May is a very nice time to visit Monaco, and we lucked into a 5-day weekend for our trip. I had been to Monaco in 1990, but don't really remember much except the aquarium. The rest of the family had never been there so it was an adventure for all of us.
One view of the harbor. We have LOTS of pictures of the harbor and the pretty boats. Some of them were HUGE! The Lady Moura was the biggest private vessel in port that day, and she really impressed us as she showed off the tenders that are stored inside the boat. Some of the other boats had their tenders tucked into their aft ends kind of like you would park a car in a garage. Too cool! And the tenders were about the same size as our 17 foot Boston Whaler. .JPG)
Here are Daddy and the Misses with the harbor and the Grand Prix grandstands in the background. We actually had the opportunity to drive on part of the Grand Prix course on the way to our hotel. Again, too cool!
We rode on the bateau bus (boat bus) from one side of the harbor to the other to save a little walking, and to give the girls a ride on a boat (always a hit). Miss S was very disappointed that she didn't get to ride on one of the big boats. We tried to explain that we didn't know any of the people who owned those boats so we couldn't get a ride, but that was not good enough. She wanted a ride on a "pretty boat." It was hard to see her so disappointed.
One view of the harbor. We have LOTS of pictures of the harbor and the pretty boats. Some of them were HUGE! The Lady Moura was the biggest private vessel in port that day, and she really impressed us as she showed off the tenders that are stored inside the boat. Some of the other boats had their tenders tucked into their aft ends kind of like you would park a car in a garage. Too cool! And the tenders were about the same size as our 17 foot Boston Whaler. .JPG)
Here are Daddy and the Misses with the harbor and the Grand Prix grandstands in the background. We actually had the opportunity to drive on part of the Grand Prix course on the way to our hotel. Again, too cool!We rode on the bateau bus (boat bus) from one side of the harbor to the other to save a little walking, and to give the girls a ride on a boat (always a hit). Miss S was very disappointed that she didn't get to ride on one of the big boats. We tried to explain that we didn't know any of the people who owned those boats so we couldn't get a ride, but that was not good enough. She wanted a ride on a "pretty boat." It was hard to see her so disappointed.
This is the water side of the oceanographic museum and aquarium. It looks to me like it has just grown out of the cliff. It was an interesting experience. The girls were more interested in the exhibits that I expected. The asked a lot of questions, and slowed down long enough to really look at things. This was a first in a museum. Of course the fish were enthralling, and we could have spent hours in the aquarium part if the rest of the tourist world wasn't there, too.
.JPG)
Here are the two adventurers after their trip to see the fish. Miss S had to endure another disappointment when we found out that the tourist train was not running after our trip to the aquarium. It had to close down for the weekend because part of its route was being used for the 6th Historic Grand Prix, and the cars were running practice laps. I was also disappointed because i was counting on the train to get a relaxed view of the historic areas of Monaco as it was just too much walking for little legs.
.JPG)
One of our very last adventures of the day was to dip our toes in the Mediterranean Sea. We mentioned it to Miss S and she practically ran down the steps and started taking off her shoes and socks. She didn't even care when I misjudged a wave and her whole bottom half got soaked! And the water was COLD! Daddy even got his fingers in the water but Miss M wasn't interested at all because the noise of the waves crashing against the rocks really bothered her. She didn't mind a snuggle when Miss S and I were done playing though. It was a really neat way to end the day.
Now for some interesting tidbits not connected to pictures:
*We saw more really expensive cars in the parking garage for the hotel than I think I have seen in my whole life. We had to park on the lowest level of a 4 level parking garage, and passed Ferrraris, Rolls Royces, and more. The Mercedes and BMWs were the cheap cars, until you got to the hotel's section. We fit in there with our Opel. We also saw all kinds of cars on the roads. I even saw a Bentley. Car watching was almost as interesting as looking at the boats.
*The Prince of Monaco can show up just about anywhere. I am convinced that he ate lunch in the aquarium restaurant at the same time that we did. There was all kinds of security, and there was a guy that looked an awful lot like the Prince who walked by our table 3 times. I wasn't sure if it was him until the next day when I saw 3 different pictures of him from the side with sunglasses on (I only saw him from the side with his sunglasses on in the restaurant which caused doubts as all other pictures were from the front without sunglasses). Then I was convinced. I wish I had gotten a picture of him!
Look for the next installment when I tell you about the antique race cars!
.JPG)
Here are the two adventurers after their trip to see the fish. Miss S had to endure another disappointment when we found out that the tourist train was not running after our trip to the aquarium. It had to close down for the weekend because part of its route was being used for the 6th Historic Grand Prix, and the cars were running practice laps. I was also disappointed because i was counting on the train to get a relaxed view of the historic areas of Monaco as it was just too much walking for little legs.
.JPG)
One of our very last adventures of the day was to dip our toes in the Mediterranean Sea. We mentioned it to Miss S and she practically ran down the steps and started taking off her shoes and socks. She didn't even care when I misjudged a wave and her whole bottom half got soaked! And the water was COLD! Daddy even got his fingers in the water but Miss M wasn't interested at all because the noise of the waves crashing against the rocks really bothered her. She didn't mind a snuggle when Miss S and I were done playing though. It was a really neat way to end the day.
Now for some interesting tidbits not connected to pictures:
*We saw more really expensive cars in the parking garage for the hotel than I think I have seen in my whole life. We had to park on the lowest level of a 4 level parking garage, and passed Ferrraris, Rolls Royces, and more. The Mercedes and BMWs were the cheap cars, until you got to the hotel's section. We fit in there with our Opel. We also saw all kinds of cars on the roads. I even saw a Bentley. Car watching was almost as interesting as looking at the boats.
*The Prince of Monaco can show up just about anywhere. I am convinced that he ate lunch in the aquarium restaurant at the same time that we did. There was all kinds of security, and there was a guy that looked an awful lot like the Prince who walked by our table 3 times. I wasn't sure if it was him until the next day when I saw 3 different pictures of him from the side with sunglasses on (I only saw him from the side with his sunglasses on in the restaurant which caused doubts as all other pictures were from the front without sunglasses). Then I was convinced. I wish I had gotten a picture of him!
Look for the next installment when I tell you about the antique race cars!
2 comments:
Sounds like such a fun trip!! I forgot that you guys did that.
And HOW COOL that you saw the prince!
Sounds like a great trip. When we were on our cruise around the Med, our ship stopped in Cannes and we took a trip to Monaco. The changing of the guard was really neat to watch. Your girls are so lucky to have these wonderful experiences.
Post a Comment