Riviera Palace - the Concierge

The old Concierge's office looks unchanged since the building was opened in 1903.

Look at those beautiful old black letters - they look like an Art Nouveau design in wrought iron. (Click the small photo to enlarge).

Riviera Palace - the Facade

The beautiful facade of the Riviera Palace. But look carefully (see last photo) and you'll see the plaster is crumbling and iron supports have rusted under the balconies.

This beautiful building was a hotel for the rich and famous from 1903 until the beginning of the great war in 1914 when it was used as a military hospital. It was closed in 1932/33 but in 1936 was transformed into apartments.

Tours of some parts of the building, such as the beautiful Winter Garden, are available to the public.

Rviera Palace - the Drain Pipe

Even the drainpipes are interesting...

Riviera Palace - Now

It's very hard to get the whole building in one shot without an amazing wide-angle lens which I don't have. Take a look at yesterday's photos of old postcards. In those days, there were no other buildings to get in the way of a good shot!

The building is based on designs by George Paul Chedanne (he designed the Palace Hotel on the Champs Elysée and the Hotel Mercedes 0n Rue du Presbourg in Paris.)

The Riviera Palace was finished in 1903 and soon welcomed King Leopold II of the Belgians, the imperial family of Russia, the Shah of Persia - also distinguished names in the arts such as Diagilev, Nijinski, Stravinsky and Colette. Winston Churchill was a regular visitor too.

Tomorrow - the details...

Riviera Palace - the Old Postcards

These are the signs that great you as you approach the Riviera Palace and it's good to be reminded of how it looked when it was first built at the turn of the last century. You can see the posts and chains I showed yesterday in the lower half of the photo below.

From the end of the 19th century to the beginning of the 1914-18 war, the French Riviera was where artists and writers and members of the European aristocracy and bourgeoisie spent their winters, hence the building of this Belle Epoque hotel.

In 1898, when Camile Blanc was president of the SBM and future Mayor of Beausoleil, he founded the Real Estate Company of Monte Carlo Superior. He also owned the train company and the mythic Orient Express. He built a funicular railway that ran from the Cremaillère, way down the hillside in Monaco, to the Riviera Palace Railway Station.

Riviera Palace - Railings

We have a treat in store. We are going to visit the Riviera Palace in Beausoleil. This is a celebrated and beautiful Belle Epoque palace with its stunning winter gardens, built high above Monaco between 1891 and 1903 on behalf of the famous Cie des Wagons-Lits.

Today - a part of the railings.

Don't Fence Me In

A fenced-in cat who lives at the Riviera Palace in Beausoleil.

To see how others around the world have interpreted today's theme 'Fences' please click here to view thumbnails for all participants.

Black Cat for Luck

We are a couple of streets north of Monaco in Boulevard de la Republique in Beausoleil. Cats are so agile, aren't they? This one had no problem in walking along a narrow ledge and then jumping onto the railing.

Christmas Lights in Beausoleil

This is the Place de la Liberation in Beausoleil and the building, dripping Christmas lights, is the Mairie (Town Hall).

Beausoleil is the small town that adjoins Monaco. Where Monaco and Beausoleil meet, one side of the street is Monaco and the other is France.

Cicada Lane

A stone wall, tumbling jasmine and a carved marble street sign. Cigale is French for cicada, by the way - the sound of summer.

See another type of jasmine on Menton Daily Photo today.

Dressed in Green

It doesn't take much to make a fairly plain building interesting - a Virginia creeper on the walls and the obligatory washing hanging over the balcony. This block of apartments is in Beausoleil, a stone's throw from Monaco.

Curves

Sometimes in Monaco or Beausoleil, you'll find that one side of the road is Monaco and the other side is Beausoleil, in France. There are so many beautiful buildings in this part of Monaco and Beausoleil. Here you see a balcony and in the smaller photograph, the whole building. (click to enlarge). Note the tall windows opening onto balconies, so typical - and how pretty are those lovely curves at each end.

The building is called Palais du Midi and is now mostly apartments with commercial enterprises at street level.

Yuck!

Beausoleil is in France but adjoins Monaco on its northern border. This is how they surround some of the trees in Beausoleil. That green centre piece is made of some rubbery, synthetic substance, disgustingly dirty, covered in chewing gum, holes in it. Do they think it looks like grass?' Huh? Not 'naice,' folks. Surprised me, I must say. Decidely yuck.

Wot, no choccie shop?!

Yeah, yeah, I know. Monte Carlo is awash with amazing handmade chocolate shops, so where's the chocolate egg, where's the Easter bunny? Truth is I couldn't get in to Monaco this last week so here's a photograph taken from a terrace of Seaside Plaza, in Fontvieille, Monaco about a week ago.

So you can get your bearings - here's today's geography lesson. Imagine you are sitting on your yacht out at sea (you with me?) Monaco is in front of you - indeed you might even be moored in the harbour alongside the Lady Moura of course. The steward has brought you a drink - a Kir Royale, I think, in a crystal glass of course and you are munching on Nicoise olives - those tiny tasty ones. Are you with me so far? Before you is Monaco, to your right is France, to your left is France and behind Monaco is more of France. The Principality of Monaco is very small.

Look to the left and you'll see Roquebrune and in the distance is Menton and Italy. Ahead of you and behind Monaco is Beausoleil. You know all about that, of course, because we had photos of Beausoleil over the last couple of days. And to your left is Cap d'Ail and all places west until you eventually get to Nice.

Today's photograph is of Cap d'Ail and in the distance is St. Jean Cap Ferrat. Who lived in Cap Ferrat? How about Somerset Maughan for starters. He lived at the Villa Mauresque. Add David Niven, Agnelli of Fiat fame, King Leopold of the Belgians, Charlie Chaplin, the Rothschilds and more recently, Paul Allen. The magical penisula of Cap Ferrat has some of the most expensive real estate in the world.

I trust you are relaxing, enjoying the gentle movement of the water. Are you enjoying your drink? I'm enjoying mine. And hey, Happy Easter everyone from Monte Carlo Daily Photo.

Good for the thighs!

Slightly blurred photo today - just I wanted to show you why the locals are so fit! In Monaco (one street below) you will find steps too, but you'll often find escalators and lifts as well going from one level to another. Here in Beausoleil it's necessary to walk up those steps with the shopping bags.

Yellow against Blue

As I said yesterday, Beausoleil borders Monaco. I had believed this photograph to be of the Riviera Palace but as you'll see in the comments, I was wrong. One day I'll get to the Riviera Palace and photograph it.