June 29 - Our trip to Monaco was just for the day, returning to Nice in the evening. It is so close to Nice (30 minutes by train) that there was no point in searching out accommodation there. At any rate it would have been much more expensive. Monaco, while not on a list of the richest countries in the world, it certainly one of the most expensive places to be in.
Monaco is best described as a sovereign city-state or microstate like Liechtenstein. It is the second-smallest such entity in the world after the Vatican. Like Liechtenstein, it is a constitutional monarchy, with the ‘monarchy’ part wielding a bit more power than I would expect for that label. In other words, if the Prince doesn’t like something, he will toss it.
The House of Grimaldi has ruled Monaco for nearly all the years to now from 1297. This is the same family that once owned the palace I visited on Day 34 in Genova. Their rule initially was disputed and much arguing and fighting took place (the territory was able to annex some additional land during this time) until 1419, when it was outright purchased by the Grimaldis from Aragon. Though this family was ousted from power in Genova, they were able to retain control of the territory and even though Monaco was surrounded by the Republic of Genoa, it remained independent.
Over the centuries, this independence was retained, but the princes remained vassals of France and could never become kings themselves. They were briefly occupied during the 1793 French revolution, but the government was reestablished by the Grimaldis and handed over to the Kingdom of Sardinia in the 1815 Congress of Vienna. There it remained until the 1860 Treaty of Turin (that handed Nice over to France, see Day 35) and became a French protectorate again.
To date, it functions independently, still being ruled by the Grimaldi family line (current Prince Albert II). It is not part of the EU but uses the Euro. Talks are underway for it to become part of the EU, but like Liechtenstein, there have been money-laundering accusations that complicate its monetary transparency policies.
The flag is confusing, because at first glance it looks exactly like that of Indonesia. The only differences are that the red is a darker shade, and the flag length is shorter.
This rocky prominence has been important in human history since long before the Romans. Several marine merchant groups used to come to this harbor to trade with the native peoples, including the Phoenicians. They introduced their god Melquart, who later entered the Roman pantheon as Hercules Monoikos. The Romans named this place Portus Hercules Moneici, and from this came the name Monaco.
The palace tells the history of this principality. It was fortified in 1191 by the Genoese, and was seized in 1297 by the Grimaldi family. There is a legend that Francois Grimaldi came here that year, disguised as a monk to secure entry, then killed the guards which allowed his men to flood into the fortress and take over.
The Prince’s Palace is unique in that the Grimaldi family, unlike the Habsburgs or other European royal houses, had no where else to build a palace over the centuries. Instead, they were forced to continue building wings and renovating older parts of the building, to the point where the palace lost all sense of symmetry or defining era. It is the oldest continually used palace in the world.
Compared to other palaces we’ve been to, it is efficient and simple. For 20 Euros each we toured the back rooms of the building with audio guides, decorated mostly in early 20th C decor.
After visiting the palace, we stop by the Monaco Cathedral, where the royal family members held marriage ceremonies, including the most famous one of all, between Prince Rainier III and American actress Grace Kelly.
Return to the palace for the changing of the guard, necessary because the palace still operates as a royal residence and seat of government.
On to the Oceanographic Museum, founded by Rainier III in 1906. He took great interest in preserving the world’s oceans, and poured a lot of money into oceanographic research.
Walk back down the hill to the harbor area, where many parts are blocked off for the Grand Prix.
Take a public bus across the city/country to the Japanese Garden.
Since we are in the area, decide to walk up the hill to the famous Monte Carlo Casino. The casino business, starting in the 1800s, was an unsavory but expedient way for the principality to generate funds (Monaco was nearly bankrupt in the late 1700s). It made Monaco self-supporting, but earned it a reputation for sleaze and sin that has been hard to shake. Queen Victoria refused to make a state visit to Monaco while in France for that reason.
My overall impressions are that Monte Carlo felt like a city that has since passed its glory and is now just sort of there on the momentum of the billions of dollars it has made from gambling, real estate prices on the order of $100,000/sq meter, and banking. There is some new construction but most of the buildings are dated, not in a historically interesting way, just past their prime. It could not be more of a contrast from the modernity one sees in Taipei, KL, or Riyadh.
It does have the advantage of being close to anywhere in Europe, making it easy to visit on a whim and ogle the lifestyles of the ultra-rich. That I’m sure will keep its tourism sector running.
Get the train back to Nice, along with thousands of other tourists who also don’t want to pay for accommodation here.
