Garnier's Casino

The back of the beautiful Casino building. It was designed by Charles Garnier, architect of the Paris Opera House. Construction of this beautiful Belle Epoque building started in 1858 and finished in 1863.

Fans and Feather Boas

The Lanvin windows in Monaco are 'happy' and fun too - male mannequins with fans and feather boas - all great fun.

Photographers

There's always something or someone to photograph in Monaco...

The Faux Poivrier

As you see, the rain has gone - we had glorious sun for two days (well, a part of each day) but we are now back to overcast skies - in fact more overcast than this. We are on the terraces below the Casino - it's lovely to walk here and sit under a False Pepper Tree if we want. That's Cap Martin in the background and beyond is Menton and then Italy.

Phone Call...

Sometimes a photo can be cropped and used twice! This is the right-hand half of a photo you've seen before... click HERE.

What the Stars Foretell...

Seems Monte Carlo ladies read magazines on astrology.

Niche

There are so many sculptures in Monaco - this one is above the entrance to the opera house in the Casino building.

Brassed Off

Are some banks in Monaco a bit too grand?

Spring already?

These two think it's Spring with much wooing going on...but what's he doing with his head inside her beak?

View from Moods

The photo was taken from the gardens outside Moods, the nightclub at the back of the Café de Paris. On the right you see the Fairmont Hotel. In the distance, we are looking at Cap Martin.

Lady in Black

She came to me one morning,
one lonely Sunday morning,
her long hair flowing in the midwinter wind...

The 'Coco' Chanel Classic Suit

Don't you just love these dolls in the Chanel shop? Each one is wearing 'Coco' Chanel's classic 1950s suit.

Reina Mariana

Queen Mariana in silhouette. She stands below the Casino and was sculpted in 2004 by Manolo Valdés, the well-known Spanish artist who lives in New York.

Pole Vault

The roots of this magnificent tree in the Casino Gardens make a temporary home for some wooden poles - or perhaps they are a permanent support for the tree?

Through the trees darkly...

Whilst waiting for the sun - when will it return? - at least the clouds make interesting patterns over the back of the Casino building.

A Not So Pristine Monte Carlo...

The morning after New Year's Eve in a normally pristine Monte Carlo - broken champagne bottles on the terrace below the Casino.

In the smaller photo - neatly stacked: two empty bottles and a couple of glasses. Bet they woke with a headache...

And below - well some people were obviously reduced to paper cups! These had been stuck in an olive tree outside the Hotel de Paris.

The Morning after the Night Before

The small courtyard of The Living Room - a piano bar/night club in Avenue des Spélugues - the morning after New Year's Eve.

It must have been a good night!

Theme Day - Favorite Photo of 2010

On the first of January each year, bloggers in the City Daily Photo community post their favourite photo of the previous 12 months. Here's mine - a shot of the magnificent Oceanographic Museum, seen through the legs of Damien Hirst's enormous sculpture 'The Virgin Mother.'

Wishing you all a happy, healthy and peaceful 2011 and thankyou SO much for your visits to Monte Carlo Daily Photo.

Please click here to see other bloggers' favourite photos of 2010.

Palace

Despite the blue skies in this shot, the sun isn't back yet ...although it's promised for tomorrow which will be a great start to the New Year.

This photo of the Palace was taken at the end of November and is perhaps a fitting photo to end 2010 and welcome 2011, when Monaco will celebrate the Wedding of HSH Prince Albert II and Charlene Wittstock.

Glitter

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

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