68th Grand Prix de Monaco - Almost Ready to Roll

So many people mill around each car just a few minutes before the start - not just the mechanics but the rich and famous who are allowed on the grid. Above you see Sebastian Vettel's Red Bull and in the smaller photo, Lewis Hamilton's Mclaren-Mercedes and Felipe Massa's Ferrari.

In the photo below you see Mark Webber's Red Bull in pole position. 2nd is Robert Kubica's Renault and 3rd the one you see above, Vettel's car.

68th Grand Prix de Monaco - The Dishy Policemen

I've lived here for not far off 20 years and I've yet to see a Monegasque policeman that isn't to-die-for good looking! Maybe that's how they choose them...

This one is directing proceedings to allow the crowd to cross the road and enter the pedestrian street - rue Princesse Caroline.

The best way to get into Monaco at Grand Prix time is by rail - or helicopter. There are loads of extra trains and you arrive with no worries about parking, let alone getting into the Principality in the first place, which is pretty much impossible with half the place turned into a barricaded race track.

You leave the railway station with seemingly a trillion other people, past the sellers of Ferrari caps and t-shirts and find your way to the stands or to your apartment building if you are lucky enough to be invited - and as you walk you get more and more excited - the atmosphere sizzles.

And something else - on race days, the French police are drafted in to help - as per the gentleman below and in the small pic.

68th Grand Prix de Monaco - The Drivers' Parade

They look like Lowry's Matchstick Men, don't they? No matchstick men in this parade tho - just the greatest Formula One drivers in the world today, including 5 previous winners of the Monaco Grand Prix: Button, Hamilton, Schumacher (five times) Alonso (twice) and Trulli.

The red line you see in the smaller photo is the Finish Line and that square white building in the foreground of the same photo is where the winning driver will go to receive his award from Prince Albert.

And if you'd like the see the Ferrari Dog, please click on the link.

68th Grand Prix de Monaco - Aussie Rules

The Monaco Grand Prix is sensory overload. That glorious harbour, those amazing yachts, the beautiful people on the terraces and then of course there are the cars, the colour, the noise - yes don't forget the noise - but it's all part of the excitement as the cars roar by. You blink and they are around the next bend. What a day.

Well we all know the winner and here you see him - one very happy Mark Webber. He now leads the driver's championship.

The smaller photo shows the cars a second after the start as they race towards Sainte Devote and below, well there it is, the port of Monaco putting on a show. More tomorrow...

68th Grand Prix de Monaco - Flavio's Force Blue

This is former Renault team boss, Flavio Briatore's little runaround. Following the Singapore scandal in 2008, he was banned from working in F1 until 2013, but he's been given special permission this year to enter the paddocks at the Monaco Grand Prix.

Force Blue is 207.5 feet long. The former owner was Roy Speer of the Home Shopping Network.

It's often hard to get a side view of the bigger super-yachts in Monaco's port as they are moored tight up next to each other but I happened to be in the port the other day, whilst there was no other boat alongside Force Blue. The guy in the smaller photo was whizzing about on his little craft organizing where boats were to be moored, checking papers and so on.

I'm off to the Grand Prix today - photos tomorrow.

68th Grand Prix de Monaco - Getting past the Barriers

Monaco is encased in steel. Above you see the barrier to just one apartment building on the port - we are at the rear of Palais Heracles. If you click HERE you will see the ticket that everyone needs if they are to enter any building along the race circuit. Your name must match that on the official list held, in this case, by the two ladies you see above.

This is where I'll be going on Sunday to see the race - 11th floor and overlooking the Start/Finish line. Lucky me, eh? But don't worry I'll take pics to share with you on Monday. Don't forget to watch it on television - there is no Grand Prix race like the glorious Monaco Grand Prix.

In the other photo you see one of the barriers in the casino gardens. Obviously these gates will be closed early on all race days.

68th Grand Prix de Monaco - Flower Power

All roads lead to the Principality of Monaco this weekend for the 68th Grand Prix. We are at the roundabout at St. Roman which is where Monaco meets France on its Eastern border. I'm standing in Monaco and photographing France (most obvious in the smaller photo)

And to greet the visitor, why a Formula One car made of flowers, of course.

ART MONACO - the Kiss

Last day at ART MONACO although we may pop back from time to time as there is more fascinating art to show you from this fabulous exhibition. We are leaving because it's Grand Prix time!

I don't know the name of artist whose work is shown above, but I recall all his paintings featured Spiderman - presumably that's Brezhnev being kissed?

In the photo below you see the glorious work of the Armenian artist, Vahram Davtian. This is called Red Circus. This artist is represented by the Noah's Ark Art Gallery in Lebanon.

ARTMONACO: The Lady with the Fishnet Tights

All the art displayed today is represented by the Cain Schulte Contemporary Art Gallery in Berlin. In the top photo you see snippets of the work of Lars Theuerkauf and in the smaller photo and the one below, you see the paintings of Chris Leib.

The lady with the fishnet stockings was a visitor.

ARTMONACO - Girl with the Fish in her Hat

She intrigues me - I love this painting - and so wish I knew the name of the artist. I thought I was being clever by photographing the signature but it's impossible to read. If anyone knows, tell me and I'll credit the gallery and of course the talented artist.

P.S: Thanks so much to Robyn Gordon of ArtPropelled who told me that the artist is Lisa G and the painting is called The Black Ribbon. You can visit Lisa G's blog to see more of her beautiful work, by clicking on the link. Thanks Robyn! Lisa G is represented in France by Galerie d'Art le Cameleon in Antibes.

ARTMONACO - the Discussion

The night of the vernissage. Is one the artist and one a buyer? Is one the owner of a gallery and the other the artist? Will we ever know?

ARTMONACO - Living World

This is a small portion of a large sculpture called Living World Series by the Taiwanese artist, Ju Ming. It was bought to ARTMONACO by the Kalos Gallery in Taipei, Taiwan.

ARTMONACO - Three Glasses of Wine

Two men, three glasses of wine. I'm sorry but I don't know the artist - not shown in the catalogue.

ARTMONACO - the Art of Roman Shustrov

I loved this sculpture. In fact I loved everything on offer by this Antibes Galerie d'Art le Caméléon.

This sculpture is by the Russian artist, Roman Shustrov, and is made of papier maché.

ARTMONACO - Reflections at a Vernissage

Opening night conversation.

The freak waves of two days ago have done a ton of damage along the coast. 10 metre (33 feet) high waves between Cannes and Nice. Click HERE to view the waves and damage in Monaco.

ARTMONACO - the Visitor as Art

Sometimes those viewing the art are as interesting as the art itself...

ARTMONACO - Bruce Denny's Interaction

As you walk towards these shiny figures you think they must be ice sculptures or at the very least glass, but in fact they are made of an unbreakable substance (I forget the name). Bruce Denny is a British sculptor, living and working in London. You can read more by clicking on the link.

The small photo on the left is the one I hoped would work but it is not as sharp as I wanted, hence using another as the main shot.

ARTMONACO - Waiting

The majority of these paintings are by the young Russian artist, Nikolai Blokhin who is represented by the Downey Gallery in Sante Fe, New Mexico who brought his work to Monaco.

The young lady waits - it's early. Later, the V.I.P visitors will arrive and her wait will be over.

The Historique Grand Prix

We're leaving ARTMONACO just for one day, as it's time for the Historic Grand Prix. This is held every two years and is always two weeks before the famous Formula 1 race. The atmosphere for the Historic is brilliant - everyone is relaxed, the cars, of course, are wondrous. I wandered around the paddocks the other day photographing the cars as they were being unloaded.

In fact I was photographing the green car in the main photo when he stopped and asked me to unchain the area where I was standing so he could drive in and park. I was happy to do so...

It's race day today. Vroom vroom.....

To meet, Neo - a dog who has travelled from Switzerland - he's with the Fancy Racing Team - CLICK HERE.

Theme Day - Statues: the Giant Dwarf

We're at ARTMONACO, a fabulous exhibition currently taking place at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco. 70 galleries from 52 different countries are presenting 2000 works of art.

This piece, a wooden sculpture, is called Giant Dwarf by the Turkish artist, Yasham Sasmazer. Yasham was born in 1980 in Istambul where she lives and works. The sculpture was brought to Monaco by Berlin Art Projects who represent her. Unlike the dwarf, Yasham normally sculpts children. Quote: 'Sasmazer’s wooden sculptures are life-sized, realistic depictions of children from somewhere between a dream and a nightmare.' It's worth clicking on her link to read more about her somewhat unsettling work.

To see statues featured by other City Daily Photo bloggers from around the world please click here to view thumbnails for all participants.

ARTMONACO - the Living Sculptures

Last night was the opening of ARTMONACO in the Diaghlev Exhibition Hall at the Grimaldi Forum. This is a 35-thousand square foot space and is displaying 2000 pieces of contemporary art from around the world. And last night 'le tout Monaco' was there and it was the best fun, meeting up with friends and seeing some amazing art. All the usual suspects were there, of course - Picasso, Leger, Chagall, Warhol but also aboriginal art from Australia, photography - for example, David LaChapelle's Last Supper was on display. I'll show you one or two examples over the next days.

First tho, we were greeted (last night was the V.I.P evening) not only with champagne but by a living female and male sculpture, both painted gold. Is she posing with her parents in shot below?

Top Marques - the Lazareth Bike

Lazareth is a French company that makes bikes and what they call 'derived vehicles.' They will also make an out-of-the-ordinary vehicle with 2, 3 or 4 wheels to your specification. Every bike or vehicle is fully built and assembled by hand. Click HERE to read more.

Top Marques - the $1 million Luxury Armoured Car

You want an armoured car? You want a luxury armoured car? Let me introduce the Prombron (it used to be called RussoBaltique) and is made by Dartz, a Latvian company that has been making luxury armoured vehicles for VIPs for over 100 years. It is the oldest armored car brand in the World. Lenin's famous 1917 speech was given from a RussoBaltique armored car. Other famous clients include Trotsky and Tzar Nicolas.

At previous Top Marques exhibitions in Monaco, the leather interior of the Prombron was derived from the penis of the whale - the inspiration for which was Aristotle Onassis' yacht Christina O, which had bar stool seats made from sperm whale foreskin. Happily, after massive protests including one led by Pamela Anderson, Dartz now use artificial leather and are promoting a Save the Whale campaign on their rather bizarre website - take a look HERE.

This is a $1 million plus bullet proof vehicle with gauges encrusted with diamonds and rubies, and even an exhaust system made from tungsten. It has gold-plated, bulletproof windows and even bulletproof wheels.

Just what we need to pop down to the supermarket...

Top Marques - Loris Capirossi's 1934 Ford Coupe

No prizes for guessing this is my favourite car at the show. It was tucked away in a corner, no signs, no notices. I asked someone nearby for information and was directed to the far side of the exhibition where I talked to the UK Racing team and learned that this gorgeous car is a 1934 Ford Coupe, totally restored as you see. It's owned by the well-known Italian motorbike champion, Loris Capirossi. Loris Capirossi lives in Monaco hence the local number plate.