Continued from yesterday”¦ From there we hopped on another bus and went across town to the Exotic Garden. The garden opened in 1933, after 20 years of planting. There are over 1,000 species of plants, and most are well over 100 years old now. When we got there, we were surprised to find out that it is a cactus garden, with most of the plants coming from the Southwest USA, Mexico, South America and Africa. We were also surprised to find out that our $11 USD entrance fee included admission to the attached anthropology museum and cave, as well. It seemed like a good value for the cost.
The garden is built on a steep cliff, and it is absolutely enormous. It seems to go on forever. They have carved switchback walkways and stairwells into the rocks, and you meander down the trail in and amongst the cactus. There are scattered terraces on various levels that offer fabulous views. The garden is also dotted with small statues, mostly modern art, and a couple ponds, which add to the sense of serenity. Here is a view of Monaco from the top terrace of the garden. You can see Hercules Bay to the left, the rock in the middle, and the Fontvielle Bay to the right.
Obviously, the most notable thing Continue reading