Hôtel Hermitage - the Winter Garden

The central seating arrangement in the Winter Garden of the Hôtel Hermitage.

Steps, steps

You need to be fit if you live in this part of Beausoleil.  Beausoleil is in France, of course, but borders Monaco.   In fact, some streets are Monaco on one side and Beausoleil on another.

This photo was taken in 2010 on the camera before the camera before the .... and in those days I took photos only in jpg format.

Morning constitutional

An early morning walk near the Grimaldi Forum.

Bubble wrapped!

Bubble wrapped!

Mirrored columns

This is a photo of reflections from two mirrored columns in a Monaco shopping centre. The first two sections are two sides of one column.  The third one is not a reflection. And the fourth is another reflection.

Ferrari and Rolls Royce

This is an alternative view of the cars we saw yesterday.  That's the Hotel de Paris on the left, the Casino entrance is behind me.  The Christmas trees have now been removed so if you'd like to see a LIVE WEBCAM of Casino Square, click on the link.

Cars at Place du Casino

You only get your car parked on Casino Square if it's something special ...

Walk to Monaco

Monaco seen from the point of Cap Martin.  You can walk along the Promenade Le Cobusier all the way from here to Monaco.

Ignoring Dior ...

Ignoring Dior ...

Celebrity cow!

The cow seems more interested in being photographed than in holding the little girl's hand. 

Obviously a cow who craves celebrity.

Cigarette break ...

Cigarette break in Casino Square.

BMW

Outside the Louis Vuitton shop in Monte Carlo.

Lust for a sports car ...

Waiting for the bus

This beauty has two wheelies and an enormous flat package and is waiting for a bus that probably never arrived.  The reason?  Later I saw her at the bus stop on the other side of the road ... still waiting.

Cathedral by night

Monaco's cathedral at night.  This is where HSH Prince Rainier III and HSH Princess Grace are buried.

The Christmas Village - Nougat

If you like nougat, look no further.  Here you'll find every flavour you can imagine and cut for you freshly whilst you wait. 

The Christmas Village - Jazz and Blues

Music for sale ...

The Christmas Village - Bored?

Bored? Tired perhaps?

The Christmas Village - in a bauble

The Christmas village in a bauble.

The Christmas Village - Chocolate Marshmallows

On sale at the Christmas Village - twisty chocolate marshmallows.

The Christmas Village - Snowman!

Suddenly the village was invaded by a posse
of live snowmen! All happy to stop and pose for a photo.

The Palace and Happy 2014!

The Prince's Palace on le rocher.  Wishing you all a happy and peaceful and healthy 2014. Thanks so much for all the kind and encouraging comments on my photos over the last year (blogs and Facebook). It means a lot to me.. Thank you!

The Christmas Village - Something for everyone

At Monaco's Christmas Village on Port Hercule there is something for everyone.  You can eat, drink, go on rides, buy gifts or simply meet up with friends for a good time.

The Christmas Village - Fast Food

Fast food - French style. And lots of Nutella!

Not sure why Santa Claus is wearing a pair of shorts and playing a guitar!

The Christmas Village - Food and Drink

This is the food section of Monaco's Christmas village on Port Hercule. Choose from one of the many food and drink stalls, find a bench and enjoy.

A Walk on 'le rocher'

This was taken on le rocher - the palace is behind me and this couple are walking towards the barrier where they'll look down on the glorious view of Port Hercule and the yachts with the Christmas village and ice-rink alongside.

I couldn't decide if I liked it better in colour or black and white - so here are both!

Iced Over

Dusk over the swimming pool on Port Hercule which has been transformed into an ice rink for Christmas.  You see the yachts in the background and on the right is 'le rocher' where you find the cathedral and the palace.

The Christmas Village

 The delight of a child at the Christmas village on Port Hercule.

The Palace at Christmas

The Prince's Palace at Christmas. 

Have a wonderful Christmas everyone.

Casino at Christmas

The Casino last night. Happy Christmas everyone!

Lunch in Eze

Christmas lunch with friends in Eze. Bon appetit!

Fontvieille Harbour

A part of Fontvieille harbour.  Yesterday was glorious.  Today - so far - rain. The buildings you see are on land reclaimed from the sea.  The rockface above is known as the 'Head of the Dog.'

Converging

Converging at FNAC ...

Jean Michel Jarre's Aeroskull HD for iPhone

The Aeroskull HD is apparently what every well-dressed iPod or iPhone needs for Christmas! It's a speaker system with a dock for your device.  The sunglasses house the speakers. There are plus and minus signs on the two front teeth.

'Jarre Technologies, founded by the musical legend, Jean Michel Jarre has unveiled its latest speaker system, the Aeroskull HD iPhone 5 Bluetooth dock.  The Aeroskull features two 15 Watt speakers hidden behind sunglasses with an impressive 40 Watt Sub Woofer covering the whole of the back of the skull as well as 1% THD (Total Harmonic Distorsion), to deliver an uncompromising listening experience.'

The Aeroskull comes in 11 colours and costs 399 euros. Click link above to read more. I took these photos in FNAC in Monaco.

Art Nouveau in Monaco

The Art Nouveau entrance to the Café de Paris on Casino Square.  Reminiscent of those gorgeous entrances to some Paris metro stations.

Promenade

The promenade below the casino - looking towards Cap Martin, Menton and Italy.

Wibbly wobbly

Reflections at the port of Fontvieille.

Falling water

If you are getting fraught with preparations for Christmas, just sit and watch falling water. It helps ...