Monaco

After my day trip to the Etruscan tombs, I went out for pizza at Dar Poeta, one of the local favorites. It definitely did not disappoint and I had a great Italian meal before my early morning departure for Monaco!

The next morning, I woke up at 5:15 and double checked I had everything I needed for my first international flight since I've been here. I took a bus to the train station and then a train to the airport. I got there around 2 hours before boarding so I had time to eat some breakfast. The flight was quick and easy and before I knew it I had landed in Nice. The Nice airport was absolutely beautiful. It has windows looking out onto the Mediterranean. I couldn't believe it!

I took a bus to Monaco from the airport that dropped me off at the Monaco office of tourism. I picked up my passes to the museums and went to meet up with my mom’s friend, Sandra. She walked me up to my hotel, in which I found a king-sized bed.  What a dream! I had to be back for lunch around 1, so I walked down to the Casino and then to a walkway that overlooked the port. So beautiful. Monaco reminded me of a modernized version of Cinque Terre in some ways.

Casino

I ate a fantastic lunch at Sandra's family's apartment and then I was off to do all my tours on "the rock," before they closed at 6. I rode a bus and it dropped me off right by the chocolate shop that I had been wanting to go to

Chocolaterie de Monaco

I got a chocolate with caramel and ate it on my way to see the palace. It was so delicious.  I then walked back towards the Cathedral, where I saw the tombs of all the past princes, as well as the tomb of Princess Grace. Then I headed towards the Oceanographic Museum, started by Prince Albert I, where they had an exhibition on the recent royal wedding. They had the champagne that was served, an explanation of the menu, various invitations, and of course the wedding dress and suit that were worn. My mom would have loved it. (I took lots of pictures for her!)

 

After viewing that exhibit, I went down to the aquarium, which was in the same building. I couldn’t help but take a ton of pictures of the clown fish. They’re my favorite!  I went back upstairs onto the deck of the museum, which had an amazing view. 

 

After the museum, I got yet another confection: a nutella crepe. It was divine! Then I headed over to the palace for a tour of the state apartments. I was blown away by all of the historically significant items that were in those rooms! I really was not expecting that at all and it was a pleasant surprise. Unfortunately, I wasn’t allowed to take pictures in those rooms. After that, I realized just how tired I was and went back to my room to shower and rest before a meal of Moroccan cous cous at Sandra’s.  The dinner was delicious and I went to bed soon after.

View from the palace

 

The next day, I woke up at around 8 and checked out of my hotel. I picked up a croissant and headed to the Exotic Gardens. The gardens were pretty much made up of cacti, which I have to say is not my favorite type of fauna, but the views were amazing. I ended up just sitting on one of the benches inside and looking out onto the water and reading my book. It was so relaxing. Then I headed back over to the rock for lunch and to tour the museum that housed the Grimaldi’s private collection of Napoleon’s possessions. I’m learning a little about Napoleon in some of my classes at school (or at least about the period in which he was the Emperor of Rome), so it was really cool to see that. I even caught the changing of the guard unintentionally while I was there! I had a lot of time on my hands and went into a little park on the rock and just sat and soaked up the sun. After that, it was time for me to head back to the airport to get back to Rome. It was such a treat to see such a beautiful place!

"The Rock" from the Exotic Garden