A Wild Boar in Monaco!

 

A wild boar in Monaco!  Whatever next ...

Welcome!

The check-in desk of the Hotel Metropole.  Pretty, isn't it?

The Road Most Travelled

A lone policewoman stands at the entrance to Avenue de Monte Carlo which leads into Casino Square.  The road 'up' (Avenue Princesse Alice) leads to the Hôtel Hermitage. 

Hôtel Métropole - Face Off

The Hôtel Métropole.seems to go in for faces on walls. Remember THIS one?

Collywobbles at Casino Square

A wobbly Casino Square seen through Anish Kapoor's Sky Mirror.

Autumn at Lanvin

The Lanvin windows are always fun.  When it's time for a new window display, do you suppose a designer in Paris sends insructions to all the Lanvin shops of the world - so they are all the same?   Or perhaps each local shop, such as this one in Casino Square, does its own thing? 

Hotel de Paris

There's always something going on at the Hotel de Paris - people coming, people going, posh cars, busy doormen ...

The Glass Saxophonist

This guy plays his saxophone day and night in a jeweller's shop near Casino Square. 

Art Nouveau?

This entrance is below the casino building, the side of which you can see lit up pink for the recent Pink Ribbon Monaco evening.   It's perhaps a private gaming area - for the high rollers.   Don't you love the wrought iron and glass canopy - Art Nouveau or in that style ...

Snakes Alive at Louis Vuitton

There are rather a lot of snake-like creatures promoting one small handbag in the Louis Vuitton window.

Princess Grace's Wedding Dress made of Diet Coke Cans

This sculpture based on Princess Grace's wedding dress was created to commemorate the 30th anniversary of her death.  The dress is made of thousands of pieces of aluminium, using 4,000 cans of Coca-Cola Light (Diet Coke) in a unique design and intricate weave inspired by the magnificent fine lace original wedding gown.  It took over 2 years to complete.

The sculpture, by Nikos Floros, is on display in the foyer of the Hotel Metropole and is 10 feet long, 5.5 feet wide and 6.5 feet tall.

Blonde Ambition

Crossing the Casino Gardens ...

Reni

On the night the casino was lit up pink, I met Reni in the Casino Gardens. She wears wonderfully original clothes - and is obviously a character.  She immediately went into 'pose mode' when I asked to take her photo.Thanks Reni!

The Hôtel Hermitage

We seem to be looking at a lot of hotels lately, don't we? No surprise because if you walk around the Casino area, which is what we've been doing, that's where the most prestigious hotels are to be found.


In 1900 the modest establishment of the Hôtel Hermitage was transformed into a luxurious residence for visitors. Its Belle Epoque dining-room was the work of Gabriel Ferrier, winner of the  Rome Prize and gold medallist at the Universal Exhibition of 1889. It boasted magnificent frescoes recalling paintings by Fragonard and Boucher. The structure of the glass roof in the Winter Garden was designed by the renowned Gustave Eiffel, father of the tower in Paris which bears his name.  Click on the link to see this glass roof which is stunning.

The Dior Photographer

The Dior windows like photographers!

Hôtel Métropole - Elegance

One of the elegant hallways in the Hôtel Métropole.

Hôtel Métropole - Water Feature

A rather fearsome character you'll find on a wall as you approach the Hôtel Métropole.

Hôtel Métropole

The outside of the Hotel Metropole where four classical sculptures await the guests.

Hôtel Métropole - the Flowers

The Hotel Metropole was originally built, in the Belle Epoque style, in 1886 on land that once belonged to Pope Leo XIII.   It was restored in 2004 and is elegant and discreet - a lovely old hotel opposite the Casino Gardens.   Here we see the foyer and its absolutely beautiful flowers by Perrine.

 

Another look at the Pink Casino

Here's a dfferent perspective on the casino lit up pink in aid of breast cancer awareness and Pink Ribbon Monaco.  This time we are looking down the length of the Casino Gardens.

There are many Australian and South African trees and shrubs in the gardens. On the right I think we are looking at a bottle brush, or is it a grevillia?