That's not a very interesting photo, I hear you say! And you'd be right. Today tho, I'm your Roving Reporter for Monaco and have to tell you that the reason for all this mess is the 'loi anti-tabac' - the new law where you may not smoke indoors in public places.
The Director General of the SBM reports a drop of 13% in takings in the area of the slot-machines (separate to the casino and a big money maker in Monte Carlo). So what are these guys doing? They are renovating, at a cost of between 600,000 and 800,000 euros what used to be 'la rotonde' of the Café de Paris. The Café de Paris is to the left and the building to the right sells Monaco souvenirs. I've had some fabulous lunches in this area - pretty tables, palms in pots, beautiful people, delicious food - and now it will become an open air casino. Whilst it will be open to the air, it will have controlled heating in winter, so that gamblers may continue to play in comfort - and smoke.
Huh!
UGH! I think we may well have had refreshments seated just about whre that cement mixer is, eh!
ReplyDeleteAs a non-smoker, of course I think this a real shame. I've noticed that there are starting to be many outdoor niches that not fit for us non-smokers to enjoy.
ReplyDeleteI knew the French would fix that pesky no smoking problem!HA That's hilarious.
ReplyDeleteV
Oh what a pity! This is a great loss for the locals of Monaco...
ReplyDeleteHere's the other extreme of an outdoor smoking area: My brother used to work at a hospital in northern Minnesota. The hospital's designated smoking area was the outdoor loading dock where the trucks pulled up to pick up the garbage dumpsters.
ReplyDeleteMy brother said that in the middle of the winter, when it was freezing cold, there would still be smokers standing next to the garbage dumpster smoking.
My brother commented that if anyone needed proof that smoking is an addiction, that would be it, because it could not have been pleasant to smoke in the freezing cold next to the garbage.
Anyway, good place to see people, ...and be seen !
ReplyDeleteTwo years ago, in June as usual, my wife and I were drinking a limonade $$$ there, just beside the sidewalk.
Seems it was the day of prople from Thailand. Each time some of them walked near us, they lokes at me with a big smile and a salute.
I thought it was because I had a big moustache as some of them,....until ma wife laugh at loud telling me to look at my T-Shirt that had a palm tree...with the name of Pucket on it !
Luc, Montreal,Quebec, Canada.