Post by Ella
The Principality of Monaco. The country is barely a dot on the map, occupying only 2 square kilometers. What country is smaller than Monaco one might ask? Only Vatican City.
Previously annexed to the First French Republic in 1793, Monaco successfully gained independence in 1814. Monaco is a constitutional monarchy.
Located 17km east of Nice, 25 min by train. Whosh and we were there.
Monaco borders France and is 10 miles from the Italian border. It doesn’t really have a capital but most government buildings are in the administrative area famously called Monte Carlo. And what else is in Monte Carlo? A kind of famous casino. Which we wandered into before the game tables opened. Well, I say “wandered”. We paid $20 each to enter even though the gaming tables were closed.
Interestingly, I read that citizens of Monaco are forbidden to enter the casino. This was one of Princess Caroline’s initiatives. Monaco is one of the wealthiest countries in the world. Had its citizens been spending too much time gambling away their wealth?
The casino is small by Las Vegas standards. But it feels luxurious. Plush seating keeps you comfortable while you gamble.
What else do you know about Monaco? Perhaps the Monaco Grand Prix? Well folks, we stood on that very road. We didn’t walk the two mile steeply twisted circuit (the cars do 78 laps). Only because I had another steep and twisted route for us to follow in order to get to the old city. Grubb will call it a forced march. Okay, so he has a slight cold and maybe his energy is a bit low, but how was I to know there’d be all those stairs?
But before we left the Grand Prix area, we stopped in to view the Prince’s collection of cars.
Now for the hundreds of stairs…but what vues, mon amie.
