Theme Day: photo of the year - 2007

This was taken at the Children's Fair at dusk in the port of Monaco - I loved the bouncing boy and wished I were him! Somehow, too, he seems a positive symbol for the New Year - onwards and upwards! Another choice for today would have been a photo taken later that same night - Fireworks over the Port of Monaco - one of the few night shots that's worked for me. Not technically correct - but perhaps acceptable for a Point and Shoot camera.

This has been a year when I've discovered the world of photography and that I just love taking photographs, composing shots, trying to tell a story. Much to learn technically though, and I'm so grateful for the generous encouragement and great advice from so many of you - my fellow City Bloggers - THANK YOU SO MUCH.

HAPPY NEW YEAR to everyone - and may all your dreams come true and all your photographs be PERFECT.

There are 118 Daily City Photo bloggers participating in today's Theme. Do please visit them - you'll see fabulous photographs from around the world.

Paris, France - London, England - Hyde, UK - West Sacramento (CA), USA - Grenoble, France - Stockholm, Sweden - Riga, Latvia - Saint Paul (MN), USA - Manila, Philippines - Silver Spring (MD), USA - Weston (FL), USA - Prague, Czech Republic - New Orleans (LA), USA - Wichita (KS), USA - Cleveland (OH), USA - San Francisco (CA), USA - Hobart (Tasmania), Australia - Greenville (SC), USA - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Menton, France - Monte Carlo, Monaco - Mainz, Germany - Melbourne, Australia - Portland (OR), USA - Albuquerque (NM), USA - Wassenaar (ZH), Netherlands - Kyoto, Japan - Tokyo, Japan - Toulouse, France - Naples (FL), USA - Jakarta, Indonesia - Brussels, Belgium - Stayton (OR), USA - Selma (AL), USA - Mexico City, Mexico - Ocean Township (NJ), USA - Minneapolis (MN), USA - Port Angeles (WA), USA - Toruń, Poland - Fort Lauderdale (FL), USA - Budapest, Hungary - Baziège, France - Nashville (TN), USA - Saint Louis (MO), USA - Cottage Grove (MN), USA - Chicago (IL), USA - Prescott (AZ), USA - Bellefonte (PA), USA - Nottingham, UK - Moscow, Russia - Philadelphia (PA), USA - Evry, France - Trujillo, Peru - Arlington (VA), USA - Denpasar, Indonesia - American Fork (UT), USA - Seattle (WA), USA - Chandler (AZ), USA - Coral Gables (FL), USA - Montpellier, France - Joplin (MO), USA - Pilisvörösvár, Hungary - Crystal Lake (IL), USA - Bucaramanga (Santander), Colombia - Boston (MA), USA - Torun, Poland - New York City (NY), USA - Dunedin (FL), USA - Quincy (MA), USA - Stavanger, Norway - Chateaubriant, France - Maple Ridge (BC), Canada - Jackson (MS), USA - Wailea (HI), USA - Port Elizabeth, South Africa - Budapest, Hungary - Austin (TX), USA - Montréal (QC), Canada - Cypress (TX), USA - Bicheno, Australia - Wrocław, Poland - Brookville (OH), USA - Minneapolis (MN), USA - Nelson, New Zealand - Cheltenham, UK - Wellington, New Zealand - Rabaul, Papua New Guinea - Mumbai (Maharashtra), India - London, UK - Haninge, Sweden - Saint-Petersburg, Russian Federation - Arradon, France - Jefferson City (MO), USA - Orlando (FL), USA - Mumbai, India - Terrell (TX), USA - Bogor, Indonesia - Delta (CO), USA - Radonvilliers, France - Saigon, Vietnam - San Diego (CA), USA - Adelaide (SA), Australia - Belgrade, Serbia - Auckland, New Zealand - Seguin (TX), USA - Inverness (IL), USA - Oslo, Norway - Singapore, Singapore - Las Vegas (NV), USA - New York City (NY), USA - Anderson (SC), USA - Torino, Italy - Susanville (CA), USA - San Diego (CA), USA - Sharon (CT), USA - Melbourne, Australia - Port Vila, Vanuatu - Memphis (Tennessee), USA

Prince Albert I

This statue, standing outside the Palais Princier on Le Rocher, was created in 1914 by Constant Roux in hommage to Prince Albert 1st of Monaco and to commemorate the 25th year of his reign.

Albert I, an eminent scientist and seaman, was the creator of the magnificent Monaco Oceanographic Museum and also the Paris Oceanography Institute. He was the great-grandfather of the current Prince of Monaco, Prince Albert II.

Bonnie and Clyde

This looks like it might have been in an old Chicago-style gangster movie, or perhaps Bonnie & Clyde - but I've probably got it all wrong. No idea what the make of this car is or how old. Am sure someone will help me. Fabrizio? It was outside a garage along with a Lincoln Continental.

Japanese Garden - 11

After the chaos of Christmas, contemplation in the Japanese garden. Wherever you look in this beautiful garden, there is peace. Most of the earlier photographs of the Japanese garden have the sea as background. This shows just how near it is to the apartment buildings along Avenue Princesse Grace - just across the street.

From Roquebrune village

As soon as you go drive into the hills and away from Monaco, you'll get a different view of the Principality. In this photograph, Monaco is in the distance and nearer you see the villas leading down to the beach in Roquebrune-cap-Martin. The paragliders jump off the mountains way up to the right and land on this beach below.

This photograph was taken from the Place des Deux Frères in the medieval village of Roquebrune. If you click on the link, you'll be there!

Fire!

Only kidding. There was no fire. I really don't know why the fire truck was here - in Fontvieille, opposite the circus tent. The apartment buildings are on land reclaimed from the sea.

Do all little boys want to be firemen when they grow up?

Lamppost

Lamppost decoration for Christmas. Quite subtle, I think you'll agree.

You can see the side of the Casino building ahead - the beautiful doorway is the entrance to the Salle Garnier which is the Opera house. The Hôtel de Paris is on the left and the main port of Monaco is below us, on the right.

Happy Christmas, Charlie Brown!

The Europa is a large, luxury apartment building on Boulevard des Moulins. In the foyer is a large Christmas tree and at its base, two smaller trees, each hung with photographs of children - children who live in the building. Isn't that nice?

Charlie Brown: Isn't there anybody who knows what Christmas is all about?

Linus: "And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flocks by night..." Charles Shultz.

Happy Christmas everyone! - and thank you so much - my esteemed fellow Daily City Photo bloggers - for visiting Monte Carlo DP and Menton DP - for your comments, your encouragement and help and most of all your friendship.

Landing

This will be a very busy area today, with helicopters ferrying passengers from Nice airport to the Heliport of Monaco in time for Christmas. You can see Cap Martin in the distance. Menton is beyond that.

Through a child's eyes

We're in the Metropole Shopping Centre near to the Casino. So many displays for a child to enjoy. Did you father ever take you somewhere special at Christmas?

Lunch

Lunch in the Casino gardens.

Monte Carlo Ladies - 9

I was coming up the escalator this morning from the Metropole shopping centre and this lady crossed my path. I ran up, pulling my camera out of my bag as I did so. She stopped for a second to speak to the doorman of the Metropole Hotel (you can just see him on the left) and then, on she went, walking too fast for a close-up. I thought about trimming this photo right back to lady herself but thought perhaps it gave more interest to show her, en route to wherever she is going, and of course, with 'that hat!'

Tree of trees

Not just one tree, but made up of dozens of smaller trees. I have forgotten the number - could have been over a hundred. The Christmas tree looks strange to me amongst the palm trees of Casino Square. I took a photograph of it the other evening but the lights and my camera came to blows and it wasn't a good photograph.

Service with a smile!

I had to pop in to Monaco today and so took advantage of the trip and went shopping at Carrefour, the big supermarket, in Fontvieille. Carrefour is better - by far - than any supermarket that Menton has to offer. It's fun shopping here. The food is fabulous - so fresh, the service is great and anyway it's nice to look at all the beautiful people. It's amazing who you bump into as you walk down the aisles.

Today, tho, they are offering an extra service. This is the escalator that goes down to the carpark and as you enter, with your fully laden trolley, these two friendly people, offer to come down with you and load up your car. Isn't that nice? I'm sorry the photo isn't very good. I took another looking back at this couple and they posed for me brilliantly but it's blurred. I'd got the wrong settings. Wrap on knuckles for Jilly.

And did I take advantage of their offer? Well, no I didn't. I like to transfer stuff slowly to bags and boxes but it was nice to be asked.

Metropole at Christmas - A letter to Santa

La Poste de Monaco replies to all letters sent to Father Christmas. Children can post their letters in this special box in the Metropole Shopping Centre or in any public mailbox in Monte Carlo. Monaco Post Office has 5000 cards - written by Santa Claus, bien sûr - ready printed to send out in reply. According to Nice-Matin, they've already received over 200 letters, some quite moving where children ask for gifts to be sent to more needy children. One joker, doubtless an adult, asked for a Ferrari and a yacht. He got a reply telling him that 'There isn't enough room in Le Père Noël's sack!'

A duck for Christmas?

Don't know about you but I need a break from the commercialism of Christmas so here's the pond in the Casino gardens.

I watched these three ducks waddle, very quickly, along the path - slip into the water and make a beeline for this central area. I 'think' a tyre is buried just below the surface of the water and presumably that's where the ducks are fed. They appear to be diving for food, don't they?

Metropole at Christmas

Just off to the right, on the lowest level, is FNAC: the shop in France where you can get CDs, DVDs, books, all-things-computer, cameras, etc. I love it and when I visit, usually grab a coffee and a brioche sucré in the space you see below. Great people-watching place it is too.

What do you like to drink and eat when you take a break from shopping?

Metropole at Christmas - Teddy Bears

Looks like the Metropole shopping centre has a Christmas bear theme: a polar bear yesterday, today teddy bears. This display is at the entrance below the escalators that descend from the Casino gardens. Not easy to photograph because they are skating bears and as we know, skating bears not only go round and round in circles, but they spin at the same time...and very fast. Every time I clicked, I ended up with the back of a bear or a side view. Got it eventually. Happy skating!

Metropole at Christmas - Polar Bear

Well, you'd expect Monaco to do Christmas BIG - and it has. This is one end of one level of the luxurious Metropole shopping centre. This table is used by one of the restaurants. Quite fun to share a table with a polar bear!

Monte Carlo Ladies - 8

Of course my Monte Carlo ladies, aren't always ladies who live in Monaco. I would imagine this glamorous lady is a visitor to the Principality - and I hope that's not real fur!

Here she is, with her man, looking in the VERY expensive jewellery shop next to the Café de Paris on Casino Square.