Monaco

Destination #8: Monaco

Year of Visit: 2008

Monaco or some call it the tax haven and playground for the rich is a sovereign city-state located south of France on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Monaco is also the world's most densely populated country and it is a constitutional monarchy, with Prince Albert II from the Grimaldi family ruling since 1297.

It was a summer trip cum high school reunion for the three of us.

Monaco is only 20 minutes by train from Nice, France which was our first destination.

Buying train tickets from the ticket dispensing machines was quite challenging because all the instructions were in French! No attendants from the train station were in sight to help us like in Italy. However, some common sense should do i guess. Somehow we managed to get the correct tickets to Monte Carlo, Monaco :D

My first impression of Monaco - luxury, up-market, high-end

They have those automatic walking belts in air-conditioned tunnels to connect you to certain parts of Monaco instead of walking on the sidewalks. The moment I stepped out into street level, I was greeted by the exotic cars that grace the streets of Monaco.

Some narrow street in Monaco.

Pretty eh? Some of the buildings are similar to France's.

A miniature tourist train called the 'Azur Express' brings tourists around Monaco.

I still prefer exploring Monaco by foot.

The author, with a nice panoramic view of Monaco's skyline and Port of Hercules, La Condamine. All the residential buildings looked like they cost millions and normally you can see a swimming pool or a helipad on top.

Port Hercules, where most of the privately-owned expensive boats are docked.

We're talking about millionaires and billionaires here!

Insanely luxurious boats!

A house near a small park in Avenue Saint-Martin after you walk pass the Monaco Cathedral.

Lovely.

An ideal location for love birds :D

Avenue Saint-Martin coast.

If you walk along the trail of Avenue Saint-Martin, you will arrive here.

From here you can see albatross gliding in the air and helicopters flying in and out of Monaco.

The Prince's Palace of Monaco.

This is the official residence of the Prince of Monaco.

There are guided tours of the palace each day.

Along your walk (If you walk) you should come across this giant photo frame with Port Hercules as the backdrop. Monaco's Mediterranean climate was so lovely it felt like i was in a tropical country.

Or you can do some crazy stunt from the edge of the hill, at your own risk!

We went down to Port Hercules to check out some of the luxury boats owned by the super rich!

Ahhhh, wish she was mine. I just need to change her name and retain Georgetown. Haha!

You should really check out these mega luxury boats, some as huge as a cruise ship!

You will also get to see the Formula One race track from various angles!

Remember that tunnel from Monaco Grand Prix? There it is!

One of Monaco's exclusive hotels' entrance.

Name me the expensive cars you see. Quick!


The famed Monte-Carlo Grand Casino!

With a passport in hand, entry fees from €30 onwards and dressed in coats and tie you will get to gamble alongside the rich and famous. We gave it a miss because of the exorbitant fees and the inconvenience of having to pack an extra set of formal wear but we managed to walk into the foyer which has spectacular designs, paintings, stained glass and sculptures :D

Monaco is a heaven for car enthusiasts like me.

There are plenty of Ferrari F50s in Monaco that you can sometimes see two F50s one after another.

Among other exotic cars spotted during the day trip were:

• Ferrari 550
• Ferrari 612
• Ferrari 360
• Lamborghini Murcielago
• Lamborghini Gallardo
• Aston Martin DB9
• Bentley Flying Spur
• Bentley Continental
• Maserati Quattroporte
• Rolls-Royce Phantom
• Porsche Cayenne
• Porsche 997
• Mercedes SLR

Hotel de Paris, an exclusive hotel next to the Monte Carlo Grand Casino.

You might want to gawk at all the expensive and exotic cars parked outside. If you are lucky, you might be able to see some millionaire, billionaire or famous guests walking in and out of the hotel. When we were there some French celebrities stayed there and we actually saw them walking out with photographers clicking away in their cameras.

Guest arriving in a Rolls Royce Phantom.

Monaco is a small city-state and it didn't more than a day to explore this city.

However, if you want to indulge in the lifestyle of the rich and famous one day is too short!

p/s: Make sure you know when is the last train back to Nice if you're doing a day trip. Also check whether there are any rail strikes! Rail strikes are common in France!

Nice, France

Destination #4: Nice, France

Year of visit: 2008
Nice [nis] is a city in Southern France located on the picturesque Mediterranean coast. It is also a leading tourist centre and resort on the French Riviera (Côte d'Azur) alongside Cannes and Antibes with an enjoyable mild Mediterranean climate.

I flew into Nice from London in my favourite low-frills airline, Easyjet. Upon arrival, we could feel the immediate change in climate from London's so-called summer where the temperature hovers around 12 ^oC compared to Nice's 20 ^oC. Now this is summer!

From Nice's Côte d'Azur Airport, you can catch a public bus to the city centre - the most affordable and convenient option!

This was my first trip with an absolutely minimal planing. We didn't make prior reservation at any hostel, hotel or apartment despite it being summer! It was so spontaneous. The only thing i had in hand was a £2 mini-map from the post office.

No worries, Nice has an excellent tourist information centre not far from the Le Meridian hotel and McDonald's. You can get as many brochures about Nice from there and also get your accommodations settled over the counter if you're looking for a mid-range or high-end accommodation.

If you're looking for a budget accommodation, i suggest you make an earlier reservation or spend at least half an hour looking for one around town. Well, we split up, walked under the scorching sun around the high-streets and found one! Also a very good excuse for some Gelati.

Nice high street

I love the French architecture most in Europe.

All the old buildings look so classy after refurbishment.

That playful pussycat at our apartment's balcony. She's really cute! She knocks on our door whenever we're back at our apartment.

A square (Place in French) a stone's throw away from our apartment, with many 'grand' hotels lined up next to it namely the Grand Hotel Aston.

The coolest looking tram and tramway tracks i have seen in Europe!!!!

Take a walk along the narrow alleys and stairways for an insight of life in Nice's old town (Vieux Nice) - picturesque and colourful houses, boutiques and sidewalk cafés.

To us, the most impressive discovery of all in this old town is the food.

The beach is a walking distance from the old town. It has the feeling of Miami in United States with a whole lot of activity going on there - cycling, dog walking, jogging, skate-boarding, roller-blading, mini-trains, sun bathing, para-sailing, boat rides etc. except for the beach which is not sandy but covered with flat-stones.

If you're looking for nice sandy beaches, head on to Villefranche-sur-Mer, Antibes or Cannes.

Villefranche-sur-Mer isn't very far from Nice by bus.


Other than the old town, Place Masséna and its vicinity has many restaurants, boutiques and cafés. Be careful not to stray into the tramway though shopping in this district might cause an adrenaline rush.

Don't you agree that France sets the benchmark for high-street shopping, restaurants and cafés?

The mysterious author with Notre-Dame de Nice as the backdrop.

The 17th century Nice Cathedral or Cathédrale Sainte-Réparate de Nice in the heart of the old town. It is also the seat of the Bishop of Nice.

Now comes the MUST GO location in Nice - Colline du Chateau

The Colline du Chateau overlooking the Baie des Anges and harbour offers a spectacular panoramic view of the city. There are other things to see at the Chateau amongst them some castle ruins and a Jewish cemetery.

View from the Colline du Chateau.


And make sure you dine in one of those sidewalk restaurants if you have not sampled authentic French cuisine. There are so many restaurants around the old town for you to choose from depending on your budget.

Old town at night.

Finger-food and spices.

Please try the fried anchovies with lime! It was so addictive.

Our €25 three course dinner with complimentary champagne.

For ice-cream/gelato lovers, Fennochio's gelati are mandatory! IMHO, the gelati in Nice are better than those i have tried in Italy and Fennochio has way more variety of flavours.

Fennochio is located right infront of the Nice Cathedral or Cathédrale Sainte-Réparate de Nice.

Last but not least, the five wackos who conquered Nice.