Monte Carlo Weekly Photo

23 September 2009

Boat Trip to Cap Ferrat - the Lighthouse

We're sailing towards Villefranche, leaving the pretty Cove of Lilong and are about to round the Point of Cap Ferrat with its famous lighthouse.

This semaphore, originally built in 1862 (rebuilt 1951) on the orders of Napoleon III, who wanted to equip the French littoral with a chain of semaphores. The goal was to monitor navigation, to transmit messages to ships, to organize help in the event of a maritime disaster and to take part in the first maritime meteorological observations.

It looks like evening but it's only 17.45h - simply that I'm shooting into the sun. As soon as we round the point, we'll see the lighthouse from the other side and the fortified lookouts. And after that, we'll be in the beautiful Rade de Villefranche.

22 September 2009

Boat Trip to Cap Ferrat - the Ice-Cream Boat

Copyright 2009 Monte Carlo Daily Photo. All rights reserved

So there you are, lying on the hot deck, getting browner by the minute and and thinking how nice it would be to have a luscious really cold ice cream. Easy. Along comes the ice-cream boat.

21 September 2009

Boat Trip to Cap Ferrat - the Nap

"I just put my feet in the air and move them around."
~ Fred Astaire

20 September 2009

Boat Trip to Cap Ferrat - Messing about...

Copyright 2009 Monte Carlo Daily Photo. All rights reserved

The fun of a day on the water is just sitting and watching other people mess about in boats. And on Cap Ferrat it's fun looking at the houses on the hillside and wondering who lives there.

There's something about a boat - probably the movement of the water - that makes you immediately relax. Got a problem? Stressed? - if you get the chance, go out on a boat.

19 September 2009

Boat Trip to Cap Ferrat - Girls' Day Out

It's a Girls' Day Out on the water. Several of these Italian ladies sunbathed nude - completely nude, not even a bikini bottom half - so perhaps it's not surprising that within a short while of their arrival, their dingy was surrounded by other boats - see lower photo.

18 September 2009

Boat Trip to Cap Ferrat - the Houses

The houses on Cap Ferrat are as interesting to look at as the boats - incredible expensive Real Estate to be found here.

The top photo was taking in the morning before the bad weather cleared. In the smaller one, it's getting better, as you see. By lunch time it was glorious.

17 September 2009

Boat Trip to Cap Ferrat - Lady on a Dinghy

We've dropped anchor not far from the shore. Around us are big boats and little boats and tiny dinghys like one. You don't need a big boat to enjoy the sea.

16 September 2009

Boat Trip to Cap Ferrat - Arrival

Copyright 2009 Monte Carlo Daily Photo. All rights reserved.

Pack your swimming gear and suntan lotion, we're on a boat trip. Cap Ferrat is a short trip from Monaco - we pass Cap d'Ail, Eze-sur-Mer, Beaulieu=sur-Mer and we arrive - here, in a small bay - at Cap Ferrat.

In fact we started in Menton - the idea had been to photograph Monaco as we we sailed along but this morning the sea was rough, the sky menacing so no hope of a decent photo. Try photographing the shore from a boat that is bouncing up and down!

The weather forecast for the afternoon, though, is good and here we are. Relax. We are going to have a lovely day...do come back tomorrow.

15 September 2009

The Seagull's Perch

Copyright 2009 Monte Carlo Daily Photo. All rights reserved.

An old gun tower on le rocher is a perching place for a seagull and somewhere for visitors to dream.

14 September 2009

Rosie

Rosie is one of le rocher's characters. She runs a tourist shop called Rosie's Memories and the love of her life is a little Miniature Pinscher called Zita - a dog who'd had far too many litters in her life and ended up in a refuge.

Zita has two beds - one inside the shop and one outside - and when she chooses to nap, then Rosie displays the sign you see below.

Rosie's Bar (the Chatham Bar to give it its real name) was near to the Port of Monaco and was THE place to visit for over 50 years. In its heyday it was frequented by Graham Hill, Mike Hawthorn, Stirling Moss and Peter Collins. Anybody just passing by could pop in and chat to drivers over a drink and a game of darts. Rosie would welcome everybody with same cheery disposition as she still does from this little Boutique in Monaco Ville. Click here for Rosie's website.

You can see another photo of Zita on Riviera Dogs today.

13 September 2009

The Damaged Plaque

Copyright 2009 Monte Carlo Daily Photo. All rights reserved.

This is the damaged plaque seen above an attractive pharmacy on le rocher. (see yesterday's post) Hard to read what it originally said but it shows the royal coat of arms. S.A.S. means His - or Her - Serene Highness.

12 September 2009

Matching Coral

11 September 2009

The Prince who Loved the Sea

Prince Albert 1st was an eminent scientist and seaman who founded the Oceanographic Museum in 1902.

He lived from 1848 - 1922 and is the Great-Grandfather of the current ruler of Monaco, S.A.S. Prince Albert II.

I love the position of this sculpture in the Saint Martin Gardens - looking out to sea, the Prince is obviously doing what he loved best.

Note: the couple you saw yesterday are slightly more occupied in the smaller photo today!

10 September 2009

Bronzé

Copyright 2009 Monte Carlo Daily Photo. All rights reserved.

"I'm browner than you are!"

A young couple in the Saint Martin Gardens on le rocher.

09 September 2009

Maryse with Mirror

You can't turn a corner in the Saint Martin gardens without coming across a sculpture.

This nude lady (come to think of it, there are an awful lot of nude ladies in these gardens) is called Maryse au Miroir or Le Temps Inalterable. She was created by Cyril de la Patelliere.

08 September 2009

Tranquility

Copyright 2009 Monte Carlo Daily Photo. All rights reserved.

Monaco for its tiny size has several beautiful gardens. This is one of my favourites - the Saint Martin gardens on le rocher. Not a big garden but peaceful, with a view of the sea, benches to sit on, sculptures everywhere - what more does one want?

"You owe it to everyone you love (including yourself) to find pockets of tranquility in your busy world.”
~ Bhagavad Gita

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!

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.