I visited the two smallest countries in the world a couple weeks ago. I’m always excited when I get to add to my country count which I think lies somewhere in the 30s. I actually find that quite disappointing. I’ve been traveling full-time for 5 years and I’ve not even been to 50 countries!?!?! How sad.
Anyway…
The first of the two tiny nations I visited last week was the second smallest- Monaco. Do you know where Monaco is? Let’s be real here- I recently thought Monaco was in Africa. It’s not. Morocco is, but Monaco is not. Monaco is actually in France. Well, not in France. It’s in Monaco. But it is kind of in France. See how confusing this is. If you are taking a train along the French Riviera to Italy you would go France, Monaco, France, Italy. There are no customs agents. No boarder patrol. You simply go along until you are suddenly in a different country.
Our first stop included a short walking tour through the botanical gardens, the cathedral, and a stop at the Prince’s Castle. This castle is of course where Princess Grace Kelly lived at one time. Can you name any other royalties of Monaco? I cannot- and the guide even told me the name of the current princess.
The castle is on top of a large hill looking over Monaco and Monte Carlo to one direction and the bay to the other. It’s a beautiful place, but it’s very compact. The buildings are one on top of another as close as can be until the land drops off into the ocean or a mountain suddenly springs up. It’s all a bit too congested for me. Even the water is populated with rows after rows of yachts.
After our hilltop visit we ventured in to Monte Carlo for a brief stop at the Grand Casino. And I do mean brief. We had 20 minutes to check our bags, walk around, take our pictures, and be back at the meeting point. I plan on returning in the coming weeks because the area around the casino is lovely but I didn’t have any time to explore it.
The walk from the bus to the casino was uphill along the Grand Prix track. It was funny to see the curbs painted with the alternating red and white stripes of the route indicator. We even walked along the most famous bend in the world- the Hairpin. It lies just a few steps below the Grand Casino
I eventually made it in the casino. And managed to lose some money (big surprise). I found the casino quite underwhelming. I have a feeling that there is a “tourist” section and a “people with real money” section. Guess which part they let me in? There were a few tables and a few slot and video poker machines, but all told they had little more than my ship does.
The casino is beautiful with really high ceilings, chandeliers, and huge paintings. But it’s hard to look classy with all the ding-ding-dings of the slot machines in the next room. I did catch a glimpse of a quiet and elegant table filled terrace where guests of the hotel can play.
I’ve been in a lot of casinos- I’ve visited nearly every major one on the strip in Vegas. I love visiting them because of the total commitment to whatever their theme is. Huge resorts (like the casinos in Vegas) have created alternate realities where it’s easy to believe you are somewhere else or someone else. It’s more of a production than a business. However, at the end of the day, it is a business. And I’m far too good at the math of their business to enjoy funding their business plans with much game play. If they can afford to build these elegant palaces they are clearly counting on me to lose. I can nearly feel the house’s hand in my pocket every time I insert another bill. So I lost my five euros with a little help from my friends, cashed out a one cent payment ticket as a souvenir, and headed for the bus.
On the bus ride back we passed the village of Eze- the one I climbed a mountain to reach. As it turns out, it’s much easier to get there by bus! About 20 minutes later I was overlooking Nice. I have yet to go there, but I hope to tour it in a couple weeks.
I have so many tours I still wish to do! I’ve been trying to go on a couple tours each week and so far all of this tourism has been exhausting. I don’t know how our guests come on board and do a tour everyday for 5 straight days. They will need a vacation when they get home.
Come back to read about more of my tours: Rome, Aix-en-Provence, and Almafi coast and Pompeii!
