Congratulations!

Congratulations! Well, yes...I was saving this photograph for the day that England won the Rugby World Cup! Sadly, they didn't and of course neither did France so I couldn't use it to congratulate either country. So here it is. I can't find any information about the artist. Engraved into the plinth are the words Vax Cartie - and I don't know what that means? Does anyone know? There are several statues, made of rocks and barbed wire - around. For instance, there is one as you drive into Terminal One at Nice airport. This one is located at the far end of Port Hercule pretty much opposite the Monaco Yacht Club.

Sinfonia

In contrast to yesterday's Bateau Bus, here's something just a little bigger. This is the cruise liner that was in port yesterday - MSC Sinfonia. She's an Italian cruise ship (so the food should be good!) with 777 cabins, accommodating 2087 guests. She's on a seven-day cruise between Italy, Tunisia, Malta, Spain and Monte Carlo.

Bateau-Bus

The Bateau-Bus was introduced into Monte Carlo this year - it crosses the harbour regularly throughout the day. One end of the croisiere is near to where the big cruise ships come in and the other end isn't far from the casino. It costs 1 euro each way. I didn't have time today but next time I'm in Monaco will take this form of transport to cross the port and back again. Have a feeling I might get some good photos from the Bateau-Bus itself and it looks like fun!

Atlantis II

The big yacht you see tied up to the digue is Atlantis II, owned by the Niarchos family of Greece. I'm told it's rarely used since the patriarch of the family, Stavros, died a few years ago. Atlantis II is a sister ship to the older Issham Al Baher, originally Atlantis, which Stavros Niarchos gave to King Fahd of Saudi Arabia. You can see another photograph of this yacht at THIS LINK.

A bumper crop

Bumper cars waiting. Quiet before the Fun Fair opens and the crowds appear. And when they do, wham, crash, bang - with perhaps a glance at the yachts alongside.

Tacky?

All the fun of the fair, a return to childhood: toffee apples, beignets, lollypops. The smell of deep-frying. Is it tacky or is it fun? Somehow one thinks of Monaco as always offering the best of everything - perhaps a fair like this doesn't live up to that reputation but it draws children and fun-loving adults from all over. The Fair will run in the main port - le port Hercule - until the 19th November.

All the fun of the fair!

All the fun of the fair is on in Monte Carlo at the moment. The collage above represents just one of the entertainments on offer. Below you see the top of this ride showing you where it's situated in front of the port. I'll show you more tomorrow so do please come back.

Daily Photo Theme Day: Blue

The dancer stands on a blue globe of the world, with the Principality shown in gold - of course! Actually it's not a globe of the world but simply depicts the Mediterranean coastline of France and Italy , with Monte Carlo clearly marked - more detail in the photo below. It stands in the centre of Avenue Princesse Grace near to the Grimaldi Forum.

And if you'd like to stay in today's blue mood, please check out all the other Daily Photo bloggers around the world for their take on today's Theme:

Boston (MA), USA - Cleveland (OH), USA - Philadelphia (PA), USA - Arlington (VA), USA - Cape Town, South Africa - Portland (OR), USA - Sequim (WA), USA - Selma (AL), USA - Arradon, France - Petaling Jaya (Selangor), Malaysia - Stockholm, Sweden - Singapore, Singapore - Wassenaar (ZH), Netherlands - Phoenix (AZ), USA - Seattle (WA), USA - Toulouse, France - The Hague, Netherlands - Moscow, Russia - Fort Lauderdale (FL), USA - Kyoto, Japan - Tokyo, Japan - Saint Paul (MN), USA - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Stayton (OR), USA - Maple Ridge (BC), Canada - Detroit (MI), USA - Crystal Lake (IL), USA - Port Angeles (WA), USA - Cottage Grove (MN), USA - Nelson, New Zealand - Bandung (West Java), Indonesia - Greenville (SC), USA - Hyde, UK - Radonvilliers, France - Albuquerque (NM), USA - Nashville (TN), USA - Manila, Philippines - Port Vila, Vanuatu - Saarbrücken, Germany - New Orleans (LA), USA - Bellefonte (PA), USA - Melbourne, Australia - Hobart (Tasmania), Australia - Forks (WA), USA - Wichita (Ks), USA - Barton (VT), USA - St. Louis (MO), USA - Joplin (MO), USA - Chandler (AZ), USA - Quincy (MA), USA - Setúbal, Portugal - Inverness (IL), USA - Christchurch, New Zealand - Toruń, Poland - North Bay (ON), Canada - Le Guilvinec, France - Chateaubriant, France - London, England - Minneapolis (MN), USA - Naples (FL), USA - Norwich (Norfolk), UK - Sydney, Australia - Austin (TX), USA - Mumbai, India - Boston (MA), USA - Santa Fe (NM), USA - Menton, France - Monte Carlo, Monaco - Paderborn, Germany - Montréal (QC), Canada - Jackson (MS), USA - Stavanger, Norway - Orlando (FL), USA - Grenoble, France - Cheltenham, UK - Forks (WA), USA - Mexico City, Mexico - West Sacramento (CA), USA - Silver Spring (MD), USA - Weston (FL), USA - London, UK - Jefferson City (MO), USA - Ocean Township (NJ), USA - Belgrade, Serbia - Paris, France - Shanghai, China - Montego Bay, Jamaica - Montpellier, France - Saint Louis (MO), USA - Wailea (HI), USA - Rabaul, Papua New Guinea - Auckland, New Zealand - Evry, France - New York City (NY), USA - Nottingham, UK - Las Vegas (NV), USA - Oslo, Norway - Minneapolis (MN), USA - American Fork (UT), USA - Cypress (TX), USA - Haninge, Sweden - Trujillo, Peru - Trujillo, Peru - Melbourne (VIC), Australia - Saint-Petersburg, Russian Federation - Durban, South Africa - Brussels, Belgium - Anderson (SC), USA - Budapest, Hungary - Wellington, New Zealand - Prague, Czech Republic - Saigon,

The Portier Fountain

More blue. Here is the Portier Fountain which sits in the centre of the roundabout which leads to the Voie Rapide - to the Avenue Princesse Grace - up to the Casino - and is part of the hairpin bend that leads to the famous tunnel you see at the Monaco Grand Prix.

Getting in a blue mood...

Getting in a blue mood...ready for our Theme Day on Thursday. Blue sea, blue sky - the obvious in Monte Carlo, I suppose, but tomorrow and on Theme Day, there'll be something different so do come back. Today, tho, we are on Larvotto Beach - this was taken 9 days ago - weather still warm as you see.

Hommage a Princesse Grace

This beautiful sculpture/fountain was created by Guy Lartigue in 1970 in hommage to Princess Grace of Monaco. Made of copper, brass and bronze, it stands on the eastern end of the Promenade de Larvotto, just above the beach. You can see more of this artist's work at this LINK - where you'll also find a photo of the sculpture taken at night.

Motophant

This sculpture by Arman, created in 1988, stands in the Chemin des Sculptures in the gardens of Fontvieille. Arman (Armand Pierre Fernandez) an American, was born in Nice in 1928 and died in 2005. You can read more about this celebrated artist HERE.

Pelouse pour Chiens

In the gardens of Fontvieille, there is a small fenced area reserved for dogs - a doggy toilet. See photo below. Hope the dogs can read!

Imagine

This beautiful yacht, Imagine, is currently moored in the harbour of Cap d'Ail. Below you see a guy - music while you work - cleaning the decks. You can read more about this 49 m (161 ft) yacht, which was built in Gulf Port, Mississippi, HERE. (Scroll down the page)

The tall apartment buildings you see are in Monaco (Fontvieille). The harbour is in France - Cap d'Ail.

Japanese Garden - 10

Green and blue and rocks - another shot of this wonderfully peaceful and beautiful garden with the Mediterranean in the background.

Woman smoking a cigarette

This sculpture called 'Woman Smoking a Cigarette' is by Fernando Botero and was created in 1987. It stands in the gardens of Fontvieille, near to the circus tent. Botero was born in Colombia in 1932 and is famous for his wonderful inflated shapes. Personally I adore his work. Do you?

Lunch on the beach

On Larvotto beach, in fact. Taken two days ago, the normally calm Mediterranean is still churning from the winds of the previous day.

This little piggy...

...went to market. Well actually he went to the foire in Monaco. Every October there's a big Fair in the circus tent in Fontvieille. You can buy anything from a new kitchen, to designer office chairs from Italy costing 1500 euros, to wines, to cheeses, to meats. There are stands from Morocco, India, Russia - many countries are represented - selling local artisan-made products. My favourite is always the Moroccan stand with its wonderful lamps, mirrors and pots.

This stand is called Divin Porcello and comes from Budrio in the province of Bologna in Italy.

Beach Hotel

The sea is churned up today, following yesterday's fierce mistral. Today, just a bit of a breeze which is heavenly. This is looking at the Beach Hotel, Monaco which is, in fact, on land leased from France. Restaurant La Vigie is located on the land jutting out to the right.

Police boat

In sharp contrast to the gleaming white yachts: the police boat.