We are in Monte Carlo today and we are in love – not with Monte Carlo, which would be easy enough, but with a little French town near it called Eze (pronounced Ez).
Our time in port was limited, so we elected to skip the ship tours and just explore the local area with our friends Wayne and Nancy. We took a solar-powered water taxi across the harbor and made a 30-minute walk up steep hills along the famed Formula One Monaco Grand Prix route, past the beautiful Casino Monte Carlo to the local bus stop. There was no time to go into the casino, but we certainly enjoyed a view of the cars parked around it! We paid 1.5 euros each (less than $2.00) for the 15-mile ride to Eze and were on our way.
Eze is a magical medieval city with a maze of steep, windy cobblestone streets and steps and stone cottages and shops literally carved into the limestone rock of French Alps. Only the main street that leads into town from the highway can accommodate vehicular traffic. There are a myriad of shops and restaurants throughout the town. Their deliveries are made by what is essentially an oversized motorized square wheelbarrow. Bougainvillea, honeysuckle, and other flowering plants and vines cover the rock faces of the buildings. Trees join together to create canopies of shade over walkways. The entryways of homes give the appearance that this is the land of hobbits, they’re so short. We can’t imagine anyone over 12-years-old who wouldn’t have to stoop to enter – except maybe Pam’s late sister, Sherrie, who was only 4’9-1/4”. The views from the 1400’ cliffs overlooking the French Mediterranean are fantastic and it was easy to imagine ourselves staying there forever. Alas, real life (well, our sort of surreal real life) beckoned and it was soon time to catch the return bus to Monte Carlo and the ship.
In Monte Carlo we ran into another couple from the ship who joined us for lunch at a place located in the middle of a giant indoor market before heading up to check out the Royal Palace Princess Grace (American actress Grace Kelly) called home. No pictures were allowed inside the palace. It is filled with beautiful 200-year-old furniture, portraits of all the kings and queens who have come before, etc., as one would expect, and there is a photographic exhibit commemorating the initial meeting of Grace Kelly and the Prince of Monaco. It’s an impressive display of antiques and royal history, but it didn’t seem particularly cozy to us. We hope the section the current royal family lives in (not open to the public) is a little more inviting.
We were back on the ship in time to spend some time admiring the impressive array of some of the world’s most expensive yachts. For a mere $50,000 – $150,000 you can rent one of these bad boys for the week of the Formula One race. A gun-metal gray boat generated particular interest among Oceania passengers. One rumor pegged it as a Russian spy boat, but it seemed a little too ostentatious for that. A little time with Google revealed that the rumor was partially true – it is owned by a Russian. Turns out it is among the top five most expensive yachts in the world and is owned by a Russian billionaire.
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