A night out in Monte Carlo - 4

We're in the American bar. How I wished I could have taken several photographs here. It's a beautiful room, dimly lit as you see. There's a wonderful long bar, a piano player in the far corner, elegant waiters - but mostly it's the clientele I'd wanted to photograph: a striking lady - of un certain age - elegant grey hair, a great slash of the reddest lipstick, a blond mink draped over her chair. Older men with gorgeous girls - wasn't it ever thus? A group of five young men with a dog jumping up for treats. . Now really I should have asked them if I could photograph the dog for Riviera Dogs but I was enjoying my champagne too much. The place was packed, the buzz palpable. A great place to sit and people-watch - but discreetly, doncha know? And really you can't take photographs...

We are drinking pink champagne. All the goodies on the table come with the drinks. In the foreground, to the right, you see a local speciality, particularly in Nice and Menton, called Barbajuan. Literally, Uncle John in Niçois, these are a sort of fried ravioli, usually stuffed with Swiss chard (a sort of spinach) and ricotta cheese. They are served warm and you dip them in the spicy orange sauce you see to the left. There are olives with garlic. The little green things look like peas and are crunchy. And the sticks in the background are light as air.

And yes, my companion smokes. Not sure what he'll do on the first of January when smoking is banned in restaurants and bars in France and I believe in Monaco too. He lives in Monaco where I'm told it is even to be banned in the streets as well, but honestly I find that hard to believe - how would they police it?

A night out in Monte Carlo - 3

Another view of the magnificent lobby of the Hôtel de Paris. Note the enormous floral display in the centre. The hotel was built in 1864 and offered the very best in comfort and sophisticated décor. It was here, in the Hôtel de Paris, that the most eminent guests came to stay and where the most prestigious society events took place. Its rare woods and rich fabrics, its golden and pastel décors, all conspire to recall the hotel's fabulous past. The hotel has 196 rooms and suits.

I took the photograph as I walked back from the famous Empire Room which was unfortunately closed and curtained - so no photograph for you.

I'm not sure if this photograph isn't slightly out of focus - one isn't supposed to photograph inside the Hôtel de Paris - and this one I snapped quickly. My companion had asked permission for me to take yesterday's bronze horse, and seeing the lobby relatively empty at that moment, the door man agreed 'mais un seul' he said. I was lucky.

This one was taken as we returned to the lobby from the Empire Room, en route to the American Bar - where tomorrow we'll have pink champagne.

A night out in Monte Carlo - 2

We've walked up the steps of the Hôtel de Paris, passed through the revolving doors, been greeted by one of the Lagerfeld-dressed doormen, of course. Just inside the lobby of this magnificent Belle Epoque building is a statue of Louis XIV on horseback. You can see the patina on the horse's knee, where it's been rubbed - for luck - by countless gamblers over the years. The casino is just a few steps away across Casino square.

Alain Ducasse's famous Michelin three-starred Le Louis XV restaurant is off to the right. You can just see the entrance in this photograph. It has a wine cellar with reputedly millions of dollars worth of century-old Napoleon brandy and Chateau Margaux 1920. No, I'm sorry, we are not eating there but do click on the link - you can do a virtual tour of the restaurant - and as you'll see it's absolutely stunning. You do need to mortgage your house to eat there tho.

To the left, out of shot, is the American Bar - that is where we'll be going for a drink before eating in Le Grill upstairs.

A night out in Monte Carlo - 1

Let's have a glamorous night out in Monte Carlo. Come with me to the Hôtel de Paris. First, we'll take a look around the glorious foyer. Then we'll go into the American Bar - pink champagne? We can listen to the jazz being played on the piano and watch the Beautiful People. Later, we'll eat - perhaps in Le Grill on the 8th floor?

So, let's begin. We'll walk up the steps and through the revolving door. Come back tomorrow and I'll show you the bronze horse, so beloved of gamblers - and which stands on a plinth just inside the entrance.

Leading Hotels of the World

This is how Monaco displays some of the events that are held in the Principality. These banners are throughout Monaco at the moment. In the background: the Salle Garnier (Opera house) which is of the ornate Casino building.

The Silk Floss Tree

Monte Carlo has many wonderful trees and this is one of the most beautiful - the Silk Floss tree - correctly the Chorisia Speciosa. I've seen it flowering in several locations in Monaco, here it is in the gardens just below the casino. You can see the cruise liner, MSC Sinfonia through the branches.

Doorman

It's usually very difficult to get a shot of the Casino entrance without dozens of visitors to the Principality getting in the way. As I crossed Casino Square this morning - for one brief second only - the steps were empty. Not that the Square was empty - au contraire - opposite this entrance were dozens of people taking photographs of this doorman. I was just lucky to get the entrance from this angle.

As you go up and down the many different levels of Monaco, there are often escalators to help you on your way. I had my camera dangling from wrist this morning - got on an escalator, which suddenly - in the middle of going up - abruptly stopped! My camera swung and bashed into the side with one helluva bang. I wasn't a happy camper. Touch wood, it seems to be working okay. Long live Canon!

SS Delphine

This is the yacht you saw yesterday - in fact if you look at the photo below you can see a long-shot of the guy working on her. She is the SS Delphine, a steam yacht, built for the American automobile mogul, Horace Dodge, in 1921. During the war she was used by the U.S. Navy, and toward the end of the war, she became a venue for historical strategy sessions run by world leaders such as U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Years later she sat abandoned in Marseilles harbour until she was bought in 1997 by a Belgian family who restored her. You can read far more about her - and see some beautiful old photographs from her launch in Michegan, onwards - at this link: SS Delphine

Another link with even more information is HERE. Her home is in the harbour of Monaco. The yacht you see behind her is Atlantis II owned by the Niarchos family of Greece.

Safety

This guy has his safety harness in place. Come back tomorrow and I'll show you the yacht he's working on - it's big one.

Winner of 1st Monaco Grand Prix

This sculpture is of William Grover, known as Williams (1903 - 1945) who was the winner of the 1st Grand Prix of Monaco in 1929, driving a Bugatti 35 B. The sculpture was created by François Chevallier and inaugurated by Prince Rainier in 1991. It stands in the centre of the roundabout at Place St. Dévote.

Palais

The palace on le Rocher, photographed from below - in Port Hercule. I've posted photos of the palace before but always taken on the Rock itself - for instance, HERE you can see the Palace at night. The flag is flying so presumably H.S.H. Prince Albert is in residence.

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.