Monte Carlo Tennis - Perfection on Clay

When the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters is on, the clay courts must be perfect. Here the older man shows the younger man how it is done.

Tennis Balls!

Casino Square is full of tennis balls!

Yesterday was the first day of the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters. Rafael Nadal is defending his title - a title he's won 5 times already. Djokovic is here. Andy Murray has a wild card. As always it should be great tennis in a fabulous setting.

Monaco Dog Show - Cigarette Break

The Monaco International Dog show takes place each year in the circus tent in Fontvieille. It's a two-day event and this year 170 breeds were on display with exhibitors coming from 15 different countries. This exhibitor has a long wait before entering the ring - time for a cigarette.

To see more dogs exhibited at the show take a look at Riviera Dogs.

'To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing was not boring - it was peace.'

~Milan Kundera

Moon over Grace

This sculpture of Princess Grace stands in a small garden at the western end of Larvotto beach. It was given in 2004 by the Belgian community of Monaco to Prince Rainier - an hommage to Princess Grace. The sculptors are Livia Canestraro and her husband, Stephaan Depuydt.

Note the moon - an early morning shot.

Morning Run

This promenade, starting at the western end of Larvotto Beach runs right around the Grimaldi Forum. A good place for an early morning run.

Café de Paris - the Interior

Here you see the interior of this iconic brasserie in Monte Carlo. Note the beautiful Art Nouveau screens that decorate the windows. Yesterday's represented Cancer. Today - in the smaller photo - is Capricorn.

Café de Paris - the Screen

One of the divine Art Nouveau screens that line the walls of the Café de Paris. Each one represents a sign of the zodiac. This one is Cancer - the Crab.

Rocks Remember

The rock face of le rocher in the port of Fontvieille. Above you'll find the Cathedral, the Palace and the Oceanographic Museum.

'Geologists have a saying - rocks remember.' ~ Neil Armstrong

Grand Prix Preparations - Where are the Super Yachts?!

More and more steel goes up each day. The stand in the main photo is the one that overlooks the swimming pool - and behind it - you can just see the masts of some of the yachts.

In the small photo, one of the construction guys has dropped - and is picking up - a plan showing how each piece of metal fits into the next - something you see more clearly in the last photo. It's fascinating to watch - like a ginormous jigsaw puzzle as Monaco gets ready to show off to the world. Two races this year - the Historique and the F.1.

Grand Prix Preparations - Ismel and Wladimir

Each day more and more steel is erected around the track. These smiling guys are part of the massive construction team that work on the many stands around the port and elsewhere in the Principality. And as soon as the race is over, it all comes down again.

In the last photo - we are on part of the track that runs around the swimming pool - you see piles of steel waiting to be used. Visitors to Monaco have to thread their way thru the barriers but you can feel the excitement building. More tomorrow...

Damien Hirst - The Virgin Mother

Another view of Damien Hirst's The Virgin Mother, currently stopping people in their tracks at the end of the jetty in the port of Fontvieille.

Through her legs we see the Oceanographic Museum which is where you'll find the exhibition which opens to the public today. The museum is expecting 400,000 visitors to view this artist's 60 fascinating and often controversial works of art, including the massive shark weighing 33 tonnes and called 'The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living' - see yesterday's post for more.

The Virgin Mother

Tomorrow, the Damien Hirst exhibition opens at the Oceanographic Museum on le rocher. This coincides with the centenary of the museum, which has undergone extensive renovation for the occasion. However, more than normal renovation was needed as one of Damien Hirst's 60 pieces is a massive shark weighing 33 tonnes - called 'The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living.' The fish, in its tank of formaldehyde, has been flown from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York to Monaco. To accommodate it on the first floor of the museum, aluminium reinforced beams were installed - iron doesn't support the promimity of water in the nearby aquarium. It took 21 hours to unload the piece and install it.

Here you see his famous sculpture - The Virgin Mother. She stands at the end of the jetty in the port of Fontvieille. In the main photo, you see the cathedral behind her - in the smaller photo the Oceanographic Museum. Such is her value, she is being guarded 24 hours a day. More tomorrow...come back for the photo I like best.

Today is Theme Day in the City Daily Photo community. To see how around 100 bloggers from around the world have interpreted the theme of 'Red' please Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Archway

Sunlight through an ornate archway leading off the Place du Palais. This narrow street will take you to the Cathedral.

Peace

Monaco is everything and anything you want it to be. Buzz, glamour, shopping - or peace on le rocher. We are not far from the Oceanographic Museum and the Saint Martin's Gardens, looking towards Cap Martin and beyond that - to Italy.

The Museum of Old Monaco

Far from the glamour of the yachts in Port Hercule and tucked away in a tiny side street on le rocher is the Museum of Old Monaco or the 'Müseu d'u Veyu Mùnegu' as it is known in Monegasque.

The National Committee of Monegasque Traditions was founded in 1924, and in a tiny space of only 145 m2 - spread over three levels - you can discover Monaco as it once was. In all, 15,000 items are on display.

The Museum of Old Monaco was opened in 1974 by Prince Rainier III and Princess Grace. It is open to the public every Wednesday and Friday from 10.00h to 17.00h.

Click HERE to see four pages of the wonders you'll find inside.

Gentleman

Yesterday, we saw the porthole. Today we see the boat itself - brand new and for sale. An upmarket trawler with every comfort you could want. Depending on specification and size the price is a little less or a little more than a million euros. Read more HERE.

Porthole

It's fun wandering Port Hercule, peering in portholes and looking at reflections in the paintwork.

Come back tomorrow and see the entire boat and I'll tell you about her.

Grand Prix Preparations - the Road Surface

It's that time of year again and Grand Prix preparations are underway. These guys are working on the road surface which must adhere to rigid requirements of the Automobile Club of Monaco. The 3 kilometres, 340 metres of F.1 track must be made perfect before the big day. Monaco is one of the few cities in the world where the Grand Prix takes place on the actual streets, making it the most exciting race in the world.

The surface has been 'peeled' prior to a new top coat that went on the night after I took these shots. The tools are used to lower the water points you see in the last shot.

People Watching

Sitting in the sunshine outside the Café de Paris on Casino Square, has to be one of the many pleasures to be found in Monte Carlo.

If you get fed up with 'people watching' - and you won't! - you can always admire the glorious Casino building alongside.

The Nun and the Lilies

Too many reflections in the glass I know, but I couldn't resist snapping the nun admiring the lilies. This shop in Avenue des Beaux Arts always has stunning flower displays.