Monaco

I've never been much into cars.  If a vehicle's engine starts and the brakes work, then I don't mind too much what I'm driving. 

But I have to admit that I appreciated the Mercedes Benz rental that we lucked into during the Irish leg of our journey for more than its reliable engine and brakes.  It was one comfortable and smooth ride.  Lily wasted no time in telling us "I could get used to this",  as she hopped into the white leather back seat.

The girls and I with our Mercedes rental car.

Even being aware that this rental was a major upgrade to what we drive at home, I was still taken aback when we were cruising slowly, due to Dublin traffic, along the River Liffey with the sun shining and windows down, when I saw a man on the sidewalk grab his buddy and point at our car. He then looked at me and said, "Nice car, love." 

Well, that was a first.  The only time anyone has ever pointed and talked about my car it's been more along the lines of "Oh, that poor women with that broken down car at the side of the road".

However, if we had driven into Monte Carlo with this car, I can guarantee no-one would have batted an eye.  Even with our amateur eyes, we all knew we were seeing quite a few luxurious driving machines.

Here I am casually walking away from what I rolled into Monte Carlo in.  The man with the black backpack?  I peg him for a 2002 Toyota Echo driver.

Monte Carlo makes a distinguished impression right from the get go.  We had never seen an exit from a train station like this one:

From the train station, we walked up the hill heading towards the casino area.  We took a break to look back over the city for our first views.  In the distance is the "Tête de Chien", the rock that overlooks Monaco from 550 metres high.  The girls decided it didn't look at all like a dog's head.  Maybe there's a reason for this.  I read later that it may very well owe it's name to a homonym mix up of the Occitan (a language that developed in the area from the Vulgar Latin spoken by Roman soldiers) words for "dog" and "military camp". 

In any case, it made a striking backdrop to the city.

The first building that caught our eye was the "Hotêl de Paris", which made a big impression on the girls due to it being featured in the "Monte Carlo" film starring Selena Gomez.

L'Hôtel de Paris

We thought we could pop in here for some lunch but, after peering at the menu,  decided that eating outside would be a great idea.

Menu at the "Hotêl de Paris". 

A yummy €18 Euro lunch of supermarket sandwiches and salads was enjoyed in "Les Jardins des Boulingrins".

We, of course, also saw the legendary casino and soaked up the atmosphere at the "Place au Casino".

A peak inside the lobby of the casino.

After lunch we travelled by bus to the old town for a look around the Oceanographic Museum that was opened in 1910 and where Jacques Cousteau was director for over thirty years.  Lily especially loved the exhibits, and it had a great viewing area from its rooftop.

The museum rises up 85 metres from the sea.  I don't even understand how this part of the building was being held up!

View from the Oceanographic Museum looking east over the city and Port Hercules.  It was from this port that Julius Caesar sailed back to Rome after his conquest of Gaul.

On the short walk from the museum to the "Palais du Prince", we passed by Saint Nicholas Cathedral where Prince Rainier lll and Princess Grace were married.

We also did a self-guided tour of the official residence of the Prince of Monaco, where the Grimaldi family has lived and ruled for some seven centuries.  This tour really held the girls' attention.  Grace told me that this was her kind of history and good for the imagination.  We weren't allowed to take photos inside, but here are some of the ornate rooms we saw.

In front of "Le Palais du Prince" after our tour inside.

Just before catching the bus to head back down to the train station, we took a quick, quiet rest in the "Chapel of Mercy" that dates back to 1639.

Our first out of town field trip of our school year was a success.