Servi Muti

This statue called Servi Muti (Silent Servants) stands just outside the Princess Grace Rose Garden in Fontvieille. It's by the Italian artist, Roberto Barni.

Columbus Hotel

This is the Columbus Hotel, situated in Fontvieille, opposite the Princess Grace Rose Garden and two minutes from the Heliport. It's owned by the Scottish Formula One driver, David Coulthard and Glasgow hotelier and Monaco resident, Ken McCulloch. The hotel was opened by Prince Rainier in 2001. Click on this link to see pics of the beautiful modern yet relaxing interior.

Princess Grace Rose Garden - 5

One of the entrances to the wonderful Princess Grace Rose Garden in Fontvieille.

Pause café

This area is outside the main supermarket of Monaco. It's called Carrefour and is in Fontvieille: the area reclaimed from the sea. You can see le rocher in the background where you'll find the Palace. If you walk up the steps you'll come to the Museum of Antique Automobiles - for a photograph click here.

You can pause for a coffee or sandwich before or after shopping. Office workers come here for lunch. The photograph below is of the opposite side of this area and the supermarket itself is beyond the arches. You can see another photograph of the supermarket here.

Walk or ride up?

This is taken from the pedestrian street, Rue Princesse Caroline, in the port area. The steps (plus escalator) lead up to some narrow streets with little restaurants and eventually, to Monte Carlo's market in Places d'Armes.

Casino Gardens - 2

This photograph of the northern part of the Casino gardens was taken from the Winter Sporting, which is where you'll find the main cinema of Monte Carlo. These gardens have many beautiful and rare trees and are always kept in beautiful condition. You can see another photo here.

Ovale

Unusual 'port-hole' windows in a building near to the walking street of Monte Carlo. Presumably they'd be the bathrooms or loos? Perhaps hallways?

For the children

This statue is opposite a children's playground in Fontvieille. It's just by the circus tent and near to the gardens posted yesterday. Sorry I don't know the name of the sculpture or the artist. As you can see it was raining and so I ran for cover. Wimp! I've a feeling this statue could depict a nursery rhyme or children's story and hope one of you knowledgeable people will tell me. Maybe it's the old woman who lived in a shoe - but I don't think so?

Hazy lazy days of summer...

This pool is in Fontvieille, near to the circus tent and to the Princess Grace rose garden. Do you remember feeding the ducks or other birds in your childhood?

Apartment ON the sea

The area surrounding the new port of Fontvieille - and this includes the circus tent, the heliport and the Princess Grace rose garden is on land reclaimed from the sea. Here you see some of the attractive apartment buildings - all on reclaimed land.

Monte Carlo Ladies - 3

Walking the dog, talking on the telephone. This little Westie looks unhappy but in fact he or she is, I suspect, very old. The lady was very gentle, walking at the dog's slow pace. Not that I think she could have walked too fast in those shoes!

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.