Eze Village - the Espresso

With two important hotel/restaurants in the village, it's no surprise to pass some of the men and women who work in them. This young man is taking a coffee break from his work at the Chateau Eza.

Eze Village - Château de la Chèvre d'Or

The Château de la Chèvre d'Or is one of the two prestigious hotel/restaurants in Eze village. The Golden Goat (Chèvre d'Or) is a legendary animal, made famous by Frédéric Mistral and appears in several local and Provençal legends.

This prestigious establishment was originally no more than a group of dwellings restored in the early 1920s by the American violinist and composer, Balakovic. It was later converted into a restaurant and then a hotel and since then many famous people have stayed here. And if you've seen the 2007 film, The Bucket List, with Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman, you'll recognise the scenery.

Click on the links above to read more.

Eze Village - the Mannequin

You'll find many shops and art galleries in Eze. We'll visit a few as we walk through the village.

Eze Village - Wander and wonder

The way to see Eze is to wander the little streets - don't follow the tourists on their way directly to the gardens at the top (although we will go there) - take any little turning - you'll find pretty squares, tumbling plants, stone houses. You can't get lost - Eze village is too small for that.

Eze Village - the Setting

Here we are, looking up the perched village of Eze from the Moyenne Corniche. In the smaller photograph we can see the tip of St. Jean Cap Ferrat jutting out to sea - this has some of the most prestigious and expensive properties on the Côte d'Azur.

Man lived in Eze village as long ago as Neolithic times (around 2,000 BC) but now it's a trendy place with two exceptional hotel/restaurants, arty shops and a beautiful exotic garden at the top. It is also well-known for its perfume factory - Fragonard - the yellow building you see on the lower right.

Eze Village - Roof tiles

Eze village is just along from Monaco on the Moyenne Corniche. It's a more 'touristy' village than those I've been covering on Menton Daily Photo but with views to die for and the quaintest little streets ... as we'll discover as we start to look around.

See you tomorrow. Flat shoes for the ladies please.

More Lines

More lines today... here you see the lines that mark the tennis courts, home to the famous Monte Carlo Tennis Masters. They are being watered to keep them in perfect condition.

Behind - more yachts than usual are out at sea. That's because, when I took the photograph last weekend, the Monte Carlo Boat Show was taking place in Port Hercule. These yachts had to give up their berths for the duration of the show. The large hotel is the Monte Carlo Bay Hotel and Resort.

Theme Day: Lines

Lines of light show the Basse Corniche (lower cliff road) and the Moyenne Corniche (middle cliff road) from Roquebrune-Cap-Martin to Monaco. There are four roads that run along the coast here - the Basse, the Moyenne, the Grande and above the three, the Autoroute. You can see le rocher (rock) of Monaco and Port Hercule in the distance. Photo taken from the medieval hill village of Roquebrune as night was falling.

164 other City Daily Photo bloggers are interpreting today's theme - Lines. We are in for a treat. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Monstera Deliciosa

Peer into the depths of a Monstera Deliciosa (see small photo) in the Casino Gardens, and what do you find?

I remember this plant when I lived in Cairns in Queensland, Australia. It climbed way up into the trees and produced edible fruit. I doubt the fruit is edible in Monte Carlo.

Do and don't

Even the signs in Monaco - telling you what you can and can't do - are attractive. This one is in the Casino Gardens.

Red letter day?

Despite two ' wet paint' signs, I saw people posting their letters in this box. Red letters?

Gold

Surely grandfather and grandson at the duck pond in the Casino Gardens. I wish you could have seen the utter pleasure on the man's face - so proud was he of his grandson, he couldn't stop grinning. And he watched over him as if he were solid gold, which of course he is.

What Financial Crisis? - Hyperion

Notice the Rolls Royce has no number plate. It's a one-off custom built car derived from the Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupé.

Sadly, the chairman and CEO of the design company, Andrea Pininfarinia, died just before it was unveiled at the Concours d'Elegance in Pebble Beach and Mr. Roland Hall, the owner and commissioning client, has dedicated the car to him.

Hyperion was one of the Titans in Greek mythology.

The car stands outside the Hôtel de Paris in Casino Square - you can read more and see more photographs by clicking on THIS LINK.

What Financial Crisis? - the Yachts

Recession? Did President Bush say 'recession?'

In Port Hercule you'll find the 18th Monaco Yacht Show Les yachts 'bling-bling' as Nice-Matin calls them.

Yachts include two of Roman Abramovitch's 4 yachts: Le Pelorus (115 metres) and Le Grand Blue (113 m). He's apparently having a fifth yacht built which will measure 170 metres.

You'll also find the following yachts in the port or moored out at sea: The Golden Star owned by the Sheik of Dubai, the Sultan of Saudi Arabia's Le Al Salamah, Larry Ellison's The Rising Sun, Paul Allen's (Microsoft) Octopus. Atlantis II, always in port, belongs to the Niarchos Greek shipping family.

There's also an amazing yacht called the 'A' which belongs to another Russian billionaire, Andrei Melnichenko and named after his catwalk model wife, Aleksandra. It's attracted a lot of attention. It cost £200 million. Click on the link - it's an extraordinary looking creation built by the German company that constructed the battleship, Bismarck, the Pride of the Nazi fleet.

If there is a recession looming, you'd not know it in Monaco this morning - although I'd not be surprised if some of those yacht brokers aren't a little worried...

Empty

An empty frame on a wall on the Boulevard du Jardin Exotique.

I wonder what it was once used for?

The Doormen

A couple of doormen outside the prestigious Hôtel de Paris in Casino Square. They stand to the left of the main entrance, level with the top step. You can better see where, by clicking on THIS LINK.

Sore Feet

A low wall in the Casino Gardens near to the police station and underground car park.

Her feet are sore. Those sandals are chaffing. He's taking her mind off it.

Ain't love grand...

Enough Already!

A bench in Casino Gardens. Multi-coloured fatigue.

Not as sharp a picture as it should be but I think my camera was tired too...

Monaco Red Cross

This sculpture stands in the grounds of the Croix Rouge Monaco - the Monaco Red Cross. There's no indication of the name of the sculptor or the name of the piece. Presumably - a nurse and child.

Cicada Lane

A stone wall, tumbling jasmine and a carved marble street sign. Cigale is French for cicada, by the way - the sound of summer.

See another type of jasmine on Menton Daily Photo today.