Clouds over the Queen Mary II

The Queen Mary II moored outside the 'digue' (floating pontoon) in Port Hercule - four days ago.

In the background is Cap Martin. If you go to Menton Daily Photo today you'll find a couple of shots of Monaco taken from Cap Martin.

Toy Town

The clean-up of the Palace continues in preparation for the wedding celebrations. The real walls are masked by 'false walls' which along with the ornate uniforms of the Prince's Carabinieri give you the feeling you've arrived in toy town. All great fun!

Monte Carlo Tennis

This is the most my camera will see of the Monte Carlo tennis. It's impossible to park in Monaco at the moment with the tennis and also with Top Marques, the car show. I pulled up as I drove out of Monaco at an illegal place, pushed my camera under the bars of a metal barrier and grabbed these shots. Because of the barrier I couldn't get the angle to see the centre court but you can see the spectators watching the match taking place on it. In the smaller photo you see the clubhouse on the right.

The boat, by the way, is the Queen Mary II.

ArtMonaco - Perspex Nude by Anatoly Rotar

The Perspex nude by Moldovian-born artist, Anatoly Rotar. He now lives and works in the Ukraine.

ArtMonaco - Helmut Grill

Helmut Grill is an artist who works in several mediums including photography in which he produces dreamlike fantastical creations.

ArtMonaco - the Visitor

Some visitors dress to be noticed...

ArtMonaco - Apollo is Desperately in Love

'Apollo is Desperately in Love'... by the Turkish artist, Ugur Caki.

ArtMonaco - the Signature

When the painting class is finished, each child is invited to sign his work and is then photographed. This proud little boy has just signed his painting.

ArtMonaco - the Painting Class

Good to see a children's painting class at ArtMonaco with all the kids evidently having a good and creative time.

ArtMonaco - Waiting

'Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known'

~ Carl Sagan

ArtMonaco - 'Ultime Opere' by Monica Folegatti

This sculpture is called 'Ultime Opere' Tenaria by the Italian artist Monica Folegatti and is made of terracotta and copper.

ArtMonaco - Two Blondes...

There's a lot of waiting around for the gallery owners and their guests.

ArtMonaco - Monteoliveto by Telque

Some backdrop, don't you think? I love the forecourt of the Grimaldi Forum with the sea and Cap Martin beyond and that row of palms framing it so nicely.

This installation is by the sculptress, Telque.

ArtMonaco - Running on Faith by Revati Sharma Singh

Last weekend modern art in many forms was on display at the Grimaldi Forum.

On the forecourt of the building, with palms and the sea as a backdrop, is 'Running on Faith' by Indian artist, Revati Sharma Singh. Note the detail in the last photo.

The artist writes:

'Karma is not punishment or retribution but simply an extended expression or consequence of natural acts. Karma means 'deed' or 'act' and more broadly names the universal principle of cause and effect, action and reaction that governs all life - past, present and future. Karma is not fate, for humans act with free will creating their own destiny. According to the Vedas, if one sows goodness, one will reap goodness; if one sows evil, one will reap evil. Karma refers to the totality of our actions and their concomitant reactions in this and previous lives, all of which determines our future. The conquest of karma lies in intelligent action and dispassionate response.'

For Japan

Bracelets (martenitsa) in memory of those lost in the Japanese tsunami hang on a cherry tree at the entrance to the Japanese Gardens.

Summer's Here...

Looks like summer has arrived on Larvotto Beach. Hope it stays.

Reminds me of L.S.Lowry's matchstick men and women...

Louis Vuitton

Don't ask me the price of the bag because I didn't ask. Actually I prefer the stand with its interesting shape and reflections.

An Edgy Theme Day

The marble balustrade on the stairs that lead from the Buddha Bar down to the Fairmont Hotel - originally Loews Hotel for any the F1 fans. Sharp edges, curved edges, straight edges for today's Theme Day.

Please click here to see how others around the world have interpreted today's theme.

The Buddha Bar

The entrance to the Buddha Bar which opened last June. The afternoon light was just right for this reflection in one of the windows.

Yellow Tulips

Monaco is ablaze with yellow tulips at the moment. The Casino gardens are full of them and here too - in Avenue des Beaux-Arts - outside Dior.

Salon de Jeux Privés

It's always fun to photograph reflections in the curved entrance of the Salon de Jeux Privés, which is just down the slope from the main Casino.

The Child and the Giraffe

A children's birthday party on Larvotto Beach.

Peekaboo

Peekaboo in the Lanvin windows in Place du Casino.

'False face must hide what the false heart doth know.' ~ William Shakespeare

Hot or Cold?

Either the two gentlemen wearing suits and eating lunch on Larvotto Beach are feeling the heat or the man in the background is cold... What do you think?

Right Side Up in the Japanese Gardens

'The world is wrong side up. It needs to be turned upside down in order to be right side up.'

~ Billy Sunday

Monaco Mourns...

Monaco mourns HSH Princess Antoinette who died the other day. Note how all the flags, even tiny ones in a jewellry shop window, are tied up with black ribbon.

The funeral takes place today.

Bird's Eye View

Sometimes it's helpful to have a bird's eye view... Here is a small garden - mostly lavenders and rosemary I think - opposite La Rose des Vents on Avenue Princesse Grace. Pretty, isn't it?

For anyone interested, I took this from the 19th floor of the Formentor building - and leaning well over the edge of the balcony!

HSH Princess Antoinette

After all the razzmatazz of the Venetians, let's pause for peace in the Japanese Garden.

A sad time in Monaco at the moment as Princess Antoinette died a few days ago. Princess Antoinette was the sister of Prince Rainier, father to Prince Albert and his sisters, Princesses Caroline and Stephanie. She was 90 years old. The Principality is now in mourning for two weeks with the funeral taking place on Thursday. She had quite a life and was married three times - click on the link.

Princess Antoinette adored dogs, indeed she kept many dogs at her house, Au Bout du Monde, at Eze-bord-de-Mer. She was involved in animals rights and was President of Monaco's Society for the Protection of Animals. She was very knowledgeable on the subject of dogs and I remember a lovely conversation I had with her at one of the Monaco dog shows when I sat opposite her at lunch that day.