vango

The Monaco Oceanographic institute is famous in its own right before Jacques Cousteau become the director. When Monaco wants something they make it. That includes a sandy beach. It is not big but it is real.





When there is not enough room they make room. There is a new building that doesn't look big because 2/3rds in under the bay.





We enjoyed our time but would not want to live there. We sailed late with a dance party by the pool leaving the rich and famous to play.

We had an 8:30 tour of the Grimaldi Palace. Grimaldi is the family name of the Prince who rules. Monaco. The palace is on the top of La Rocher, the rock. It overlooks this tiny country of 499 acres now filled with luxury condos and casinos. The most famous of Casinos being Monte Carlo.
We boarded a city bus that was booked for the tour and headed to the top of the mountain. We walked about 3 blocks from the drop off point to the palace plaza. It is really an unassuming place. The oldest part was built in 1191 and captured by the Grimaldi family in 1297. As the story is told François Grimaldi, disguised as a monk, gets entry into the fortress and murders the guards. No One at that time would have suspected a monk might have a sword under those robes.





It has been in the family ever since. Until recently, the law said that it would revert to France if there was no legitimate heir. Like the palace that's now been changed. There have been additions and upgrades. The most famous of residents was Grace Kelly who married Prince Rainier in 1956 and became Princes Grace of Monaco.





We were not allowed to photograph inside the building because it is still the family home. We were taken into the old wing and shown through about 10 rooms. First we climbed the stairs to the balcony overlooking the courtyard from the Hercules Gallery. The courtyard is paved with small round stones and encloses a space about 50 foot by 100 foot. The most striking feature is a set of double stairs. The thirty two steps were carved from a single block of marble.





Inside we visited the armament room filled with guns that were gifts. There is the Mirror Gallery with two sets of opposing mirrors shooting off to infinity and beyond. It also included several marble busts, that's the head you know, and four Chinese vases and two black Japanese great vases also grace this room.
There was a bedroom used by the Duke of York to convalesce. It is sort of the Grimaldi's Lincoln Bedroom. All the rooms have frescoes on the ceilings and some have damask walls. My favorite was the Blue Room also know as the Louis XV Lounge. The walls are covered in a dark blue fabric that is matched in the chairs and curtains. Prince Rainier had has portrait painted sitting in this room.





The Throne room was impressive but small. The seldom used throne faces a grand baroque fireplace. The chair only gets sat upon during the coronation but is otherwise unused.
We had a look from the terrace outside the palace down at another small boat harbor known as the Port De Fontvielle. It was a project of Prince Albert II when he was crown prince in 1981. Someone referred to it as Albert's forth Child.