Nathalie's Monte Carlo - Ornate

Nathalie took this photograph on an earlier trip to Menton and Monte Carlo - in February. Dark skies show off the beautiful wrought-iron lamps of the Casino.

Chuckeroon's Monte Carlo - the Casino

Crowds, lights, cameras - the Casino at night by Chuckeroon.

To enter the Casino you must produce your passport - a photocopy is taken. However, if you are a Monaco citizen, you are never ever allowed to enter the casino. A Monaco resident - yes. A Monegasque citizen - no.

Peter's Monte Carlo - the Café de Paris

The Café de Paris is on the opposite side of Casino Square to the Hôtel de Paris that we saw yesterday. In this photograph by Peter of Paris, we are looking at the entrance - straight ahead are slot machines but we turned right and dined in the beautiful restaurant decorated in the Art Nouveau style. You can see one of the beautiful screens by clicking on the link.

Peter has created a wonderful montage and reportage of his time in Menton - do click on his link to take a look.

Richard's Monte Carlo - the Hôtel de Paris

If it's Black and White, it must be Richard from Zurich.

The Hôtel de Paris, which is where we five Bloggers started our evening in Monte Carlo. Champagne in the American Bar, which is on the left as you enter the hotel. We drank Pommery poured at the table from a Magnum.

What has been so fascinating to me is how, as photographers, we all see the same thing differently. Over the next days, we'll be seeing more shots of our time in Monte Carlo.

Do click on the link to Richard's blog where you'll find yourself in the medieval village of Roquebrune.

Nathalie's Monte Carlo - the Casino

Last weekend, four fabulous blogger/photographers came to stay in Menton: Richard from Zurich, Nathalie from Avignon, Chuckeroon from Richmond-upon-Thames and Peter from Paris. To see them climbing Roquebrune's famous 2000 year old olive tree, please click on the link.

From today on Monte Carlo Daily Photo and from tomorrow on Menton Daily Photo - and for the next couple of weeks - you'll be able to see photographs of Monte Carlo and Menton through the eyes of these talented photographers.

Today, we see Nathalie's photograph of the Casino - a reflection in Sky Mirror, by the British (Mumbai-born) artist, Anish Kapoor.

Fabrizio from Turin was to have been here too but sadly, at the last minute, he couldn't make it. We missed you, Fabrizio and do hope you can make it on another occasion.

Larvotto Beach - the Jellyfish Net

There's a new net this year. Last year, there were two - one on each side of the central breakwater. This year we have only one and it stretches right across the beach. According to Nice-Matin this is a better and much safer net that the one we had before. You can see a diver in the smaller photograph inspecting the nets before the day begins. I don't know what the person in the background is doing - holding up a something green. A mystery?

Larvotto Beach - the Sun Beds

A shot of Larvotto Beach with the sun beds of La Spiaggia in the foreground. Only 9.30h when I took this - soon it will be full of near naked bodies taking the sun. You can see the line of the jellyfish net on the sea. Tomorrow we'll take a closer look at this.

Apologies for lack of comments. It's a Blogger's Weekend at Menton with much photography, eating, drinking and laughter going on - with Nathalie from Avignon, Peter from Paris, Richard from Zurich and Chuckeroon from Richmond upon Thames. News and photos of a great weekend - which still continues...will appear from Tuesday. Wish you were all here...

Larvotto Beach - the Parasol Store

Even the parasols have their special home at La Spiaggia.

Larvotto Beach - the Orchids

Orchids in a pot at La Spiaggia. Somehow you don't expect to see orchids on the beach but this is Monte Carlo after all. Aren't the pots pretty?

Larvotto Beach - the Waitress

It's 9.30h and this young waitress at La Spiaggia is preparing tables for lunch. La Spiaggia, located at the eastern end of Larvotto Beach, is known as the 'Happy Beach' and it's worth taking at look at the website.

Jardin Exotique - the Sun Goes Down

The sun is going down and it's time to leave the Jardin Exotique. There are more photographs, many more, perhaps a few will turn up from time to time, but meanwhile, time to move on - Larvotto Beach calls...summer is here.

Thanks so much to everyone who has followed this little series and to those who have kindly commented.

Jardin Exotique - Burned Trees

This is one of a series of sculptures by Philippe Pastor called 'Les Arbres Brûlés' - Burned Trees. You see the full sculpture in the smaller photograph.

Philippe Pastor is a Monegasque sculptor. You can see more in the Burned Trees series HERE when they were exhibited last year in the Casino Gardens.

All the sculptures in this series were created using scorched tree trunks from the Garde Freinet Forest, near to St. Tropez along the coast from Monaco. It was devastated by fire in the summer of 2003. They bear witness to the artist's intention to make the public aware of the fragility of the environment and the necessity of protecting it.

Jardin Exotique - Crested Saguaro

This weird looking plant is called a Crested Saguaro. However, to see an amazing version of this plant, complete with holes for the birds that nest in it (!) we need to go all the way to Arizona. Click on Julie's Scottsdale Daily Photo for a great photo and information on the plant too.

Jardin Exotique - Dying Love

Graffiti on an Agave.

You were all correct. Maria was the first, so please send me your street address, Maria, and a postcard of Monte Carlo will arrive in your mail box.

As you can see, despite the grafitti the plant doesn't seem to have suffered. It grows from the inside, those outside leaves slowly die off and as they do, so will the names of these young couples swearing their undying love to each other. Let's hope their love doesn't die as the leaf dies.

Jardin Exotique - Grafitti?

Grafitti in the Jardin Exotique? Anyone know what this might be? A Monte Carlo postcard to the first person to tell me. Answer tomorrow!

Theme Day: Shadows...in the Jardin Exotique

Fencing like this - looking as if it's made of tree branches yet in fact fashioned in concrete, is typical in the south of France and Monaco. Here, we see shadow of this fence on a walkway in the Jardin Exotique.

Today is Theme Day on CDP and the theme, of course, is Shadows. To see how over a hundred fellow-bloggers from around the world have interpreted this theme please click here to view thumbnails for all participants. You will be surprised and delighted and entranced.

Jardin Exotique - Into the Light...

We're out of the grotto - we need light and blue and sun and colour.

Jardin Exotique - Get Me Outta Here!

Time to leave. We've climbed 300 steps but with the heat in the cave, it's tiring - oh look, it's tiring anyway!

You can see the guide at the entrance, waiting for me. (He didn't mind) I was the last out because I'd held back to take a few quick shots with the self-timer. Those with flash simply hadn't worked.

Thanks for all the comments on the cave. Tomorrow we are back in the garden for a few more delights.

Jardin Exotique - Last Look at the Grotto

Last day in the cave - these shots show some of the visitors so you can get an idea of the size of the grotto.

Animal bones have been discovered in this cave, which have enabled us to learn about the fauna, and thus the different climates of the Quaternary period. Red deer, Asian dogs, wolves and rhinoceros lived during temperate to hot periods, while reindeer, polar foxes and marmots related to cold or glacial periods.

The cave, interestingly, is always constant at 18.5 degrees and that's hot when you are climbing steps, which is what we are about to do tomorrow - we are on our way up and out!

Jardin Exotique - Strange Forms

Coincidental with this series, I happened to watch a fabulous BBC programme the other day called Planet Earth in which the great David Attenborough was talking about stalactites and stalagmites. I'd not known how they form - you probably do - but if not, it seems water drips, drip, drips and the water contains calcite (calcium carbonate) - for each drop of water, the minutest amount of calcite remains and slowly builds until a stalactite or stalagmite is formed. If a stalactite and a stalagmite meet, then it's called a column.

They look so soft and slimy to the touch, don't they? In fact, they are really hard and not slimy - just wet - and strangely beautiful.