We leave the main train station in Nice quite early. It will be a hot day, and we have decided to visit Monaco. To our surprise, the train is full. Working people are going to work in the wealthy principality. Monaco is only 13 kilometers from Nice as the crow flies, and 22 kilometers by land. The train takes only twenty-five minutes to enter the tunnel of the Monaco train station.
It has six exits leading to different parts of the city-state. We decided to exit in the direction of the Porte de Hercules in the Condamine district. It is right between the old town center on a rocky hill on one side and Monte Carlo, the main fashionable district on the other rocky slope.
We arrive at the port when there is almost no one there. The cafes along the coast are not even open yet. We sit on a bench to have breakfast sandwiches that we brought from Nice. We laugh at the somewhat bizarre situation. Monaco is smaller in area than New York's Central Park. Only the Vatican is smaller. Although it has only about forty thousand inhabitants, that is enough to be the most densely populated piece of land on the planet. In relation to the number of inhabitants, it has the largest number of billionaires and millionaires in the world. And in the middle of such a paradise for the rich, where they get richer every day because they don't pay taxes, we sit on a bench - enjoy a sandwich and watch the port with yachts of unknown price.
At eight in the morning, the first tourist boat arrives, which will take us across the harbor and disembark on the opposite shore. The view of the city from the water is a bit confusing. Monaco is built on steep slopes around the bay and harbor. We expected some kind of wealthy Sanremo. But we are faced with a miniature mixture of Genoa and Hong Kong. Skyscrapers appear behind every row of older buildings. Here, a square meter costs at least 50 euros, and depending on the location, the price is twice as much. Albert II of Monaco took over the princely throne in 000 after the death of his father, Rainier III. One of the innovations he introduced was the removal of the floor-height limit for new buildings. This made Monaco also Monaco on the water. Artificial islands modeled after Dubai will join this. The new rich are increasingly demanding.
We disembarked on the other side of the harbor. We walked along the foot of the huge rock on which the old city sits. We come across an unusual monument. There is a driver and his car with the Mercedes star. The driver is the Argentine Juan Manuel Fangio - we know how to Italianize the pronunciation and call him Fangio. He was a five-time world champion in automobile racing and a legend of the Monaco track. The Monaco Grand Prix has existed since 1929. It is one of the three most prestigious Formula 1 races. And since there is no space in the city to build a track within the state borders of Monaco, the city rearranges the streets weeks before the race. And the world's jet set shines in Monaco on that occasion.
We climb the stairs to shorten the path along the avenue that winds around the hill in serpentines. The climb is quite strenuous, but when we reach the avenue again, we quickly reach the New Gate. This is a sign that we are entering the old town core.
We stop sometimes and turn around. The port we just came from, rows of buildings and skyscrapers gleaming in the sun. And palm trees. Parks.
CITY ON A ROCK
We are resting on a bench in a park with a viewpoint. In front of us is a sculpture that interests me.
The world-famous Belgian graphic artist, illustrator and sculptor Jean-Michel Fallon died in Monaco in 2005. But he created this fountain back in 1994. It was first placed in front of the casino and finally found its place at the entrance to the part of the city that locals affectionately call Rocher – The Stone.
The artist placed the figure in the center of the Bird Fountain. The same bronze castings can be seen in his legacy near Brussels or in Marseille.
There were a few more interesting sculptures in the park. But it's time to go. The very approach to the Old Town plateau exudes measured elegance and impeccable order. People probably expect some kind of luxury from this country. But here wealth is not reflected in ostentation, but in harmony.
The alleys we pass through are slowly filling with people. Restaurants are opening their doors. Monaco is waking up. We are tempted to sit somewhere in a garden and feel the pulse of the town over a coffee. We are not yet at our destination, so we move on.
Before coming to Monaco, I read the story of the origin of the principality. The Grimaldi family has been at its head for a very long time. And the founder of this lineage was a certain Francesco. He lived in the 13th century and belonged to one of the two great rival factions on the Apennine Peninsula. Some were for the Pope and were called Guelphs, others were for the Holy Roman Emperor and were called Ghibellines. This rivalry was also present in wealthy Genoa, where the powerful Grimaldi family comes from. Francesco led the Guelphs. He could not conquer the fortress on the cliff in Monaco. But in 1297, together with his cousin, he disguised himself as a Franciscan. They asked to spend the night in the fortress. They were hosted. Then they opened the city gates at night, and their soldiers had an easy job after that. Francesco held Monaco for only four years. The Genoese expelled him. For a whole century, Monaco changed hands. But from 1419, the Grimaldi's managed to re-seat themselves on the rock above the bay and since then they have not let the city out of their hands.
That's why the coat of arms of Monaco shows two Franciscans with swords. Francis' cunning act has been fruitful throughout history. And here we are in front of the palace of his distant descendants.
Prince Albert is certainly the only Grimaldi who can boast that his mother won an Oscar. He is the son of the famous American actress Grace Kelly, who became a princess after marrying his father.
There were police officers in front of the palace, and there were many people on the streets who could easily be identified as security. We sat down in the main square in the beautiful garden of the La Pampa cafe. The Internet explains to me the crowd that had gathered around the palace and the increased security presence. Today, French President Macron is in town.
We enjoy a moment of peace. There are a few tourists in the garden. But here and there passersby speak in a language I don't know. It sounds like a mixture of Italian and French. It is actually the Monegasque dialect, which, along with French, is the official language in Monaco. It is close to the Genoese Ligurian dialect. Not many people speak it, because only about ten thousand people who were born here live in Monaco. But this melody that I hear is being saved from extinction by schools and universities.
Idyllic moments come at a price. A cup of coffee costs seven euros and a miniature mineral water costs four euros.
MONTE CARLO AND THE SKY MIRROR
We decided to visit Monte Carlo – a part of the city that in the world of urban myths is associated with expensive cars, plunging necklines, tuxedos, casinos, and glittering jewelry.
The day is already hot, so we were happy for the bus that would take us down from this one and up another hill. The fare is deducted from the credit card at the ticket machine. The air-conditioned vehicle purrs, we watch the path we took to climb to the palace on foot.
We get off at Monte Carlo station. We walk first along one boulevard, then another. The city seems too ordinary to us. We go down through a beautiful park towards the center of the district. The side entrances to the Paris Hotel are decorated with giant flowers.
This is part of the "Spring in Monaco" event. The principality has its own showcase, which is Monte Carlo. And in that showcase it always places attractive artifacts such as these giant stems with beautiful hats.
A tourist on a day trip doesn't think about everyday life here. I read somewhere that you can only go to a pharmacy on duty after business hours if you are accompanied by a police officer. And you have to make an appointment to go to a bank. There are no counters. Otherwise, security is a highly valued asset among the rich. The number of police officers per capita, as well as the large number of surveillance cameras, guarantee a low crime rate.
There are virtually no unemployed or socially vulnerable people here. Tens of thousands of workers in jobs that wealthy people don't do – from waiters to cleaners and kitchen assistants – and drivers from Italy and France keep this luxurious oasis moving.
Finally, we emerge onto the famous square with the Casino. This is by far the busiest place. There is barely any room in the surrounding cafes.
In front of the imposing building is the “Sky Mirror” by Indian-British artist Anish Kapoor. The concave surface truly captures a piece of the sky in itself, as if in a vase, along with the outlines of the surrounding buildings. Such mirrors have been installed in New York, St. Petersburg, Nottingham, Porto, Singapore…
Casinos in Monaco were initially unsuccessful. But when a series of hotels were built next to the Casino in the mid-19th century, and when Monaco was connected to Nice by rail, business took off. In the following decades, this luxurious casino almost single-handedly filled the state budget of the principality. To this day, the feat of Joseph Jagger, a British engineer who managed to outplay the roulette machines, is recounted.
In 1873, Jagger hired six observers to record roulette wheel results in a casino. Five of the results were within statistical limits. But the sixth was. Jagger identified nine numbers that appeared more often than statistically expected. He went to the Casino. At one point that night, his winnings amounted to $450. The Casino tried various measures to make the game more difficult for the astute engineer. At the end of the night, Jagger left the casino with $000. It tickles the imagination and ambitions of gamblers – to this day.
LUXURY THAT IS TIRED
We talk about the cube, the meaning and meaninglessness of life in a city like this, and all of today's impressions in the Metropola shopping center, near the Heavenly Mirror. Several floors underground, luxury and splendor, boutiques with bargain prices.
After touring several floors, we decide to take a break here too. The cafe on the gallery above the glittering abyss of the shopping mall gave us refuge for the next hour and a half. We had coffee, then mineral water, and tried a cake. The prices surpassed those at the Rector's Palace.
We decided to walk along Grimaldi Street towards Oružan trg. There we come across pedestrian streets. One supermarket has an elevator that leads to the next street level. Such elevators are located in several places in the city and help people overcome the challenging terrain.
From here, Monaco once again looks like a town that decided to be a metropolis.
We tried ice cream in a pastry shop. They were better in Skiathos and Munich. That's the fate of people who travel a lot. They constantly compare what they experience with the best moments of other trips.
And this bill is worthy of a place where a square meter of an apartment costs the same as an entire apartment in other countries. We are a little tired of this adherence to world price levels, which is not necessarily accompanied by the same level of services.
We went out to the Oruzani trg. Right at the foot of the boulder on which, like in an eagle's nest, the prince has settled in the residence, there is space for both market stalls and cafes. Red and white are the dominant colors in the city, because that is the flag of the principality. But everyone who follows football certainly knows this – they are the traditional colors of the Monaco football club.
This square is one of the few exclusive things in Monaco that is free. During the Monaco Grand Prix, fans can watch the race on a big screen in this square, and they can even catch a glimpse of the racers as they whizz by. Needless to say, this quiet place is then packed with people?
We stopped in the square to make a deal. Should we stay in town for dinner or return to Nice? We've had enough of Monaco. We're leaving along Grimaldi Street. In ten minutes we'll be in front of the entrance to the train station. A train arrives every fifteen minutes.
Monaco is certainly interesting. But would we want to stay here longer? Or even live there for a while? The inner city love meter simply says – no. Too much effort has been put into the comfort of a completely different target group. Too much fake charm. Too little juicy, racial life like in Genoa, Thessaloniki, Porto. And cities like Granada or Chania, Coimbra or Girona are incomparably more beautiful.
This is no place for people like us.
Bonus video:
