Spring at the Note Bleue

It's spring at the Note Bleue on Larvotto Beach.

Lamb shank at the Baobab

The food at the Baobab on Larvotto Beach is always freshly cooked with a menu that changes every day.

This is a 'souris d'agneau' which could be confusing as 'souris' means 'mouse' in French but when followed by 'd'agneau' then it's a 'lamb shank.'  It was served with squashed potatoes (not mashed) and gravy. Yet another of the delicious dishes served by talented chef, François.

Baobab on Larvotto

The Baobab is one of my favourite restaurants in Monaco.  You'll eat great fresh food (the menu changes daily) cooked by chef François, who - by the way - is a superb photographer. 

There's not much wrong in life when you are sitting in the sunshine, overlooking Larvotto beach, drinking wine and eating lunch at the Baobab.

And it's not just the beach that is good-looking. Here are two of the beautiful servers. Meet Sonia on the left, and Vaitiare on the right (that's a Tahitian name, by the way).  Thanks for the photo, girls! x

Steps in Beausoleil

It's hard walking up these steps in Beausoleil - but it's great fun to run down ...

Hopeful seagulls

Seagulls queue up near a restaurant on Larvotto Beach, hoping someone will throw them a crumb or two.

Thumbs Up!

Skateboarders at Larvotto Beach. Thanks for the smiles guys - and the thumbs up - as you whizzed by. 

Stripes

Stripes - at the Pavilions de Monte Carlo.

Monte Carlo lady and her dog

One of Monte Carlo's pampered pooches, a little bichon maltais (Maltese terrier) and her owner on Avenue Princesse Grace.

Long Legs ...

Christmas trees laden with snow alongside palm trees and pretty girls with legs that go on forever ... that's Monte Carlo.

Ciggie break

Cigarette break outside the Metropole Centre, Monte Carlo.

The Alexander McQueen shop

The Alexander McQueen shop in the Pavilions de Monte Carlo, Casino Gardens.

Monte Carlo Lady and Dog

A lady and her little dog at the new Monte Carlo Pavilions set in the casino gardens.

Teahouse

The teahouse in the Japanese Gardens.

Villa Sauber

This sculpture stands at the entrance to Monaco's National Museum, Villa Sauber on Avenue Princesse Grace.

Walking the Red Carpet in Monte Carlo

The bubble-shaped luxury shops in the Casino Gardens really are extraordinary with their sloping glass exteriors.  Nice to walk the red carpet ...

Space Age Shopping in Monte Carlo

Space-age shopping is what now greets visitors to Casino Square in Monte Carlo.  Where once stood the Jardins Boulingrins,  you now find 5 pebble-shaped shaped constructions with 2,500 square feet of shopping space.  Here you can buy your Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta, Alexander McQueen, Miu Miu, Akris, Sonia Rykiel, Yves Saint Laurent and so on ...

Each pavilion has a different shape and size ranging from 220 to 600 m² and a ceiling height of maximum 10 m. The temporary pavilions are meant to last 4 years, which corresponds to the duration of the renovation works at the Hôtel de Paris and the Sporting d’Hiver. Then, apparently, these businesses will close down and take up their new accommodation in the Sporting d'Hiver.

This is all part of the redevelopment programme by Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer (SBM) for the Place du Casino. The beautiful Art Deco building, the Sporting d’Hiver (which you see in the background) will be demolished and replaced by three buildings including businesses, high-end residences, offices and leisure and spaces for recreation and culture.

Bûche de Noël

The dessert tray at Restaurant La Piazza in Monaco yesterday.  3 different flavoured Bûches de Noël, no less! My lovely friend Millie and I had the marron et chocolat. Yummy!

Sorry for the slightly blurry foreground.... blame two glasses of champagne, followed by a good Italian red!

Crystals for Christmas

To my dear friends and readers of this blog, I send you a million crystals from the lights of Nice for Christmas.  May you have a day filled with peace and love.

Jump!

We're in Nice today to visit the Christmas lights. This is my fabulous friend, Emmanuelle, jumping in front of a replica of what was once Nice's crystal casino - a pier, built over the sea and finished in 1891. The pier was closed in 1942 and stripped of its valuable metals, copper, brass, bronze and electric wiring, to be used by the German army.

Rigatoni La Voglia

Memories of a great birthday lunch on Rue Saint Francois in Nice in October.  This delicious dish is "Rigatoni La Voglia" at La Voglia.

Thank you again to Sylvie, Emma and Guillaume and Patrick and his beautiful 4L.  How lucky I am to have such wonderful friends.