Service with a smile!

I had to pop in to Monaco today and so took advantage of the trip and went shopping at Carrefour, the big supermarket, in Fontvieille. Carrefour is better - by far - than any supermarket that Menton has to offer. It's fun shopping here. The food is fabulous - so fresh, the service is great and anyway it's nice to look at all the beautiful people. It's amazing who you bump into as you walk down the aisles.

Today, tho, they are offering an extra service. This is the escalator that goes down to the carpark and as you enter, with your fully laden trolley, these two friendly people, offer to come down with you and load up your car. Isn't that nice? I'm sorry the photo isn't very good. I took another looking back at this couple and they posed for me brilliantly but it's blurred. I'd got the wrong settings. Wrap on knuckles for Jilly.

And did I take advantage of their offer? Well, no I didn't. I like to transfer stuff slowly to bags and boxes but it was nice to be asked.

Metropole at Christmas - A letter to Santa

La Poste de Monaco replies to all letters sent to Father Christmas. Children can post their letters in this special box in the Metropole Shopping Centre or in any public mailbox in Monte Carlo. Monaco Post Office has 5000 cards - written by Santa Claus, bien sûr - ready printed to send out in reply. According to Nice-Matin, they've already received over 200 letters, some quite moving where children ask for gifts to be sent to more needy children. One joker, doubtless an adult, asked for a Ferrari and a yacht. He got a reply telling him that 'There isn't enough room in Le Père Noël's sack!'

A duck for Christmas?

Don't know about you but I need a break from the commercialism of Christmas so here's the pond in the Casino gardens.

I watched these three ducks waddle, very quickly, along the path - slip into the water and make a beeline for this central area. I 'think' a tyre is buried just below the surface of the water and presumably that's where the ducks are fed. They appear to be diving for food, don't they?

Metropole at Christmas

Just off to the right, on the lowest level, is FNAC: the shop in France where you can get CDs, DVDs, books, all-things-computer, cameras, etc. I love it and when I visit, usually grab a coffee and a brioche sucré in the space you see below. Great people-watching place it is too.

What do you like to drink and eat when you take a break from shopping?

Metropole at Christmas - Teddy Bears

Looks like the Metropole shopping centre has a Christmas bear theme: a polar bear yesterday, today teddy bears. This display is at the entrance below the escalators that descend from the Casino gardens. Not easy to photograph because they are skating bears and as we know, skating bears not only go round and round in circles, but they spin at the same time...and very fast. Every time I clicked, I ended up with the back of a bear or a side view. Got it eventually. Happy skating!

Metropole at Christmas - Polar Bear

Well, you'd expect Monaco to do Christmas BIG - and it has. This is one end of one level of the luxurious Metropole shopping centre. This table is used by one of the restaurants. Quite fun to share a table with a polar bear!

Monte Carlo Ladies - 8

Of course my Monte Carlo ladies, aren't always ladies who live in Monaco. I would imagine this glamorous lady is a visitor to the Principality - and I hope that's not real fur!

Here she is, with her man, looking in the VERY expensive jewellery shop next to the Café de Paris on Casino Square.

Monaco

This is Monaco taken from the medieval village of Roquebrune. I went up there today to photograph the village for Menton Daily Photo. In this photograph, you can see le Rocher (the Rock) in the background. This is the oldest area of Monaco and is where you'll find the Palace and the Oceanographic museum and of course the oldest streets in Monaco.

Beyond the Rocher - an area you can't see in this photograph - is Fontvieille, which is the part of Monaco reclaimed from the sea.

You can see the main port of Monaco, this side of the Rocher, and nearer to us still is the area where you'll find the casino - that's slightly to the right of the edifice, built out to sea, which used to be called Lowe's Hotel but is now known as the Fairmont Monte Carlo.

The boundary of Monaco and France is more or less the Monte Carlo Bay Resort which you can see on the promontory that juts out to sea - before the rugged coast line which is France. Indeed, the houses on the hillside in the foreground are in Roquebrune-cap-Martin, France.

Cycas revoluta

This plant with amazing seeds is just outside the circus tent - to be exact, outside the toilets. I think it's a female cycas revoluta but am sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong.

I stepped onto the grass to take this photograph and got told off by an official.
'I'm only taking a photograph,' I said.
'Well you are not allowed on the grass' he said.
'Dogs go onto the grass,' I said.
'Well they are dogs,' he said...

Okay, okay, so dogs can't read.

Saint-Nicolas

This sculpture of Saint Nicolas stands just alongside the church you saw yesterday. Saint Nicolas is said to be just about everyone's saint. He's named the patron saint of more causes than any other. In France, the most familiar story, both told and sung, is of three little children lured into the clutches of an evil butcher and rescued by Saint Nicolas. In other parts of the world, however, Saint Nicolas is mostly known as the patron saint of mariners.

It seems the very first St. Nicolas was Greek and he became the Bishop of Myra which is mentioned in yesterday's posting.

And of course what do we call Saint Nicolas these days? Why Santa Claus, of course!

Eglise Saint-Nicolas

An early morning photograph so perhaps a little too much shadow? This lovely church at Place du Campanile Saint-Nicolas was built between 1987 - 1989 in Fontvieille - the area of Monaco reclaimed from the sea. Its dedication to St. Nicolas is taken from the ancient church on Le Rocher, which was razed in 1873 to make way for the Cathedral of Monaco. The baptistry comes from the earlier church.

Although the exact date fo the construction of the first parish church cannot be traced in any archives, tradition leads us to believe that the church mention by Pope Innocent IV in December 1247, authorising the Genoese to build a chapel there, could well have been the first ever parish church. Such a church, placed under the patronage of Saint Nicholas of Myra was mentioned for the first time in 1322.

Kermesse - Chaplain of St. Paul's

Yesterday you met the Archbishop of Monaco, today, meet the Scottish Chaplain of St. Paul's Anglican Church in Monaco talking to ladies on one of the British stands at the Kermesse.

Kermesse - Archbishop of Monaco

Meet His Excellency Monsignor Bernard Barsi, Archbishop of Monaco. He was wandering around the Kermesse at the same time as Prince Albert and his entourage.

On November 19th, 2005, coinciding with Monaco's National Day, His Serene Highness Prince Albert II was formally enthroned as Sovereign. An emotional Mass was held in the 19th century Cathedral, conducted by Monsignor Barsi and attended by more than 800 invited guests, including H.R.H.the Princess of Hanover and H.S.H. Princess Stephanie and their families.

"By rising to the Grimaldi throne, Prince Albert finds His place in the continuity of this dynasty and with the help fo God, carries forward the destiny of the Principality dating back more than seven centuries."

Kermesse - Lunch

I promised you inexpensive food. Look at those prices. The food is all home-cooked and really good too.

Kermesse - Books

Books - certainly the reason I go to the Kermesse - apart from it being a great social get-together with friends. Amongst the many stalls are two selling books: one with books in French and the other - the larger stall - has books in English. At the English book stall, as soon as one book is sold, there is another to replace it. The hardbacks were 2 euros this year and the paperbacks were, I think, 1 euro. Many people arrive with a bag of books (this is a charity after all) hand them over and then proceed to buy more.

You can see, behind the stall, one of the supports for the circus roof that you saw yesterday.

Tomorrow I'll show you how inexpensive food can be in Monte Carlo.

Kermesse - Le Chapiteau

This is the Big Top in Fontvieille. The Kermesse is held here each year, as is the dog show, the world-renowned circus competition, of course and all the big fairs. Fontvieille, which includes the apartment buildings you see, is built on land totally reclaimed from the sea. You can see the heliport - the flat white building. Menton and Italy are in the distance.

Tomorrow, we'll go back inside.

Kermesse - Paella

Here you see Prince Albert sitting down to paella with the various organisers of the Kermesse. Don't you love that here you see a Prince drinking out of a plastic cup and I'm pretty sure those bowls are plastic too. Personally, I have a lot of time for Prince Albert - his interests are sport, the environment, Aids charities and much more. He always has time for people. I watched him as he walked around the Kermesse, meeting and greeting people with time to spare and with real interest.

The gentleman in the foreground is Colonel Lamblin. He used to be the late Prince Rainier's Chamberlain and stayed on for a while to help Prince Albert. Now he is retired but as you see is clearly delighted to be spending time with the Prince again.

Kermesse - Prince Albert of Monaco

Each December, a Kermesse (charity bazaar) is held in the circus tent in Fontvieille. In aid of Saint Vincent de Paul, Saint Paul's Anglican Church, the Reform Church of Monaco, the British Association of Monaco, the Spanish community and the Greek Orthodox community, it's always a social occasion, particularly for the British community in Monaco. The circus tent is filled with stands selling old clothes (often designer clothes and you'd better believe it for 5 euros) - gifts for Christmas, English food for those that miss home, English books, French books - and later - lunch. We all stop for lunch (great food) and take over the tables that fill the centre of the tent.

Prince Albert visited every stall, spoke to all the participants, posed for endless photographs and then sat down and had lunch. Come back tomorrow and I'll show you what he ate and after that we'll take a look around the Kermesse - see what's for sale and meet a few people.

Yesterday was World Aids Day and you'll see Prince Albert is wearing the badge. His sister, Princess Stephanie, is President of Fight AIDS Monaco.

Daily Photo Theme Day: Bridges

A temporary bridge but an iconic one for Monte Carlo at Grand Prix time. This bridge gives access to those holding tickets for stands in the port area. Anyone who has watched the Monaco Grand Prix, here or on television, will know this bridge is right by the Start/Finish line.

Today is Theme Day for the Daily Photo Family with over 120 of us posting photographs of a bridge from our city or town. Do take time to visit and enjoy:

Boston (MA), USA - San Diego (CA), USA - Stayton (OR), USA - New York City (NY), USA - Portland (OR), USA - Montego Bay, Jamaica - Inverness (IL), USA - Singapore, Singapore - Stockholm, Sweden - Setúbal, Portugal - Brussels, Belgium - Phoenix (AZ), USA - Seattle (WA), USA - Hyde, UK - Manila, Philippines - Fort Lauderdale (FL), USA - London, England - Austin (TX), USA - Toulouse, France - Weston (FL), USA - Sesimbra, Portugal - Selma (AL), USA - Silver Spring (MD), USA - Saarbrücken, Germany - Cleveland (OH), USA - Crystal Lake (IL), USA - American Fork (UT), USA - Seoul, South Korea - Kyoto, Japan - Tokyo, Japan - Norwich (Norfolk), UK - North Bay (ON), Canada - Arradon, France - Paderborn, Germany - Durban, South Africa - Philadelphia (PA), USA - Cypress (TX), USA - Cottage Grove (MN), USA - Prague, Czech Republic - Portland (OR), USA - Greenville (SC), USA - Boston (MA), USA - Port Angeles (WA), USA - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Wichita (Ks), USA - Saint Paul (MN), USA - Petaling Jaya (Selangor), Malaysia - Grenoble, France - New York City (NY), USA - Nottingham, UK - Hobart (Tasmania), Australia - Arlington (VA), USA - Minneapolis (MN), USA - Miami (FL), USA - Cheltenham, UK - Albuquerque (NM), USA - Saratoga Spgs. (NY), USA - Las Vegas (NV), USA - Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina - Nashville (TN), USA - Toruń, Poland - New Orleans (LA), USA - Port Elizabeth, South Africa - Melbourne, Australia - Moscow, Russia - Trujillo, Peru - Château-Gontier, France - Quincy (MA), USA - Melbourne, Australia - Port Vila, Vanuatu - Joplin (MO), USA - Bellefonte (PA), USA - Brookville (OH), USAChateaubriant, France - Chandler (AZ), USA - Stavanger, Norway - Baziège, France - Auckland, New Zealand - Wellington, New Zealand - Ocean Township (NJ), USA - Subang Jaya (Selangor), Malaysia - Detroit (MI), USA - Riga, Latvia - Nelson, New Zealand - Budapest, Hungary - Cape Town, South Africa - Sydney, Australia - Dunedin (FL), USA - Sofia, Bulgaria - Radonvilliers, France - Turin, Italy - Montpellier, France - Kansas City (MO), USA - Minneapolis (MN), USA - Haninge, Sweden - Wailea (HI), USA - Lubbock (TX), USA - Rabaul, Papua New Guinea - Terrell (TX), USA - Mexico City, Mexico - Saint-Petersburg, Russian Federation - Budapest, Hungary - Montréal (QC), Canada - Sharon (CT), USA - Le Guilvinec, France - Jefferson City (MO), USA - Saigon, Vietnam - London, UK - Crepy-en-Valois, France - Orlando (FL), USA - Maple Ridge (BC), Canada - Paris, France - Mainz, Germany - Newcastle (NSW), Australia - Wassenaar (ZH), Netherlands - Menton, France - Monte Carlo, Monaco - Darmstadt, Germany - Naples (FL), USA - Torino, Italy - Saint Louis (MO), USA - Bogor, Indonesia - The Hague, Netherlands - Minneapolis (MN), USA

Balls

A pot of spikey cactus at the entrance to a beautiful house adjacent to Casino Square.