The Casino Vineyard

The small round garden in front of the casino is happily untouched by the renovations in the upper gardens.  In fact, it has been transformed into an ephemeral vineyard!  Right down to the traditional rose bush at the end of each row.

This is to mark the 150th anniversary of SBM (Societe des Bains de Mer).  In fact, you can now order a Bordeaux Grand Cru by the glass in any of the SBM hotels, restaurants or casinos.  There is a choice of 150 different wines.  This started on June 22nd and continues for 150 days.

Progress at Casino Square! - the Silk Floss Tree and the Digger

The scoop of a digger seen though the beauty of a Silk Floss Tree as the destruction of the Casino gardens continues.  The Latin name of this gorgeous tree is Ceiba specioso - it's the same family as the Baobab tree.

Let's hope it survives ...

Progress at Casino Square! - the Winter Sporting

This is the Art Deco Winter Sporting - the building that is to be replaced.

Progress at Casino Square! - the Palms

It would appear (one hopes!) that the trees and palms are to be saved.

At the moment, the machines are being used to dig around the massive palms and beautiful trees.  Presumably they will  be left in place or will be lifted and hopefully replaced when the building work is finished.  Who knows? Doubtless we'll eventually know the answer ...

This photo shows the Café de Paris and the Casino.

Progress at Casino Square!

This is called progress!  The casino gardens are being dug up and the building you see to the right - the Winter Sporting (a beautiful Art Deco building) - will be knocked down in favour of a massive shopping complex. The building in the centre is the Hotel de Paris and you can just see a corner of the Casino to the left.

More tomorrow ...

La Spiaggia

Early morning at La Spiaggia on Larvotto beach.

People Watching at the Café de Paris

On the terrace of the Café de Paris, everyone faces Casino Square so they can 'people watch.' 

And if you sit at the back with a camera, you can watch people watching people!

Puff Puff

Seen on the terrace of the Café de Paris yesterday.  Presumably it's an electronic vapour pipe?

Simple Pleasures

There are still simple pleasures available in Monaco. 

In the smaller photo you see the heliport in the distance.

Biking

Bikes for hire on le rocher.

Written in Glass

These are the windows of the newly built Conseil National of Monaco on le Rocher - the Monagesque Parliament building.

Checking the Bill ...

Checking the bill?  Dividing the bill?  Foreign money is sometimes complicated ...

Tourism Movement

Visitors walk towards the lifts that will take them up to the Oceanographic Museum, the Palais and the Cathedral and all the delights of le rocher.

Tourism on le Rocher

The tiny ruelles on le rocher are enchanting if you can look past the tourist merchandise either end of a passageway.  Oh dear ...

The Open Air Cinema

Monaco's open air cinema. We've seen this on the blog before this is a slightly wider shot.  You can choose the type of seat you want to sit in - recliners, normal chairs etc and so prices vary. Great place to watch a film.

Nymphe Salmacis - F. J. Bosio

This sculpture is called Nymphe Salmacis and it's by the Monegasque sculptor, F. J. Bosio, who lives between 1768 and 1845. It stands in the forecourt of one of Monaco's public buildings on le rocher.

Petanque at the Palace - Red!

With the red and white flags of Monaco and the red t-shirts, we're not about to wonder where we are!

Petanque at the Palace - Sway!

Swaying pom-pom girls keep the crowd entertained as they wait for the next game of petanque.

Petanque at the Palace - the Pom Pom Girls

Meet the pom-pom girls - well, part of them. Tomorrow we'll see the rest.

Petanque at the Palace - the Throw

At the Petanque tournment in front of the Palace, this lady, who was playing with the Prince, has a pretty deft action, don't you think?

Petanque at the Palace - Daniel Elena

Another photo of H.S.H. Prince Albert II playing petanque and as you can see one of the other players is no less than Daniel Elena, who is Sebastien Loeb's co-driver in motor rallies. Between them they have won the World Rally Championship 9 times. Daniel Elena is Monegasque. 

The Prince's team won!

Petanque at the Palace! - the Prince

H.S.H.Prince Albert II gets into the spirit of the Pro/Am Petanque tournament. As you can see, he plays a mean game of petanque.

Petanque at the Palace!

Look what was going on at the Place du Palais in Monaco yesterday.  The whole of the area in front of the Palace has been transformed into specially created gravel petanque pitches.   There are several others apart from this one.

There is space for around 800 spectators in the stands, and there's a giant screen relaying the matches.

This event, the Monaco Petanque Masters,  is the result of a collaboration between the Club Bouliste Monegasque and the Palace and is supported by 'Peace and Sport.'

Entry is free to the square and stands with two semi-finals and the final for professionals taking place today, after which the whole thing will be dismantled.

Peace and Sport organised an informal, pro/am tournament, in which Prince Albert and 32 celebrities were expected to take part. So come  back tomorrow and see how His Serene Highness, Prince Albert II plays a mean game of pentanque! 

Cabanas

This is a longer shot of the pool reflection we saw a couple of days ago.  Cabanas at the Monte Carlo Bay Hotel.

Chanel Pose

The Chanel boutique is perhaps not the place to pose if you aren't carrying a Chanel handbag.

Pool Envy 2

A corner of the beautiful pool at the the Monte Carlo Bay Hotel.

Shopping Car

Cute car ... and with somewhere to put the shopping.

The Pom-Pom Tree?

Anyone know the name of this tree? The leaves that would indicate - perhaps? -  a type of acacia, but note the seedpods and those white pom-poms. It's in the gardens of Fontvieille, not far from the Princess Grace Rose Garden.

The Other Harbour

Early morning reflections in the port of Fontvieille.

De-Stress

Another photo of the beautiful Japanese Gardens on Avenue Princesse Grace.  If you are stressed - and who isn't? - it's a good place to go and sit and stare at the water ...

The Clean-Up Vehicle

Pretty dapper van used for cleaning Monaco, don't you think? And for sure this will be an electrical vehicle as most public vehicles in Monaco are electric. Looks like it's smiling ...

Escalator Beauty

A beautiful Monte Carlo lady leaving the Metropole shopping centre. She's about to get on the escalator which leads up to the Casino Gardens.

Slipstream

This is Slipstream, a 60 metre yacht with 6 state rooms. It accommodates 12 guests and 14 crew. Slipstream is the yacht that Simon Cowell charters when he fancies a holiday in the south of France. The smaller boat is probably hoping for a glimpse of him ... or one of his ladies. I snapped this at Golfe Bleue at Roquebrune-Cap-Martin.

In the last photo, you see the yacht set against the backdrop of Monaco but it was late afternoon and I was shooting into the sun.

Rocks

The rocky coast of Cap d'Ail.

Upside Down

Reflection in the pool near the entrance to the Grimaldi Forum and the Japanese Gardens.  The reflection is of apartments along Avenue Princesse Grace.

The Weird Bicycle

Cap d'Ail

Isn't this the weirdest bike!  The photos aren't anything to write home about but I wanted to show you the bike regardless.  I can't imagine balancing on a bike in this position - can you? 

Arman's Motophant

Arman's Motophant stands on a high plinth in the Chemin des Sculptures, near the circus tent, in Fontvieille. Isn't it absolutely perfectly named?  Vroom Vroom ...

It was created in 1988 by Arman (Armand Pierre Fernandez) an American, who was born in Nice in 1928 and died in 2005.