A Monaco Christmas - High Heels

You'll find these in the Metropole centre.


'Yet if a woman never lets herself go, how will she ever know how far she might have got? If she never takes off her high-heeled shoes, how will she ever know how far she could walk or how fast she could run? '

~ Germaine Greer

A Monaco Christmas - Just a Load of Balls...

We're inside the Café de Paris building looking towards the small casino that houses some gaming machines. This is not the real casino of course - that's the beautiful Belle Epoque building across the square. I've seen day tourists from the cruise liners walk in here thinking it's the real deal.

A Monaco Christmas - the Casino Christmas Trees

The garden immediately in front of the casino is filled with Christmas trees strewn with lights that change colour every few seconds.

A Monaco Christmas - Snack on the Port

There's a Christmas Fair on the port - rides for kids, pressies to buy and snacks to eat in the sunshine...

A Monaco Christmas - NOT a Christmas Tree

A magnolia all lit up for Christmas. This is on Boulevard des Moulins on the steps leading up to Eglise St. Charles.

A Monaco Christmas - the Barclays Bank Reindeer

Wonder how banks have reindeer climbing the railings? This is Barclays Bank on Boulevard des Moulins.

A Monaco Christmas - Posh Shoes

A new and beautifully designed shop in the Metropole Centre. L. Guilo sells handmade patinated shoes to the well-dressed Monaco man.

A Monaco Christmas - the Metropole Centre

Christmas decorations at the Metropole shopping centre.

Red

A RED moment in Avenue des Beaux Arts yesterday.

Stop the World...

Monaco is so small, with many buildings, yet it has so many lovely gardens. This waterfall is in a garden just behind the Heliport in Fontvieille and very near to the Princess Grace Rose Garden. A small bridge crosses this water - a good place to stop and ponder the world when you want to get off it.

The Electricians

Looks like even the electricians are good-looking and stylishly dressed in Monaco!

After the Party...

We're at the Hermitage Hotel on the Grande Corniche in Eze. Our long lazy lunch is over. Each year a group of us - around 20 - British, Irish, Australian, French, Italian, American, Scandinavian, South African - get together for a Christmas lunch. Normally we choose a different restaurant each year but last year we came here and loved it so we are back! Super environment, ambiance, food, service and a crowd of friends who have created our own 'family' in the south of France.

Metal Birds

Helicopters take off and land all day long in Monaco. It's a great way to arrive from Nice airport. And there's always a bird (a real one) to fly along with you.

The Heliport in Monaco is in mourning at the moment. A couple of days ago a helicopter from Heli Air Monaco was employed to fly over, and report on, an éboulement (landslide) in the hills above the coast. The weather was appalling, deep fog, the helicopter crashed and all three on board were killed - and all for a few tumbled rocks.

Gilding the Lily

Snapped whilst waiting at the lights - Barclays Wealth adds a bit more glitter for Christmas.

Christmas Lights in Beausoleil

This is the Place de la Liberation in Beausoleil and the building, dripping Christmas lights, is the Mairie (Town Hall).

Beausoleil is the small town that adjoins Monaco. Where Monaco and Beausoleil meet, one side of the street is Monaco and the other is France.

Do Not...

There's an awful lot of things you can't do on Larvotto beach - yet I've seen all of these rules broken. I guess that's part of the fun.

I always remember in France, before smoking was totally banned inside a restaurant, there used to be 'smoking' tables and 'non-smoking' tables. If a smoker sat down at a 'non-smoking' table, the patron would simply move the 'no smoking' sign to another table...

The Fisherman

This sculpture is called The Fisherman and stands by La Rose des Vents on Avenue Princesse Grace on the western end of Larvotto Beach. It was created by the French sculptor, Gustave Dussart (1875 - 1952).

Wish we had this blue sky today - it's p...ing down with rain.

Princess Caroline, the Nurses & the Photographer

Amazing gear - pretty neat guy!

Princess Caroline, the Nurses and the Party!

Above, the Princess as she was about to leave the party. I'd changed the lens on my camera but stupidly (grrrr) forgotten to change the settings on the camera so it's far too grainy.

In the small photo, you see S.A.S. la Princesse Caroline handing out diplomas to the nurses and in the last photo, lots of goodies to eat along with the champagne on offer at the party.

More tomorrow...

S.A.S. la Princess Caroline & the Nurses' Graduation

A couple of evenings ago my wonderful friend, Nathalie (Avignon in Photos) invited me to meet her at the Princess Grace Hospital in Monaco to witness the graduation from the nursing school of her friend's daughter. It's the day the nurses receive their official badges from S.A.S. la Princesse Caroline. S.A.S stands for Son Altesse Sérénissime, which translates as Her Serene Highness.

In the main photo, the graduating nurses are waiting for her arrival. The atmosphere - the enthusiasm and excitement - amongst all the nurses and there were seemingly hundreds of them aound the room was so contagious and such fun.

In the smaller photo two of the nurses deliver short speeches: one on Florence Nightingale and the other spoke, movingly, of her time at the school. You see Princess Caroline sitting on the left and a photo of her late mother, Princess Grace, prominently displayed. Monaco's hospital, of course, is named for her.

And in the last photo, a rather grainy shot of the beautiful S.A.S. la Princesse Caroline on the stage.

More tomorrow...