April 7 - Monaco

Our group tour took us to the top of the Tête De Chein (Dog’s Head) promontory rock high above Monaco.  The views along the coast and the countryside were magnificent.

It was unseasonably cool and it had rained a couple of days prior to our arrival, so there was snow on top of some of the distant mountain peaks.

We then drove to the little hilltop village of èze, France.  

It is world famous for its spectacular views of the French Riviera…and it lived up to its reputation.  The views were wonderful now that the sun was coming out.

The village itself was a gem.  It has existed since at least the 3^rd century BC but most of the fortifications and existing buildings date from the 14^th century.

It is very small and didn’t take long to walk most of the town.  We didn’t go to the exotic (primarily cacti) garden but managed to cover most of the rest of the little village, including a bit of window shopping at the very few shops.

There was also a very pretty little church on the hillside in town.

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More photos of Eze France
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Next stop was Parfumerie Fragonard – a perfume factory.  Paul stayed outside (he doesn't handle fragrances well) while the rest of our small group (we were 8 in all) took a short tour that of course ended in the gift shop.  They were getting ready for Easter and had egg and duck soaps in the works.

Display showing here they get many of the flowers they use to make perfume.

Duck soaps for Easter

Egg soaps for Easter

Back to Monaco.  Monaco is the second smallest country in the world after the Vatican. You can stand on the pier and see Italy to the south and France to the north and east. The country’s borders don't even go to the top of the mountains behind it...only a very little ways up. 

We were back in Monaco in time to catch the changing of the guard at the Royal Palace.

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Watch video of changing of the guards
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The rest of the group only had a half day tour so they headed back to the ship while we wandered around the palace area and found some lunch. 

We then bought tickets to the palace.  It was a lovely palace with a lot of history.  Unfortunately no photos were allowed inside.

We had some very good views of some of the many marinas in Monaco.

Next stop was the St. Nicholas Cathedral where many of Monaco's Royal Family, the Grimaldi's, are buried.  

The tombs of Princess Grace and Prince Rainier III are visited by most tourists and both had flowers.

Our guide picked us up for the afternoon part of our tour.  We drove part of the Grand Prix route and stopped at the Casino Monte Carlo.  

We could only go into the lobby…which was pretty awesome.  You have to pay to go into the casino itself and you must be dressed appropriately.  We stuck with the lobby.

The casino from the sea side.

And the waterfront from the promenade in back of the casino.

There was a very interesting art piece in the small park in front of the casino...it was a highly polished concave mirror that gave some very interesting reflections of the casino and the area around (from both the front and the back.

There were lots of picture-taking crowds outside the casino and lots of high end cars…Bentley’s, Rolls Royces, Ferraris all over the place.  

And a Smart Car that was a Bentley wannabe.  

Right next to the casino is the famous Hotel de Paris.  We didn't go in but the exterior was very pretty.

We drove more of the town and then headed to the pier area.  The drive took us through the marina…

and we stopped at the waterfront to go up to the top for a view.  Prince Albert (current reigning monarch of Monaco) married an Olympic swimmer so they had redone the rocky waterfront to resemble a pool side…broad stairs down to the water and the usual pool ladders to get out of the water.

It was a great day and we very much enjoyed the tour.  Then it was back to the room to pack (groan).

We had a lovely dinner with some of our regular table mates…Faith and Ken from Philadelphia, and Barry and Jen from San Jose.

Then we all headed down to the Crystal Plaza for a final, end of voyage balloon drop.  The Crystal Show Band played rousing songs for dancing followed by high energy songs as the balloons dropped and the confetti blew all over the place.  It was a great and rousing time for all.  And a great way to end the cruise.

Our cabin attendant Puii, from India.