Monaco is the second smallest sovereign state in the world, after Vatican City.
It is situated on the French Riviera, and is bordered by France on 3 sides and the Mediterranean Sea to the other.
It has a population of under 40,000 and an area just over 2 square kilometres.
When we started this journey to reach 100 countries, I was about 15 countries ahead of Jill. Over time this gap has closed considerably to the point where I was 2 ahead (PNG where I was born and spent the first 4 years of my life, and Monaco a trip in the late 1990’s). So as our cruise ship was stopping in Cannes (France) we hatched a scheme to get off the ship, dash to the train station and ride the 65 minutes to get to Monaco, explore the 2 square kilometres and dash back in time to get back on the ship before it left.
Plan hatched, all we really knew was about the casino, the car race and Princess Grace (Grace Kelly – and even she was mostly before our time).
Grace Kelly (1929 – 1982) was an American Actress who became Princess Grace of Monaco, after her (1956) marriage to Prince Rainier III.
The Monte Carlo Grand Prix is a Formula one race that started in 1929 and has been running as a regular F1 race since the 1950’s.
The track has remained substantially unchanged since its creation. As a city circuit, it closely follows the road system.
Having hopped off the train we found ourselves quite literally on the F1 track, at the point where the cars turn to climb the hill. On race day it looks like the below (image taken from Wiki) and without racing it has the statue and church (Sainte-Dévote Chapel).
The first thing you notice is that you are surrounded by buildings that we could never afford to live in, Yachts worth more than most houses, and overpriced and overly showy cars. As the day evolves you also notice a great number of Russian accents attached to the drivers and associates of the car owners.
The Casino was somewhere I came and wasted $50 back in the 1990’s (just to say I did). The situation is a little different today. Now you have to pay 20 euros just to get in and have a look. The idea of paying money, to be able to waste your money seemed ludicrous. So we looked at all that was free , took some happy snaps and kept exploring the rest of the 2km that is Monaco- Monte Carlo.
The place is impeccably clean (almost as clean as Japan) and the restaurants , marinas and boardwalks are pleasant and inviting (if exorbitantly priced.
Monaco was nice and pretty, but there really was nothing there to see or do. There was nothing in terms of a soul, and while we can claim the box tick, there was not much more to recommend making the journey here, in terms of either time or cost.