Pogoria

Amongst all the massive modern yachts, you sometimes find a gem like this tall ship, the Pogoria. She is tucked away to one side of the port - more or less in front of Stars n' Bars. She was built in 1980 in Gdansk for the Iron Shackle Fraternity which is a marine educational project sponsored by Polish National television. You can read more at this link.

Dismantling

Monaco after the Grand Prix. It's lunch break time for some of the many workers you'll see all around the Grand Prix track, dismantling the enormous stands.

Princess Grace Rose Garden - 4

The rose gardens are never less than immaculate. Here one of the gardeners collects fallen leaves. The Meilland rose below is called Violon d'Ingres.

Big Boys' Toys...

...or should this post be called Cars and Boats and Planes, tra la la - except I think that song was Trains and Boats and Planes, wasn't it?

I walked around the main port of Monaco today. Never have I seen so many yachts - in the port, spilling out of the port, out at sea. In addition, there are three or four massive massive cruise liners - one in port, the others anchored out at sea. Most of the yachts in the section of the port in this photograph had crews hard at work cleaning up and preparing to the next playground, ready for the owner to jet in and have fun.

Do you ever think 'where did we go wrong?' I always thought by the time I was 40 I'd have a personal masseur every day and a box of Kleenex in every room. (Yeah, well time was when loo roll had to do to wipe my nose!) So time passed, life got better and now I've got a box of Kleenex in every room. The masseur somehow didn't materialise and as for Big Boys' Toys...I missed the boat. Do I care? No way, José!

Princess Grace Rose Garden - 3

Why not relax on this bench in a corner of the Princess Grace Rose Garden. We could sun ourselves and chat and then perhaps walk around and look at more roses. This lovely one is called Gites de France.

Vista Palace Hotel

This hotel, which looks as if it's about to fall off the cliff is the Vista Palace Hotel. Built on a rock, 333 metres above Monte Carlo, it's actually situated in Roquebrune-cap-Martin. The views are stupendous over the Principality and in the other direction across to Menton and Italy.

Monte Carlo Ladies - 2

Monte Carlo Ladies are a breed apart and I'd like to introduce a few of them to you over the coming weeks and months. Most are locals. They dress to walk the dog, they dress to go to the supermarket. I will only present a rear or side-view to give privacy.

This smartly dressed lady may not be a local tho. She is walking alongside the Louis XV restaurant in the Hotel de Paris and so perhaps is staying there? Perhaps she works there. I don't know. I find when I photograph a person, my imagination runs away with me and by the time I get home, I know her whole life, which of course I don't. What do you think this lady is doing and why is she walking towards the entrance of the Hotel de Paris on Casino Square?

Theme Day: A view from my room

No, it's not my room! (See Menton Daily Photo for that). This was taken from the balcony of good friends in Monte Carlo who live over the Start/Finish line of the Monaco Grand Prix. He is a well-known retired British racing driver and lives out his retirement years in the perfect place.

To see other views from other rooms around the world, please click on the links below.

Seattle (WA), USA - Manila, Philippines - Albuquerque (NM), USA - Singapore, Singapore - Toruń, Poland - Baton Rouge (LA), USA - Seoul, Korea - Saint Paul (MN), USA - Vantaa, Finland - Madison (WI), USA - Saarbrücken, Germany - Cleveland (OH), USA - Chicago (IL), USA - Cottage Grove (MN), USA - Omaha (NE), USA - Bellefonte (PA), USA - Melbourne, Australia - Stockholm, Sweden - Grenoble, France - Lubbock (TX), USA - Boston (MA), USA - Arradon, France - Hyde, UK - Joplin (MO), USA - Kyoto, Japan - Tokyo, Japan - Kansas City (MO), USA - Naples (FL), USA - Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina - Manila, Philippines - Sydney, Australia - Stavanger, Norway - Bucaramanga (Santander), Colombia - London, UK - Chandler (AZ), USA - Nelson, New Zealand - Singapore, Singapore - Hamburg, Germany - Sydney, Australia - Tenerife, Spain - Moscow, Russia - Lyon, France - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Villigen, Switzerland - Anderson (SC), USA - Oslo, Norway - Evry, France - Hayle, UK - Mumbai, India - Kitakami, Japan - Wassenaar (ZH), Netherlands - Menton, France - Monte Carlo, Monaco - Los Angeles (CA), USA - Cypress (TX), USA - La Antigua, Guatemala - Paderborn, Germany - San Diego (CA), USA - Ampang (Selangor), Malaysia - Madrid, Spain - Lyon, France - Selma (AL), USA - Shanghai, China - Baziège, France - Cologne (NRW), Germany - North Bay (ON), Canada - Rotterdam, Netherlands - Stayton (OR), USA - Sharon (CT), USA - Austin (TX), USA - Hong Kong, China - Trier, Germany - Joensuu, Finland - Paris, France - Greenville (SC), USA - Wailea (HI), USA - Budapest, Hungary - Cork, Ireland - Bastia, France - Vancouver, Canada - Brookville (OH), USA - Jakarta, Indonesia

Far more than a flower

This statue of Princess Grace stands in a corner of the Princess Grace Rose Garden in Fontvieille. The words on the plaque below were written by the Princess.

Monte Carlo Ladies - 1

You'll find benches like this all over Monte Carlo. Good place for a chat and to watch the world go by.

Really so sorry I've not commented lately. After the 10 hour drive from a crazy busy dog show (which I'll write about on my Postcards blog) I now have a dreadful sore throat and cold. Collected my wonderful new car yesterday and promptly bashed it today! I'm not a happy camper. The car is automatic and unfortunately it doesn't hold in Drive - just slips back down my very steep track. Volkswagen tell me the slope is too steep to hold the car. They might have told me this when I ordered the damn thing! Don't ask, just don't ask.... but I will get around to comments soon and try and make up for my absence.

A mix of styles

This building is a couple of streets in from the main port of Monaco.

Port of Fontvieille 2

A quiet corner to recover after the chaos of the Grand Prix. This is part of the harbour in Fontvieille - in the background you can see terraces that house the zoo. I've heard mixed reviews of this zoo and haven't so far plucked up the courage to go. One day...

(Just walked in the door - thanks so much for everyone who has commented whilst I've been away. Will try and catch up over the next few days - now it's wine time after a 10 hour drive and holds up for snow at the Gottard pass in Switzerland!)

Grand Prix Day!

Grand Prix Day! Tout le monde is in town. Vroom vroom.....

Port of Fontvieille

Let's have a little peace away from the chaos of the Grand Prix. This is not the main port of Monaco but the smaller and very pretty port of Fontvieille.

Pit lane

The stands you see in the centre of the photograph are new this year - they face the pit lane. On the right in the background, you see the area of Monaco known as le rocher - the Rock (where you'll find the Palace, beautiful little streets and the Oceanographic Museum).

Security

This man is putting finishing touches to security for the Monaco Grand Prix. The Formula One cars will whizz past here and on past the swimming pool.

Tomorrow at the crack of dawn I'm leaving for the north of France to go to a dog show - the Euro-OES-Show in Gerardmer. (OES = Old English Sheepdog) Hope, with luck, to be able to post each day from the hotel computer. However, forgive me, but I won't be able to comment. Back on Monday night. woof woof

Smart

You see Smart cars all over Monaco. A very sensible car, of course, for such a tiny place. They are used in business, as here, or privately owned. Also many of the public transport vehicles in Monaco are electric, as opposed to petrol or diesel. Do you see Smart cars in your city? Do you have electrically run vehicles in your city?

...the unexpected

I'm in a 'doorways' mood today. One is on Menton DP and this on Monte Carlo. This gate is a couple of streets in from the port. Perhaps not what you'd expect in Monaco, eh? Always expect the unexpected...

Away from the craziness

Did you think I'd made a mistake and posted a Menton photograph on Monte Carlo DP? Not so, this is one of the many small streets tucked away behind the port. You'll find shops and little restaurants in all these streets. It's much more tranquil than the bustle of the main roads, especially now it's nearly Grand Prix time. Amazingly, this little street is only a few yards from the Start/Finish line. Vroom vroom - just warming up...

Window to the sky

I couldn't resist this mixture of a modern facade reflecting the old buildings opposite. The sky appears to have windows that open. Now that would be nice if it were real, wouldn't it? This building is near to the police station and one or two streets in from the port of Monaco.