Glitter

'Fortune is like glass - the brighter the glitter, the more easily broken.'

~ Pubillius Syrus - Roman author 1st century B.C.

Mother and Baby

The Casino Gardens. See how the baby twines around the mother...

A Monaco Christmas - Deck the halls...

All decked out for the holidays - the side entrance to the Café de Paris.

Coffee Break

Shoppers take a break in the coffee shop on the lower floor of the Metropole centre.

Pearls

The window of an exclusive perfume shop in a tiny street above the Casino Gardens.

A Monaco Christmas - Christmas Candles

A Christmas candle is a lovely thing;
It makes no noise at all,
But softly gives itself away.
~Eva Logue

Happy Christmas to everyone! May Santa bring you something really nice but most of all I hope you have a loving day with family and friends and of course your pets. Thanks everyone so much for your visits to this blog. Really appreciate it!

A Monaco Christmas - Bearing Up

Polar bears in the Metropole Centre. Outside - endless endless rain...

A Monaco Christmas - Hôtel Hermitage

A row of Christmas trees welcomes visitors to the Hôtel Hermitage.

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.