Monaco!

On the last day of our trip we went to Monaco.  We took a scenic route from Nice to Monaco and I snapped some pictures from the bus.

I would love to live here!

First stop was in Monaco City, Monaco. We made our way to the beautiful square with the palace, where the current King of Monaco lives.  Our guide gave us a little history stating that in January 1297 François Grimaldi, disguised as a monk, sought shelter at the castle. On obtaining entry he murdered the guard, whereupon his men appeared and captured the castle. 

^{The Church in the City where all ceremonies take place.  Apparently, all weddings were held here up until a few years ago when Prince Albert II got married. There were too many people invited to the wedding, so they held it in their palace.}

Looking through the trees to the water

Grimaldi family crest

City hall

The Palace

Palace Square

Beautiful views from the square

The guard at the palace. There is a change of guards that took place at noon, pictures below.

Change of Guards

Inside the Church. It was pretty modern, only being built just over 100 years ago.

The organ changed colors

After Laura and I watched the changing of the guards, we headed to the Aquarium.

Last stop was Monte Carlo, Monaco. We got to see where the Formula One Grand Prix takes place and also the famous Monte Carlo Casino.

The main square in Monte Carlo

Nice Cars

The Monte Carlo Casino

Main Hotel in Monte Carlo..I hear it’s a tad pricey…

These 2 pictures show 3 countries…Monaco, France across the water and Italy in the very back of the pictures (mountains).

Part of the road used in the Grand Prix

The French Riviera didn’t disappoint, will have to try and get back there with Dan once he gets home from his deployment.