Dismantling Chistmas

Time to dismantle the Christmas decorations and lights, after which the trees will be taken away.

Reflecting on Coffee

This is a reflection in a brass plant pot.  We are in the café on the lowest level of the Metropole Centre.

Pools and Reflections at Dawn

Another dawn photo.  This time we are looking at a corner of the forecourt of the Grimaldi Forum with its pools and reflections.

Casino

The Casino seen from the rear - perhaps the more beautiful side of the building

The Lifesaver's Lookout

This is the lifesaver's lookout on Larvotto Beach at dawn.

Balustrades

Bulustrades near the Hotel de Paris reflected in a puddle.

Illusion

Things aren't always what they seem in Monaco ...

Winter Mode

A Monte Carlo lady, in her winter gear, crossing Casino Square.

Dawn at the Grimaldi Forum

Dawn breaking near the Grimaldi Forum on Larvotto yesterday morning.  I got up early!

The sculpture is called Le Signe du Temps (Sign of the Times) by the Swiss sculptor, Andre Bucher and was given to the Principality by the Swiss community on the occasion of the Jubilee of Prince Rainier.

Pissaladière/Pichade

A slice of pichade and a chat amongst friends.

Pichade is a dish from Menton and is a kind of pizza: a tomato sauce made ​​with cooked onions placed on a dough and decorated with cloves of garlic, black olives and anchovies.

If it's made without tomato, then it's a pissaladière.

So for anyone interested, here's a few words about it ...

Pissaladière is a pizza-like dish made in southern France, around the Nice, Marseilles, Toulon and the Var District, and in the Italian region of Liguria, especially in the Province of Imperia. Believed to have been introduced to the area by Roman cooks during the time of the Avignon Papacy, it can be considered a type of white pizza, as no tomatoes are used. The dough is usually a bread dough thicker than that of the classic Italian pizza (although a pâte brisée is sometimes used instead), and the traditional topping consists of caramelised (almost pureed) onions, olives, garlic and anchovies (either whole or in the form of pissalat, a type of anchovy paste). No cheese is used in France;[1] however in the nearby Italian town of San Remo, mozzarella is sometimes added. Now served as an appetizer, it was traditionally cooked and sold early each morning.

The etymology of the word seems to be from occitan peis, from the Latin piscis, which in turn became pissalat, (via peis salat, "salted fish" in Niçard).

The Bicycle and the Ferrari

The lady on the left rode her bike into casino square, parked it alongside the Ferrari outside the casino and is taking a photo of it - much to the amusement of the doorman and policeman alongside. They seem rather non-plussed by the whole thing but I'm sure if she doesn't move it soon, she'll be told to do so ...

A French Punch and Judy?

Punch and Judy for children on the Port of Monaco. Not that he looks like the Mr. Punch I remember, so perhaps someone will tell me who he is.

Pale face, sunburned hands, big ears, long nose...? Not sure I'd want to meet him in a dark alleyway ... scary.

Spray

Someone was cleaning a propeller on Port Hercule - so here's a pic.  I liked the spray against the red ...

The Winter Sporting - before it's knocked down ...

The is the Sporting d'Hiver (the Winter Sporting) which faces Casino Square.  It was built by the Société des Bains de Mer in 1932 in a monumental Art deco style, with large rooms and ten-metre-high ceilings and soon it willl be knocked down to make way for a new shopping complex.

It is probably no surprise that many Monaco residents are unhappy about this.

Click on the link to see what will replace it. As a nod to the beauty of the Art Deco, a part of the original interior is to be relocated to the basement. Pity about the rest ...

The Tuk Tuk for 'Fight Aids Monaco.'

You can now take a tour of Monaco in what they call a Tuk Tuk.  It costs 5 euros, accompanied children under 7 are free and part of the proceeds goes to HSH Princess Stephanie's charity 'Fight Aids Monaco.' 

Fly High in 2013!

Wishing you blue skies and may you fly high in 2013!  Happy New Year to everyone!

A Monte Carlo Christmas - Lessons in Life

Sometimes you have to push someone else's world as well as your own ...

A Monte Carlo Christmas - the Bubble

Wish they had these bubbles for adults ...

A Monte Carlo Christmas - the Diving Santa

The Christmas Fair on Port Hercule in Monaco is great fun. Christmas Fairs continue into January so the kids have something to do during their holidays but this fair seems to attract as many grown-up kids as small ones.

Father Christmas is shown in many forms - in the main photo, he's a deep-sea diver and in the other photos he dangles from a tree skimpily dressed as Tarzan.

Verticals at Chanel

Verticals at the Chanel boutique. ... not sure Madame Chanel would have approved of the brevity of the dummy's undergarment ...