Category Archives: Europe

Exploring Monaco

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Monaco has the biggest per capita police force in the entire world. There are closed circuit cameras everywhere. The entire city is closely monitored. This made Christi worried as we got dressed. With so many closed circuit cameras, there was absolutely no way to hide from the fashion police, a division that must surely exist here. We were both wearing pants purchased before we set off on our journey and they were way out of style now. Our shoes are practical camping kind of shoes, always totally out of fashion. Going out was risky. We could very well be arrested and deported for our clothing. But we’re risk takers.

We were delighted to see that one of the restaurants on the boardwalk served breakfast. Praise the Lord! We love going out to breakfast, and we hadn’t expected to see breakfast here. When we got our meal, we were sad to see that breakfast consisted of one soft boiled egg, toast, and a 16 ounce cup of tea, all for only $11.00 USD. So, yes, in this case, Monaco has lived up to its reputation for ridiculously expensive restaurants. And tax in restaurants here is 20%, which can add up fast.

After breakfast, we headed over to the historic district to do some sightseeing.
We couldn’t believe how nice the weather was. It was bright and sunny with no clouds in the sky. It was warm, but not hot. Talk about a nice change of pace from cold, rainy and gloomy Rome. We walked southeast down the boardwalk towards the mouth of the bay. At the end of the boardwalk, there is a set of stairs that takes you into what looks to be an old fortress. The round area on the right is now used as a theater.

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The fortress is built on a sheer cliff, and these days is Continue reading →

Welcome to Monaco

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By 0300 this morning, the wind had picked up to 9 10 knots on our beam. The waves picked up, too, of course. It still was not a bad ride. Despite it being wavier, our speed increased, and we were flying along at 6.5 knots with only 1600 RPM. We had a current with us.

By 0800, we could clearly see Monaco in the distance. It is a cluster of tall and midrange buildings, which start along the shore and creep up the green mountain. But the major development only seems to go part way up the mountain — there is almost a clear line where it changes to a scattering of small buildings. That must be the northern border of France. The top of the mountain was covered by a cloud, so we couldn’t tell what was near the top.

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Off to the right, in France, it is mostly smaller buildings, both along the coast and creeping up the hill. To the left, also in France, the tall buildings creep down the coast, but above the shoreline there are a few smaller buildings and not much more.

We approached the Hercules Harbor entrance. We imagined how the call on the radio would go. “Do you Continue reading →

History of Monaco

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Monaco is only 1.95 square kilometers, making it the second smallest country in the world after Vatican City. And 20% of that land is man made land produced in the 1960’s. Monaco has a population of 32,000, but only 7,800 are actually Monegasque citizens (by birth or marriage). Monaco is surrounded on three sides by France, and the fourth side is water. It is on the French Riviera, close to the Italian border and to the Alps. Monaco has a natural harbor that is well sheltered, and on the west side of the bay is an enormous rock that made an excellent natural fortress from which to defend the harbor. Combined with overall good weather, this was always an attractive location to control.

There is scientific evidence that Continue reading →

Passage from Rome to Monaco

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Yesterday we had a low key day. Since we were leaving later in the day, we took our time with our get ready to go routine. We pulled out of port at 1600.

For those of you that asked about marina specifics, we have found that the front of the boat moves an awful lot being secured only to one mooring line instead of two. The marina is also not super flat. Rolly may be too strong of a word, but the side to side movement combined with the gentle swell activity is certainly noticeable enough to make someone sensitive to motion not feel good.

Anyway, when we pulled out, the winds were moderate. Seas were Continue reading →

Adjusting to the Italian Way of Life

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Today was chore day. Eric changed generator oil. Christi cleaned. Our big outings were lunch and dinner in the marina complex.

A few weeks ago we had complained about the short number of hours “real” restaurants are open in Europe. Today we found out it is not our imagination that restaurants only open for like an hour. The day we arrived, we had gone to the restaurant closest to our boat for lunch. It was a few minutes before 1400. The kitchen was already closed. Today we went in at 1215, confident they would be open, and were told the kitchen didn’t open until 1300.

And, while we are in complaining mode, here is another interesting story. In Italy and Malta, we Continue reading →