Monte Carlo Weekly Photo

07 September 2009

Jacks

Concrete shapes in water. A sort of 'break-water' I suppose. We are in the Saint Martin Gardens on le rocher looking down on a tiny corner of Fontvieille harbour.

They remind me of a bunch of 'jacks' - although jacks are made of metal and not quite the same shape. Remember the game of jacks?

06 September 2009

Gull and Girl

The sculpture is called Girl on a Chair and it's displayed within a small children's garden just below the main square where you find the palace.

The sculptor is the Danish artist, Keld Moseholm Jorgensen and it was made in 1981.

05 September 2009

The Oceanographic Museum

Copyright 2009 Monte Carlo Daily Photo. All rights reserved.

The Oceanographic Musuem rises majestically from the sea to a height of 279 feet and took 11 years to build, using 100,000 tons of stone from La Turbie, a village high above Monte Carlo. It was inaugurated in 1910 and is dedicated to its founder Albert I, who was a major navigator. Here you'll find his laboratory ships and collections of marine fauna including a skeleton from a 66-foot whale.

The famous Jacques Cousteau was director of this museum of marine sciences for many years and in the basement, you will find the world-famous aquarium with its extraordinary show of marine flora and fauna. With 4,000 species of fish and over 200 families of invertebrates, the aquarium is now an authority on the presentation of the Mediterranean and tropical marine ecosystem.

In the distance you see Cap Martin jutting out into the sea and beyond that you'll find Menton and then Italy.

04 September 2009

Fête XVIIIth Century - the Flag Throwers

You often see a group of flag throwers at festivals in the south of France. This group come from Ventimiglia just across the border in Italy. In fact, come to think of it, all the groups I've seen are Italian.

This is the last day of the 18th century festival. Thanks so much to everyone who has visited.

Tomorrow - we'll stay on le rocher for a day or so as there are a few good things I'd love to show you and after that - we go on a boat trip to Cap Ferrat and Villefranche.

03 September 2009

Fête XVIIIth Century - the Dragon

All part of the music group, Manoar, here's the fearsome dragon who belches fire when stoked.

02 September 2009

Fête XVIIIth Century - the Hurdy-Gurdy

There was a great group at the festival - called Manoar. They played ancient music on old instruments or replicas of old instruments.

This is a vielle à roue, which my dictionary translates as a 'hurdy-gurdy or viol.' The player straps it to herself and then turns the wheel at one end whilst she has notes to play with her other hand.

In the smaller photo you see, behind her, a sort of old fashioned xylophone.

The people in the background are laughing at another part of this music group - a dragon. We'll see him tomorrow.

01 September 2009

Theme Day: 'Big' - a Cruise Ship in Villefranche

A cruise ship in the bay of Villefranche dwarfs the coastline. Villefranche-sur-Mer is just along the coast from Monaco and not far from Nice. I was in a small boat so it was easy to get up close and personal.

Once again it's Theme Day and to find out how other CDP bloggers around the world are interpreting the 'big' theme, please click here to view thumbnails for all participants.

31 August 2009

Fête XVIIIth Century - the Goblin

Even goblins need water. This stand sold false ears, scars (yuck) horns, horrible heads - ghouls and ghosts and even Harry Potter's Sorting Hat.

30 August 2009

Fête XVIIIth Century - the Waitress

Copyright 2009 Monte Carlo Daily Photo. All rights reserved.

Even the waiters and waitresses dress up in XVIIIth century costume - which really adds to the atmosphere on le Rocher.

This Italian restaurant, as you might guess, is called Pinocchio.

29 August 2009

Fête XVIIIth Century - the Nails

Yesterday, we met the blacksmith. Today we see what he is making and you'll see you can buy this hand made nails. Aren't they beautiful.

28 August 2009

Fête XVIIIth Century - the Blacksmith

Meet the blacksmith.

In the smaller photograph he is explaining how the bellows work (by pushing on that piece of wood he has his hand on). Tomorrow we'll see what he is making.

The quality of all the displays, the costumes, the enthusiasm and energy of the participants - it made for a fascinating day and one could almost imagine how it might have been all those years ago - well, perhaps without the smells...

27 August 2009

Fête XVIIIth Century - Music whilst you Eat!

Copyright 2009 Monte Carlo Daily Photo. All rights reserved.

Lunch in a restaurant in one of the narrow back streets on the Rocher where a group of Strolling Singers entertain guests.

26 August 2009

Fête XVIIIth Century - the Tour Guide

Copyright 2009 Monte Carlo Daily Photo. All rights reserved.

The tour guide gathers her charges. Whether this group are here specially for the Fête, I don't know as there are always loads of tour groups on the rocher. Can't be so easy to live here and have tourists walk past your door and under your windows all day long.

25 August 2009

Fête XVIIIth Century - Participation

Copyright 2009 Monte Carlo Daily Photo. All rights reserved.

A lady and child throw flower petals as one of the parades passes below.

24 August 2009

Fête XVIIIth Century - the Parades

Parades galore for the Fête and cloud hanging low over the Prince's Palace.

23 August 2009

Fête XVIIIth Century - Dressing Up

One of the fun things is that visitors can - for 25 euros - hire a complete costume and so participate in the Fête. Do you suppose the people in the photo below are visitors or part of the proceedings? I don't know but think they are probably the real thing.

22 August 2009

Fête XVIIIth Century -Žilina to Sagres

Copyright 2009 Monte Carlo Daily Photo. All rights reserved.

I was intrigued with these guys' t-shirts. They are driving from Žilina in Slovakia (where they live) to Sagres in Portugal. Both cities are marked on their shirts. It will take them two weeks. They left Žilina the day before they arrived in Monaco. Here they pose just before the start of the Fête.

Hope you had a great trip, guys!

21 August 2009

Fête XVIIIth Century - the Violinist

There were several groups of 'travelling musicians.' Meet the violinist.

Note the charming old streets of the Rocher - often a surprise to visitors who expect to see only high-rise buildings in Monaco.

20 August 2009

Fête XVIIIth Century - Lunch

19 August 2009

Fête XVIIIth Century - the Pirates

There were all sorts of Johnny Depp types in front of the Palais Princier. Note the quality of the costumes. The black outfit seen below is made of pieces of leather finished with three rather lethal looking knives.

18 August 2009

Fête XVIIIth Century - the Candle Maker

Continual dunking of the candles into the wax is what makes a candle and here the children help too.

In the last photo, you see how the wax is kept liquid with the heat from the fire underneath. The little boy has a block of wood to stand on as he was too small to reach the vat to dip his candle into the wax.

The candles sold at 1 euro each.

You can see the candle maker's dog on Riviera Dogs today.

17 August 2009

Fête XVIIIth Century - the Necklace

Dead animals used as mannequins on the 'medieval' jewelry stall. And below, a lady buys a bracelet.

16 August 2009

Fête XVIIIth Century - Asses' Milk

This stall sells products, particularly soap, made with donkey milk - I suppose in the old days it was called asses' milk. The sign says that the milk of the donkey is the closest to the milk of a woman and that it will cure skin problems such as eczema.

This lady put some cream on my hand and it felt good, not greasy. I intended buying some before I left and regret I forgot.

15 August 2009

Fête XVIIIth Century - Gunpowder

In the main photograph, the gunsmith is pounding the gunpowder in a pestle and mortar, prior to putting it into the ivory funnel you see in the lower photo, which is then used to channel it into the pistol.