Glamorous Monaco

I could see Monaco from the top of Tête de Chien, a limestone mountain overhanging Nice’s Cap d’Ail commune. The whole country appeared to exude an air of extravagant wealth with upscale hotels, mega-yachts and lavish resorts squeezing into a tiny piece of land bordering the Mediteranean Sea. It is the second smallest country in the world, but one in three Monaco residents is a millionaire. You’ll most likely bump into moneybags on this land.

I’m not a fan of cosmopolitan countries  but Monaco was so close to Nice I stopped by for a glance. It was just a €1.5 bus ride away. And  you know you’re in Monaco when you hear the roar of super cars on every street corner. To me Monaco is nothing but a rich teenager trying to show off his opulent lifestyle.

But if you take a short walk around Le Rocher, the heart of old Monaco, you’ll realize your time here was not wasted. This is home to the royal Grimaldi family and also where the love story of American actress Grace Kelly and Prince Rainer III of Monaco began.

The free or charge sites here are the facade of Prince’s Palace, Jardin Exotique de Monaco and the Old Town. Personally I was not so impressed with the architecture of Saint Nicholas Cathedral after having visited countless Roman Catholic churches in Northern Italy, but it’s worth knowing that many royal family members were buried here, including Princess Grace and more recently, Prince Rainier III.

And if you’re not in a rush, wait to watch the sunset over the Mediterranean Sea from the cliff. It made my day.

Just make sure you won’t miss the last bus to Nice at 20:22, unless you want to burn money. Here’s the bus 100 timetable.

Back to the charming Nice as the sun has almost finished setting