34th Festival of Circus - the Lioness

Last day we'll be at the circus. I just wanted to show you the beautiful lioness in the main photo and the young one frolicking in the smaller pic.

Tomorrow: Back to our visit to the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild.

34th Festival of Circus - the Princess

Princess Stephanie is the President of the Monte Carlo Festival of Circus and takes a very hands-on approach. Her love of circus is evident and she's always around making sure everything is running properly and checking on the welfare of the animals. Always dressed smartly yet casually and normally in black as you see here, except for the big dress-up occasions of course.

Yesterday was the last day of the circus - just one more photo to show you tomorrow. Then we'll go back to the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild on Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat.

34th Festival of Circus - the Elephant Girl

'It would've been hard to do something else, to as it were, run away from the circus and become an accountant.'

~ Samuel West

34th Festival of Circus - the Dogs

These two dogs were behind bars in a large pen. I really should have asked someone if they are performing dogs or simply dogs belonging to a member of the circus. Neither looked very happy.

The dog in the main photo and below is a Newfoundland and the one standing on a bale of straw (left) is a mix of some sort.

34th Festival of Circus - the Sea Lions - 2

How the children loved the sealions. This is not part of the circus act. The animals live outside the circus tent and people can come and see them all day - no charge.

This trainer put on a little act for the kids, allowing one sea lion at a time out of the pool area - to run riot. They loved it - including the grown up kid who took these photos.

34th Festival of Circus - the Sea Lions

The sea lions were having the best fun outside the circus tent. They had an enormous pool to swim in and were just like dogs with their master - obedient yet naughty at times...

These two are posing with a friend of the trainer - he's the guy (small pic) with his back to us with the curly hair.

Note: if you pose with a sea lion you get wet!

34th Festival of Circus - the Elephant's Trunk

Stretch.....and hope for a biscuit. And he got one - in fact, he got lots of biscuits. And the child got to see just how long an elephant's trunk is.

'Nature's great masterpiece, an elephant; the only harmless great thing.'

~ John Donne

34th Festival of Circus - the Lion King

Back to Monaco for a few days as it's that time of year again - the circus is back in town.

It's the 34th Festival of Circus, one of the most prestigious events in the circus calendar.

Each day, in the area outside the circus tent in Fontvieille you can wander around looking at the animals taking the sun and being cleaned and fed. This year, lions, elephants, sealions and horses were spending their spare time looking at us whilst we looked at them.

The lions, one of whom you see here, were all in beautiful condition and in enormous runs with raised benches allowing this magnificent Lion King to look down on us. He is one of the troupe of lions trained by Martin Lacey Junior.

You can read about animals in circuses HERE - words from a meeting presided over by Princess Stephanie of Monaco.

Circus! - Botero

The last day of this circus series so let's see some more of 'Fernando Botero & the Circus.'

It seems from comments on the posting a couple of days ago that whilst most love his work, one or two found the expressionless faces on his obese figures somewhat disconcerting. I did a search on this and found this:

"Once you get past the size of the figures, though, perhaps the oddest thing about Botero's style is the blank, expressionless looks on his figures' faces. They appear distanced and distracted, providing a tabula rosa upon which viewers can project their thoughts and feelings.

There's this blankness to his figures that functions as a kind of mirror," said Don Bacigalupi, a former contemporary art curator for the San Antonio Museum of Art who is now the director of the Toledo Museum of Art in Ohio."

To read a fascinating article on Botero, including the words above, please click on the link.

There is a notice by the paintings saying that Botero was in Mexico when he saw a circus parading down the street. It wasn't a circus, as in Europe, but a poor circus that reminded him of those he saw as a child in Columbia. It was this that inspired this series of paintings and drawings.

Circus! - the Popcorn, the Dog, the Children & the Tigers

We are outside the tiger enclosure. The dog doesn't take his eyes off a bag held by the child - a bag of popcorn.

No one is holding the dog's lead but then a labrador isn't going anywhere when popcorn is around...

Circus! - Fernando Botero & the Circus

To coincide with this year's Festival of Circus, the Nouveau Musée National de Monaco Villa Sauber has mounted an exhibition of the paintings of Columbian artist, Fernando Botero. His figures, as always, arevwonderfully obese - even the animals. The exhibition is open until the 1st March.

Several of Botero's fabulous sculptures are displayed in the Principality. You can see Adam & Eve and Woman Smoking a Cigarette by clicking on the links.

Circus! - the Supermarket

Part of Carrefour, the big supermarket in Fontvieille. And why show a boring image of a supermarket check-out, I hear you ask? Well, as you see it's decorated in honour of the circus festival, as were many other shops in the Principality. With so many acts from so many different countries coming to Monaco to compete for a prize, it's considered one of the most prestigious circus events in the world.

Circus! - the Big Top

The Big Top in Monaco is actually known as the Espace Fontvieille. That's because it's in Fontvieille, which is the land in Monaco totally reclaimed from the sea.

The Espace Fontvieille (literally the Fontvieille Space) welcomes the Festival of Circus every January but for the rest of the year it's used for exhibitions, for the annual dog show, horse events, trade fairs, church bazaars. Rarely is it out of use.

The Big Top has four poles that support the enormous roof (you see two in the smaller photograph) and it's 58 metres in diameter. It can accommodate just under 4000 people. There are many smaller tents that adjoin the Big Top to give even more space. Click on the link to see a photograph taken from above.

Circus! - the Performing Dogs

The Performing Dogs were kept in three separate exercise areas along the walkway where we saw the catering vans.

Look at the intensity in this little one's eyes.

You are see more of these lovely Circus Dogs on Riviera Dogs today and over the coming days.

The dogs come from Germany and are part of Wolfgang Lauenberger's Performing Dogs. See photo below - not one of mine, but taken, with thanks, from the non-official Festival International de Monte Carlo website. If you want to see photos of other circus acts performing in Monte Carlo, this is the place to go.

Circus! - the Television Crew

They decided to film in front of the boutique - changed their minds and filmed with the circus van behind the journalist.

This van is used to carry the clowns around, even Princess Stephanie got in at the end of the free outdoor performance on Port Hercule.

Circus! - the Elephants' Home

I wonder if these elephants know that this tent, where they sleep, is alongside one of the most expensive apartment buildings in Monte Carlo?

Circus! - the Elephants

There were three elephants and their accommodation is near to the heliport. You can see the circus tent in the background. We are in Fontvieille - on land reclaimed from the sea.

The elephants look content and well fed, although I have no expertise. They've got a few tree trunks to move about. I remember last year seeing one of the elephants rocking back and forth, which perhaps indicated stress. Not so, this year.

Tomorrow, we see where the elephants sleep during their stay in Monaco.

Circus! - the Boss Man

He has an air of a circus man - a certain swagger. His velvet cord shirt is embroidered with horses, yet he walks comfortably around the tigers.

I got the feeling he's probably the 'boss man.'

Circus! - Pigtails

Some of the horses had long flowing hair in beautiful condition - you could almost see them shake their head and say 'Come up and see me sometime.' This beauty sported several plaits. Isn't she gorgeous? Actually, I've no idea if she is a she or a he or an it but certainly this horse is a beauty. There are 15 horses are part of the Troupe Giona.

The great day has finally arrived! Barack Obama, an intelligent, charismatic, charming, thoughtful man brings change and hope to America and so to the rest of the world. Happy Inauguration Day, Mr President.

Circus! - the Lunch Queue

The circus arrives with its own catering facility. Here you see the circus workers, from those who clean out to the animals to the stars of the show. Each has a lunch ticket and once they've collected their lunch, they'll eat in the tented area beyond.

Every area around the Big Top is used for the circus animals. The elephants are by the Heliport, the tigers and horses are just at the back of the tent itself. Here we've walked past the Columbus Hotel, past the Princess Grace Memorial Gardens and along a walkway by the sea. We are looking towards Italy - you see Cap Martin in the distance. Not a bad place for lunch. Bon appetit!