Casino Square - the Doorman

A typical snippet of life in Casino Square. The Hôtel de Paris, the doorman and the shiny cars.

Moon over Jean-Baptiste, le Monégasque

It's early morning and the moon still hangs over the palms and the sculpture in front of the Grimaldi Forum on Avenue Princesse Grace.

The sculpture is called Jean-Baptiste, le Monégasque by the French artist Rachid Khimoune. It's part of a series called Children of the World. Click on the link to read about this artist and his work.

The 5-star Facelift

This is the Monte Carlo Beach Hotel and jutting out to sea beyond is the Restaurant La Vigie. The hotel has recently had a massive facelift undertaken by the architect/designer India Mahdavi and now shows off its new red facade and 5-star rating. You can read more by clicking on the link.

The Bird of Paradise

Strelitzia - the Bird of Paradise plant. This one is Strelitzia Alba and you'll pass it if you walk along Avenue Princesse Grace. Monaco has so many beautiful trees and shrubs - not only in their public gardens but in the streets as well.

Strelitzia Alba is found in South Africa around Cape Province and also in Madagascar.

Footprints

Larvotto Beach. The only signs of life - footprints left by early walkers.

50th Monte Carlo Television Festival - Setting Up

In the morning it's all about setting up the shots for later. The girls sitting at the table are standing in for lighting tests. You can barely see Cap Martin in the distance which shows what a grey and muggy Monte Carlo day it is.

50th Monte Carlo Television Festival - the Fans

These photos were taken in the morning so I imagine by the evening the place would have been jammed with fans. As it was, they all seemed to know each other with a great camaradie going on and much looking at celebrity magazines to see who might possibly arrive. Every now and again, word would go around that so-and-so had been seen in a car and the group would move to a better vantage point but when I was there no-one did arrive.

50th Monte Carlo Television Festival - the Red Carpet

There's a lot of red carpet in town at the moment. The Grimaldi Forum is the venue for four days of the television festival.

The statuette awarded is in the form of a Golden Nymph, by the sculptor François-Joseph Bosio. Monsieur Bosio was born in Monaco and was the official portraitist to Napoleon. His works can be found in the Louvre in Paris.

In the last photo you can see some of the fans waiting for their favourite television stars to arrive. Just like the Oscars!

Palms

Palms reflected in the just washed-down area outside the Grimaldi Forum.

The American Bar

Behind the glass is the American Bar of the Hôtel de Paris. Great place for a glass of champagne and a spot of people watching before dinner.

Dusk

Dusk near the Grimaldi Forum. A good book, a faithful dog and the Mediterranean behind you - what more does one need?

Bang!

The Casino gardens reflected in one of the Lanvin windows.

The Helicopter and the Virgin Mother

Let's face it, if you are coming to Monte Carlo, you might as well do it in style. Land at Nice airport and hop the helicopter. Once you arrive at the heliport in Fontvieille, they then deliver you to wherever you are staying in the Principality. It's not just a fun way to arrive - why even Damien Hirst's Virgin Mother stands ready to greet you - it's also such an easy way of doing it. It costs 105 one way - 210 euros return - from Nice airport to Monaco - or if you go one way only, then it's 120 euros - cheaper than the taxi I believe! Heli Air Monaco.

Of course, there's another way. Take the airport bus which will cost you only 18 euros.

As for The Virgin Mother, click to see her a little more clearly. She's pretty stunning whether she is to your taste or not. Go on, do click...HERE and HERE.

Le Dauphin Vert

Black and white chic in Rue Princesse Caroline.

A Sign of the Buddha

This sign is part of the hoarding that surrounds the soon to be open Buddha Bar in Monaco. There are fifteen Buddha Bars in the world from Peking to Prague to Paris where the concept was launched 14 years ago.

The Monte Carlo Buddha Bar will cost €5 million and will feature a 160-seat mezzanine, sumptuously decorated in the trademark red and gold. Access will be by the old stairway entrance to the Cabaret, with access to two terraces and the Casino Gardens. Developed by the SBM, the main draw will be the restaurant featuring first-class Asian cuisine produced by a team of chefs especially trained at the Buddha Bar in Budapest. The Buddha Bar opens on the 24th June.

Being the first of the month, it's Theme Day (Funny Signs) on City Daily Photo so to see how this subject is covered by other bloggers in many cities around the world please click here to view thumbnails for all participants.

A Window in a Window

One of the windows in the Eglise St. Charles, the church we saw yesterday. When the small window is closed, the design is complete.

The Orchid Tree

The orchid trees in Monaco are looking glorious at the moment - Bauhinia Variegata to be precise.

This one is at the side of the Church of St. Charles which is set back from the Boulevard des Moulins. The last photo shows the tree reflected in the school window.

68th Grand Prix de Monaco - Heading Home

Thousands and thousands of people queue for trains to take them out of Monaco. Crowd control was brilliant - the police organised and polite as they let limited groups thru from the tunnel and into the railway station.

The Monaco Grand Prix is over for yet another year. If you've never been to Monaco at Grand Prix time, come one day. There's nothing quite like it.

Thanks so much to everyone who has followed this little series.

68th Grand Prix de Monaco - Heads

We're looking down - from the 11th floor - on the teams who are waiting to welcome the winners. Their heads and colours make interesting patterns, don't they? In the first photo you can see the Red Bull team - bottom right.

And in the smaller photo, somewhere in the middle of that Red Bull throng is the winner, Mark Webber, getting a mighty lot of hugs. (click to enlarge)

68th Grand Prix de Monaco - the Television Screens

Whenever you are on the Grand Prix track, there will be a giant television screen not too far away. So whilst you are looking at what is going on before your eyes, you can also glance at a screen and see what the television coverage is at that moment.

In the photo below you can see a screen on the side of the stand that faces the Pit Lane. Note the number of people sitting on the hillside of le rocher, by the way.

In the main shot you see the winning drivers and the small photo shows a long shot of that same screen. Note the exit of the tunnel that leads down to the port.

With so many incidents this year, the screens were really useful as often we hadn't a clue what was going on other than we saw lights flashing around the track indicating the safety car was being deployed. A quick glance at the screen showed us a car broken down in the tunnel or that spectaclar mishap by Rascasse, for instance.

68th Grand Prix de Monaco - Pink

Pink isn't just a color, it's an attitude!

~ Miley Cyrus

68th Grand Prix de Monaco - the Noise - Listen!

We are at the Monaco Grand Prix and this is the start of the race. In the pic above you see the cars leaving for their warm-up lap but in the video below you see and HEAR (!) what the actual start was like from our 11th floor balcony. Thanks so much to Andrew Gallagher, who was standing next to me and recorded this 39 second video.

68th Grand Prix de Monaco - the Renault Girls

It wouldn't be the Monaco Grand Prix without some pretty girls - here are two working for Renault.

This was taken at the end of the race. I'd just left the building and naturally I thought the crowd across the street were for me. Then I realised they were all waiting for Prince Albert who had been watching the race from the same building. Just as well I didn't wave...

68th Grand Prix de Monaco - the Prince and the Venturi

H.S.H. Prince Albert arrives in a Venturi Fétish to watch the Grand Prix and later to award the prizes. Prince Albert drove the car around the circuit before stopping in front of the Start/Finish line. Venturi specialize in electric and solar vehicles which fits very nicely with the Prince's views on ecology and care of our planet.

Offering over 300 hp (+220 kW) and a torque of 380 Nm, the electric motor allows Fétish to reach 100km/h in less than 4 seconds.

68th Grand Prix de Monaco - the Yachts, the Yachts

Of course another way to see the Grand Prix is from a yacht. In the main photo we are looking at the area just before the swimming pool. You may notice in the last photo some people prefer sunbathing to watching the race!

The smaller photo shows the track that comes out of the tunnel - and in the left hand top corner you can just see the sweep of road that goes up to Casino Square.

We'll see the bigger yachts another day.

68th Grand Prix de Monaco - The Visiting Scotsmen

There seemed to be an awful lot of Scotsmen at the Grand Prix...

The sculpture is called 'Fraternita' and was given to the late Prince Rainier in 1999 on the 50th anniversary of his reign by GLI Italiani di Monaco. Click HERE to see a better shot. The sculptor is Sauro Cavallini.

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.