Simple Pleasures

There are still simple pleasures available in Monaco. 

In the smaller photo you see the heliport in the distance.

Biking

Bikes for hire on le rocher.

Written in Glass

These are the windows of the newly built Conseil National of Monaco on le Rocher - the Monagesque Parliament building.

Checking the Bill ...

Checking the bill?  Dividing the bill?  Foreign money is sometimes complicated ...

Tourism Movement

Visitors walk towards the lifts that will take them up to the Oceanographic Museum, the Palais and the Cathedral and all the delights of le rocher.

Tourism on le Rocher

The tiny ruelles on le rocher are enchanting if you can look past the tourist merchandise either end of a passageway.  Oh dear ...

The Open Air Cinema

Monaco's open air cinema. We've seen this on the blog before this is a slightly wider shot.  You can choose the type of seat you want to sit in - recliners, normal chairs etc and so prices vary. Great place to watch a film.

Nymphe Salmacis - F. J. Bosio

This sculpture is called Nymphe Salmacis and it's by the Monegasque sculptor, F. J. Bosio, who lives between 1768 and 1845. It stands in the forecourt of one of Monaco's public buildings on le rocher.

Petanque at the Palace - Red!

With the red and white flags of Monaco and the red t-shirts, we're not about to wonder where we are!

Petanque at the Palace - Sway!

Swaying pom-pom girls keep the crowd entertained as they wait for the next game of petanque.

Petanque at the Palace - the Pom Pom Girls

Meet the pom-pom girls - well, part of them. Tomorrow we'll see the rest.

Petanque at the Palace - the Throw

At the Petanque tournment in front of the Palace, this lady, who was playing with the Prince, has a pretty deft action, don't you think?

Petanque at the Palace - Daniel Elena

Another photo of H.S.H. Prince Albert II playing petanque and as you can see one of the other players is no less than Daniel Elena, who is Sebastien Loeb's co-driver in motor rallies. Between them they have won the World Rally Championship 9 times. Daniel Elena is Monegasque. 

The Prince's team won!

Petanque at the Palace! - the Prince

H.S.H.Prince Albert II gets into the spirit of the Pro/Am Petanque tournament. As you can see, he plays a mean game of petanque.

Petanque at the Palace!

Look what was going on at the Place du Palais in Monaco yesterday.  The whole of the area in front of the Palace has been transformed into specially created gravel petanque pitches.   There are several others apart from this one.

There is space for around 800 spectators in the stands, and there's a giant screen relaying the matches.

This event, the Monaco Petanque Masters,  is the result of a collaboration between the Club Bouliste Monegasque and the Palace and is supported by 'Peace and Sport.'

Entry is free to the square and stands with two semi-finals and the final for professionals taking place today, after which the whole thing will be dismantled.

Peace and Sport organised an informal, pro/am tournament, in which Prince Albert and 32 celebrities were expected to take part. So come  back tomorrow and see how His Serene Highness, Prince Albert II plays a mean game of pentanque! 

Cabanas

This is a longer shot of the pool reflection we saw a couple of days ago.  Cabanas at the Monte Carlo Bay Hotel.

Chanel Pose

The Chanel boutique is perhaps not the place to pose if you aren't carrying a Chanel handbag.

Pool Envy 2

A corner of the beautiful pool at the the Monte Carlo Bay Hotel.

Shopping Car

Cute car ... and with somewhere to put the shopping.

The Pom-Pom Tree?

Anyone know the name of this tree? The leaves that would indicate - perhaps? -  a type of acacia, but note the seedpods and those white pom-poms. It's in the gardens of Fontvieille, not far from the Princess Grace Rose Garden.