Monaco is so rich and so small that it deserves a ridiculously small write-up. I visited it twice – once when the Grand Prix was one and all roads were appropriated by Messrs Massa, Alonso et al and I couldn’t see any of the sights (though I did splurge an obscene amount on ‘watching’ the qualifying session). Monaco is one of the smallest countries in the world - so small that its ruler is not called a King but a Prince (and Monaco is officially the ‘Principality of Monaco’). Of course, the most famous of the aforesaid princes being Prince Rainer who swept Grace Kelly off her feet from Hollywood straight into his principality. The cathedral where they got married is a tourist attraction (Princess Grace is also buried here!). The Royal Palace, atop a rocky cliff that overlooks the entire city, has a not-so-elaborate changing of the guard at 11:55 every day – that is when you can see all the tourists in Monaco.
The city is often called the Las Vegas of Europe on account of its other landmark – the Casino. Tourists like me are allowed into the Casino (after forking 10 Euros and showing our Passports which are scanned diligently). I strolled through the slot machines, the poker and roulette tables. Not having any spare cash to contribute to the Casino’s revenues (more importantly not knowing how Roulette worked), I decided not to part with my hard-earned money.
I did however, end up spending a lot for a Coffee at the Cafe de Paris – Monaco’s best. As I pored over the Menu card (before settling for the coffee), I realised that the drinks on offer were out of this world (i’m only talking about the price – I never found out the taste).
As the Monegasques would say “C’est tout pour aujourd’hui”
