Monaco Grand Prix
So yes, we decided to go to the Monaco Grand Prix, pretty much at the last minute. It's something Wade has always wanted to see and a group of our London friends were going so we thought why not? Only hitch is that Wade is still in Cayman until July and so it was a bit of trek for him for a long weekend. I think it was worth it though because we had a wicked time!
We knew the Monaco Grand Prix went through the city streets, but really how unbelievable is this. Can you imagine your city streets being turned into a racetrack?
Monaco is certainly posh (I'd hate to know what their roadworks budget is like) and we knew we were the rif raf when we couldn't afford seats in the stands. So we opted for the Rocher seats (which were still 80 Euro a pop) to squeeze in with the masses. And when I say squeeze, I mean squeeze. Europeans don't seem to have the same issues as we Canadians do with personal space. Pretty soon we were almost elbowed out of our spots....and there were 6 of us banded together!!! Anyways, here is a look at the ledge that we were crowded on to see the race below.
And here is a picture of the hillside that we couldn't even get onto. People camped out over night (gates opened at midnight the night before) to get these spots for the race at 2 p.m. Needless to say we didn't get the cream of the crop spots when we arrived in Monaco at 10 a.m.
The race was neat to see (well the little parts of it that we could see). Thank goodness there were massive tv screens up as well. The part that really shocked us was how loud it was. Our ears were ringing by the end and I think investing in some good quality ear plugs is a must if we ever try this again. Well earplugs and these ladder chairs!!!
Remember what I was saying about posh...check out the harbour below...oh and this is only 1 of the harbours where the larger boats are docked. This makes Cayman look like chump change...although over 50% of the boats in the harbour were sporting the Cayman Islands flag.
This is where the "small" boats hang out.
The day after Grand Prix we spent some more time in Monaco without the masses of people. Life as Princess Grace must have been pretty sweet, this is only a partial view of her abode.
The average citizen in Monaco has a pretty nice life as well. How quaint are these streets?
Don't get any ideas of moving here though as this tax haven is the play ground for the rich. You have to have a ridiculous amount of money to buy your way into citizenship in this country. Wade's recommended method? Turn your $400 into $40,000 to the tune of 'The Man who Broke the Bank at Monte-Carlo'. Yes we went to the Monte Carlo casino and no we didn't get rich or see James Bond. We do however have this picture. Oh seriously, who are we kidding...we didn't even take this picture.
And when you've lost all your money, there's nothing better to do than go to church and pray. They really do build into the sides of the hills here. I guess when space is at a premium, what can you do but adapt?
posted by The Adventures of Rena & Wade @ 1:32 PM
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