Through the trees darkly...

Whilst waiting for the sun - when will it return? - at least the clouds make interesting patterns over the back of the Casino building.

A Not So Pristine Monte Carlo...

The morning after New Year's Eve in a normally pristine Monte Carlo - broken champagne bottles on the terrace below the Casino.

In the smaller photo - neatly stacked: two empty bottles and a couple of glasses. Bet they woke with a headache...

And below - well some people were obviously reduced to paper cups! These had been stuck in an olive tree outside the Hotel de Paris.

The Morning after the Night Before

The small courtyard of The Living Room - a piano bar/night club in Avenue des Spélugues - the morning after New Year's Eve.

It must have been a good night!

Theme Day - Favorite Photo of 2010

On the first of January each year, bloggers in the City Daily Photo community post their favourite photo of the previous 12 months. Here's mine - a shot of the magnificent Oceanographic Museum, seen through the legs of Damien Hirst's enormous sculpture 'The Virgin Mother.'

Wishing you all a happy, healthy and peaceful 2011 and thankyou SO much for your visits to Monte Carlo Daily Photo.

Please click here to see other bloggers' favourite photos of 2010.

Palace

Despite the blue skies in this shot, the sun isn't back yet ...although it's promised for tomorrow which will be a great start to the New Year.

This photo of the Palace was taken at the end of November and is perhaps a fitting photo to end 2010 and welcome 2011, when Monaco will celebrate the Wedding of HSH Prince Albert II and Charlene Wittstock.

Glitter

'Fortune is like glass - the brighter the glitter, the more easily broken.'

~ Pubillius Syrus - Roman author 1st century B.C.

Mother and Baby

The Casino Gardens. See how the baby twines around the mother...

A Monaco Christmas - Deck the halls...

All decked out for the holidays - the side entrance to the Café de Paris.

Coffee Break

Shoppers take a break in the coffee shop on the lower floor of the Metropole centre.

Pearls

The window of an exclusive perfume shop in a tiny street above the Casino Gardens.

A Monaco Christmas - Christmas Candles

A Christmas candle is a lovely thing;
It makes no noise at all,
But softly gives itself away.
~Eva Logue

Happy Christmas to everyone! May Santa bring you something really nice but most of all I hope you have a loving day with family and friends and of course your pets. Thanks everyone so much for your visits to this blog. Really appreciate it!

A Monaco Christmas - Bearing Up

Polar bears in the Metropole Centre. Outside - endless endless rain...

A Monaco Christmas - Hôtel Hermitage

A row of Christmas trees welcomes visitors to the Hôtel Hermitage.

A Monaco Christmas - High Heels

You'll find these in the Metropole centre.


'Yet if a woman never lets herself go, how will she ever know how far she might have got? If she never takes off her high-heeled shoes, how will she ever know how far she could walk or how fast she could run? '

~ Germaine Greer

A Monaco Christmas - Just a Load of Balls...

We're inside the Café de Paris building looking towards the small casino that houses some gaming machines. This is not the real casino of course - that's the beautiful Belle Epoque building across the square. I've seen day tourists from the cruise liners walk in here thinking it's the real deal.

A Monaco Christmas - the Casino Christmas Trees

The garden immediately in front of the casino is filled with Christmas trees strewn with lights that change colour every few seconds.

A Monaco Christmas - Snack on the Port

There's a Christmas Fair on the port - rides for kids, pressies to buy and snacks to eat in the sunshine...

A Monaco Christmas - NOT a Christmas Tree

A magnolia all lit up for Christmas. This is on Boulevard des Moulins on the steps leading up to Eglise St. Charles.

A Monaco Christmas - the Barclays Bank Reindeer

Wonder how banks have reindeer climbing the railings? This is Barclays Bank on Boulevard des Moulins.

A Monaco Christmas - Posh Shoes

A new and beautifully designed shop in the Metropole Centre. L. Guilo sells handmade patinated shoes to the well-dressed Monaco man.

A Monaco Christmas - the Metropole Centre

Christmas decorations at the Metropole shopping centre.

Red

A RED moment in Avenue des Beaux Arts yesterday.

Stop the World...

Monaco is so small, with many buildings, yet it has so many lovely gardens. This waterfall is in a garden just behind the Heliport in Fontvieille and very near to the Princess Grace Rose Garden. A small bridge crosses this water - a good place to stop and ponder the world when you want to get off it.

The Electricians

Looks like even the electricians are good-looking and stylishly dressed in Monaco!

After the Party...

We're at the Hermitage Hotel on the Grande Corniche in Eze. Our long lazy lunch is over. Each year a group of us - around 20 - British, Irish, Australian, French, Italian, American, Scandinavian, South African - get together for a Christmas lunch. Normally we choose a different restaurant each year but last year we came here and loved it so we are back! Super environment, ambiance, food, service and a crowd of friends who have created our own 'family' in the south of France.

Metal Birds

Helicopters take off and land all day long in Monaco. It's a great way to arrive from Nice airport. And there's always a bird (a real one) to fly along with you.

The Heliport in Monaco is in mourning at the moment. A couple of days ago a helicopter from Heli Air Monaco was employed to fly over, and report on, an éboulement (landslide) in the hills above the coast. The weather was appalling, deep fog, the helicopter crashed and all three on board were killed - and all for a few tumbled rocks.

Gilding the Lily

Snapped whilst waiting at the lights - Barclays Wealth adds a bit more glitter for Christmas.

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.

Do Not...

There's an awful lot of things you can't do on Larvotto beach - yet I've seen all of these rules broken. I guess that's part of the fun.

I always remember in France, before smoking was totally banned inside a restaurant, there used to be 'smoking' tables and 'non-smoking' tables. If a smoker sat down at a 'non-smoking' table, the patron would simply move the 'no smoking' sign to another table...

The Fisherman

This sculpture is called The Fisherman and stands by La Rose des Vents on Avenue Princesse Grace on the western end of Larvotto Beach. It was created by the French sculptor, Gustave Dussart (1875 - 1952).

Wish we had this blue sky today - it's p...ing down with rain.

Princess Caroline, the Nurses & the Photographer

Amazing gear - pretty neat guy!

Princess Caroline, the Nurses and the Party!

Above, the Princess as she was about to leave the party. I'd changed the lens on my camera but stupidly (grrrr) forgotten to change the settings on the camera so it's far too grainy.

In the small photo, you see S.A.S. la Princesse Caroline handing out diplomas to the nurses and in the last photo, lots of goodies to eat along with the champagne on offer at the party.

More tomorrow...