MONACO… ahhh… a little gem tucked between the mountains and the sea. I’ve been there a couple of times, first in 1994 and again in 1999. Monaco is a principality, located along the French Riviera. I visited the Prince’s Palace where the Prince Ranier lived as well as St. Nicholas Cathedral, the burial place of Princess Grace. (Prince Ranier has since died and is also buried there.) On my first visit I went to the Oceanographic Museum and Aquarium, which was quite nice. Monte Carlo is well known for the many casinos and high rollers. Lots of money here for sure. The marina is full of luxurious yachts. The changing of the guard at the Palace was quite interesting to watch. On my last visit there David was with me and we were standing near the Palace and heard a roaring sound. It became louder and louder and we noticed the area in front of the Palace was roped off. We were busy taking photos and getting something to eat but could tell there was excitement in the air. The roar continued to get louder and louder and suddenly we saw what the noise was coming from. A long line of Ferrari’s came driving up the winding road leading to the Palace. They parked side by side in front of the Palace and within minutes the entire area was full of Ferrari’s. They were either bright red or bright yellow and looked magnificent. We had no idea exactly what was going on but apparently it was some sort of show. I have photos of them packed away somewhere in storage. If I can locate them I will post them at a later time but for now I have these two photos to share with you. The first one is of me made in 1994 and the second one is of David, 5 years later, made standing in the same spot!
update: 28 July 2007
OK, I found my photos! Below are the photos of the ferrari's parked in front of the palace. Pretty cool huh? Just think of all the money tied up in those cars!
A couple of shots of the palace with the guard (in white).
Below are photos of the cathedral where Princess Grace and Prince Ranier are buried.
