Glass and Marble

Glass and marble - reflections inside the sumptuous foyer of the Hôtel de Paris.

Hands and Feet at Lanvin

We've seen a couple of other shots from the window display at the Lanvin shop in Casino Square. Here's another.

Turquoise

Ornate decoration on a building in Avenue Grande Bretagne.

Between Sea and Sky

The Vista Palace Hotel is actually on the Moyenne Corniche in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin but it's usually thought of as a Monaco hotel, hovering as it does between sea and sky over the Principality. The view from the hotel in the direction of Italy or looking towards Monaco and beyond is stunning.

The Tablecloth

Watching a waiter prepare the tables for lunch is fascinating. He is working on the terrace of the Salle Empire in the Hôtel de Paris. He threw the cloth into the air at least four or five times before he was satisfied at the way it landed.

Theme Day: Changes

This is a Datura, photographed in the gardens of the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild on Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat. This beautiful plant, so common on the Côte d'Azur is a poison and a toxic hallucinogen which causes changes in the brain manifesting itself in agitated behavior and confusion.

Datura belongs to the classic "witches' weeds," along with deadly nightshade, henbane, and mandrake and has a long history in producing a changed delirious state and death. It was well known as an essential ingredient of love potions and witches' brews and sadly, the local newspaper, Nice-Matin sometimes reports on youngsters picked up in an intoxicated state having used Datura unaware of the extreme danger of the plant. Not the sort of changes anyone needs.

To see how other CDP bloggers have interpreted today's theme please click here to view thumbnails for all participants.

For 2010 I wish you happy changes, positive changes, changes that will make you dance with delight. Happy New Year everyone!

'If nothing ever changed, there'd be no butterflies.' ~ Author Unknown

A New Year's Eve Dinner

Where will you be spending New Year's Eve? These tables are in the charming Eze Hermitage Restaurant and Hotel on the Grande Corniche in Eze. Highly recommended with great food - I lunched with a group of friends (18 of us) the Sunday before Christmas.

And if you want to dine in Monaco tonight, well you might just be too late. The 'grandes tables' such as Alain Ducasse's Louis XV in the Hôtel de Paris and Joel Robuchon Monte Carlo have been fully booked for weeks. In fact all of the important restaurants in the Principality are fully booked. There will be more than 1000 meals served tonight in the grand restaurants with prices that range from 99 euros to 760 euros a head for a gastronomic evening of foie gras, coquilles Saint-Jacques, truffles and more... Recession? What recession?

Happy New Year everyone!

Deck the Halls...

The entrance to the Hôtel de Paris decked out for the festive season. A policeman patrols.

The Window Shopper

This lady walked from shop to shop, then posed outside each one, whilst her husband took her photograph. I think he was keener on this than she was. Here she stands outside the Lanvin shop in Casino Square.

The Flapper

A painting for sale in the Galerie Monaco Fine Arts. Depicting the Casino in the background, it's called Monte Carlo By Night by the Russian artist Viatcheslav Plotnikov.

Christmas Baubles

The Metropole Centre is always pretty impressive with its enormous chandeliers but naturally, Monaco being Monaco, more more lights and baubles were added for the festive season. Note the beautiful marble floors. The café you see on the lower level is a great place to meet up with friends for a coffee or lunch.

The Red Carpet

The red carpet came out for Christmas on Avenue de Monte Carlo. This photograph was taken by the Gucci store before the snow and later the heavy rains. Hopefully it survived.

Christmas on the Port: Mother and Child

This photo is a slight cheat because I took it last Christmas on the port. At the time there was a beautiful display of cribs from around the world. This is one we didn't see - part of a Venetian scene. So here it is for Christmas Day.

Wishing everyone a very Happy Christmas with those you love.

Christmas on the Port: Skating

The skating rink (which of course is the famous swimming pool iced over) set against the backdrop of luxury yachts.

Christmas on the Port: the Fair

It's not all luxury living in Monaco, dining at the Hôtel de Paris and shopping in the Metropole Centre. Here at the Christmas Fair on the port you can eat cheaply and the kids have fun on the rides.

Prince Albert II and Charlene take to the Icy Waters

Each December Prince Albert II takes part in the traditional 'Bain de Noël' on Larvotto beach but this year it took bravery, following our recent snow falls. As you can imagine, the water of the Mediterranean was really cold but this year the watching crowd had a treat when Prince Albert brought along his beautiful long-time companion, Charlene Wittstock, the South African Olympic swimmer. Another member of the Royal Family of Monaco, Pierre Casiraghi, son of Princess Caroline, took part too. They all took to the sea for a full 10 minutes and afterwards Charlene met Woolite the sheep, dressed as Santa Claus. The swim raised 1200 euros for the Thai After Tzunami Schooling Aid charity.

Regular readers of this blog have met Woolite before - she's the sheep who swims in the sea, is the mascot of Les Foulées Roquebrunoises (runners) and, of course, is Philippe Mazza's constant companion. Woolite has her own blog HERE. Thanks Philippe for the photos.

Christmas on the Port: the Scarecrow

You really don't expect to see a scarecrow on the port of Monaco, do you? He was part of a display at the Christmas Fair promoting care for the environment.

Dorothy: Now which way do we go?
Scarecrow: Pardon me, this way is a very nice way.
Dorothy: Who said that?
[Toto barks at scarecrow]
Dorothy: Don't be silly, Toto. Scarecrows don't talk.
Scarecrow: [points other way] It's pleasant down that way, too.
Dorothy: That's funny. Wasn't he pointing the other way?
Scarecrow: [points both ways] Of course, some people do go both ways.

Snow on the Pansies

Casino Square and more of Maggie Calkin's great photos, all showing the ever-changing light show on the Christmas trees.

Unusual to see the square so deserted but not surprising considering the weather. In the last photo, you see the scene reflected in Anish Kapoor's Sky Mirror. Thanks again, Maggie!

Snow in Casino Square!

Snow in Monte Carlo! Such a rare occurrence and what luck that my friend, Maggie Calkins, a professional photographer who lives in Monaco, whizzed out to Casino Square after midnight last night and took these great shots.

In fact, we get a double whammy - snow and part of the ever-changing light show in Casino Square.

Thanks Maggie so much for permission to publish these.

Meanwhile, I'm snowed in at Gorbio, just above Menton. Click on the link to take a look.

Christmas on the Port: Recycled - Cribs for 'Action Innocence Monaco'

Robert is a retired German florist and lives with his French wife in Menton. Last winter he collected the flotsam and jetsam of the Mediterranean beaches and created these crèches (nativities). The figures come from Austria, Germany and Italy.

All profits go to 'Action Innocence Monaco' which is an organisation created to protect children from abuse on the internet.