doesn't that suck??

Oh well, I guess that's life in Monaco.  Anyway, after we debated that for longer than we should have, we headed down the mountain and over to Monaco-ville where the palace is located.

This is what I love about Europe.  See the dog?  He's just minding his own business on the bus staring out the window.  If you can't tell, I had to take this picture totally covert and Jack Bauer style.

The palace!  Not as grand as I expected from the former home of Grace Kelly, but I think the renovations are for Prince Albert's wedding this summer

Changing of the guard

Here is the royal couple just after their civil wedding ceremony.

Apparently speedos are not okay in Monaco-ville

Another royal photo.  She was everywhere!

The Cathedral of Monaco where Princess Grace and Prince Rainier were married, and where they're both buried.  For some reason it was closed, so we couldn't go inside.

Their wedding!

I take issue with her hat in this picture...it looks like a pin cushion.  I think we would have been friends, and I would never let a friend wear that in public 

After the palace, we headed over to Monte Carlo where the high rollers hang out. 

I've never seen so many yachts in one place

Monte Carlo

It was actually really warm outside...I don't know why we were both wearing our winter best

Hotel de Paris.  This is where Alain Ducasse (remember him?) has a super swanky restaurant -- Le Louis XV

As I was taking the picture below of the Ferrari, Porsche, Bentley, and BMW in a row, another Bentley drove by.  I'm not much of a car person, but I was pretty impressed.

The back of Monte Carlo Casino is an opera house designed by Garnier who designed the famous Paris Opera house (Palais Garnier)

I bet James Bond is in there somewhere

The Rolls Royce just hangin' out front

At that point we had had our fill of being outsiders in the lives of the rich and famous, so we decided to head back to Nice.  While on the train, however, we made a slightly impromptu stop at a small fishing village about halfway between Nice and Monaco called Villefranche Sur Mer.  What started out as a quick afternoon trip turned into a little adventure...

Stay tuned!

- a tout à l’heure!