Europe 2016 - Page 6 - Monte Carlo
Barcelona 1 - Barcelona 2 - Barcelona 3
Port Vendres
Marseille
Monte Carlo 1 - Monte Carlo 2
Cannes
Portofino
Portoferraio
Roma 1 Roma 2 - Roma 3



We sailed to Monaco and got an early start to explore the city. The principality of Monaco is less than 500 acres and nestled in a beautiful port. Made famous by the wealthy inhabitants and of course the famous Monaco Grand Prix Formula 1 race that actually races through the streets in the city of Monte Carlo. Stands were already being erected for the race the next month. Exciting for me as an F1 fan. We walked to the Oceanogrpahic Museum which houses an impressive aquarium and the explorations of Prince Albert I and Jacques-Yves Cousteau. Next, we headed over to the royal palace to watch the changing of the guard which started promptly before noon. After that, we trouble finding a taxi and learned from a policeman that you can only pick them up at designated taxi stands. Looking at the map, the stand didnt look too far, but the map fails to show the topography as Monaco is basically built into a cliff. We had hoped to take a taxi to Eze village, but the taxi was incredibly overpriced. Plan B, we boarded the bus and visited the Exotic Garden which contains an impressive display of wild plants from around the world and a large underground cave which is still being excavated.

We rode the bus back down the hill to see the Grand Casino. We ran into a few friends by the casino who joined us for wine and beers at the cafe outside. We enjoyed the much needed sunshine and marvelled at the cars driving by the casino for the afternoon.

Back on board, the crew had been preparing and incredible BBQ serving carved meat, lobster, crab and everything you can imagine. Our group decided to head back to shore and visit the casino for some gambling after dinner. We borrowed ties and jackets and entered the casino. The interior of the casino is amazing and unfortunately we are not allowed to take pictures or your cell phone inside. I played roulette a few rounds and walked away with a few extra euros. Unfortunately, being a Thursday night, the casino was not very busy and we did not have a great deal of time to enjoy it as the ship was leaving port at midnight. The exchange rate inside the casino was the best anywhere, so I took advantage. We rushed back to the boat and boarded right before midnight. The sail away that night under the stars and lights of Monaco was awesome.


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