05/08/2025– The second tiniest nation in the world
Our tour to Monaco didn’t leave the hotel until 2 pm, so we decided to take a nice walk after breakfast. We walked up and down the streets and up and down the coast of the French Riviera. It was delightful.
At 2 pm (well, a bit later, because our guide was late, spewing all kinds of excuses…) our guide showed up and we jumped in the van with two other couples: one from Toronto and one from Scotland (although she was originally from Slovakia.) The driver? We weren’t sure where she was from, but it was not France. She was more like a school marm herding her first-graders on a field trip. “Stand here, wait for me, get out on this side only, do not try to operate the doors – you will break them, you have 5 minutes to take photos…” Well, at least we did get to see some great views of the coast, some really – we mean REALLY expensive villas, the Principality of Monaco, Monte Carlo, and a swanky casino where you have to pay for the privilege of entering and gambling your money away. Monaco is the second smallest country on Earth. Which is the smallest country? Why, Vatican City, of course. We are now on track to see every small country we can! They have been an independent country for over 800 years, so we will give them kudos for that. They also have the most expensive piece of property in the world – a villa taking up an entire ridgetop that was purchased by Belgian royalty for $330 million US dollars. The Rothchilds and the Royal Family of Britain also have large villas there. I’m guessing we won’t be moving here anytime soon. It’s good to be king! Before we started the drive back to our hotel, the driver took us on the racetrack for the Formula 1 Race held here in Monaco. It is racing season and the stands are in place. They have races for all kinds of cars, from antiques to modern cars. Last weekend was the race using electric vehicles. Back at the hotel, we found a nice restaurant to finish our day with a small meal, and then, of course, ice cream from the place with the best ice cream in all of Nice (according to our hotel concierge, and he wasn’t wrong!)
