We swam ashore next morning, all 490 metres one way! The beach was packed with the last of the holidaymakers, all sunning themselves on their designated deck chairs. It was a very long beach and we enjoyed our walk, stopping for a coffee on the return. The street behind the beach had a number of attractive buildings and between the road and the beach there were attractive gardens and lots of children's play equipment areas.
The Italian Riviera Coast has very few anchorages. It seems that to anchor off some lovely beach and spend some enjoyable time is not something that the Italian Maritime Authorities encourage. We therefore motored for 23 NMs, passing the Italy/France Mediterranean border to enter the French Riviera. Here the rules seem to be more inviting for the cruising yachtsmen and our next overnight anchorage was at Plage du Carnoles, just under Cap Martin. This looked like a nice sweep of beach and it offered good protection from the prevailing Westerlies. More swimming was in order, Peter and Sue choosing to swim ashore but finding a rather inhospitable rocky shore line which was somewhat mystifying as they had been swimming over a very sandy bottom all the way from Trilogy. Garth and I chose to swim closer to Trilogy, but clocking up quite some distance around the buoys. We had a good appetite for the tasty Lamb Navarin dinner cooked by Peter and Sue.
Next morning the wind came up earlier than expected and there was a forecast of 30 knot winds around lunchtime. We had our résérvation for 12:00 in Port Fontvieille, the new port for the Principality of Monaco. We only had 3 NMs to motor and with the strong wind predicted, the skipper was keen that we get into the marina as soon as possible. As we came around Cap Martin headland, we were totally amazed to suddenly see the tiny but highly developed semi-autonomous state of Principality of Monaco.
Monaco's total area is just under one square mile in area! It extends from a point immediately east of Cap d'Ail to just before Pte de la Vieille under Cap Martin. There is a wall of high rise apartments that spreads to either end of the borders of Monaco, but the concentration of modern skyscrapers around the harbour at Monte Carlo, makes no mistake of what you are seeing. The most important thing to remember is that it is not France, it is a sovereign state, but has no border controls. It has its own flag (equal bands of horizontal red and white, with red on top), French is the official language and the Euro is the official currency, but Monaco does not belong to the EU. Once you get your head around all that, it is a beguiling place.
We stood off the cliffs on which the famed Oceanographic Museum is set, which clings tenaciously to the rocks almost to sea level, and requested entry to Porto de Fontvieille. We were pleased that they were ready for us and once through the narrow space between the port and starboard markers we were greeted by lofty limestone cliffs, that formed a solid wall to one side of the marina. We were impressed by the efficiency of the marina staff who assisted us and we were very pleased with our berth, among a long line of motor cruisers. We felt that Trilogy would be safe in any blow, no matter how strong.
On top of these limestone cliffs, the old city of Monaco is built, including the Palais du Prince, where the current Prince Albert 11 and his wife Charlene reside.
Peter set off to buy fresh bread for lunch and after what seemed a very long time, he appeared in a state of agitation, but with 2 baguettes and some pastries in his clutches. He hadn't had a very good experience in Carrefour, lining up in the wrong place twice, no credit card accepted and then very careful examination of the cash notes he presented. He really meant it when he said 'I am never going shopping there again....ever!' and we all smiled knowingly. After lunch and the heat of the afternoon had passed, we set off to explore the old city area, which sits loftily on a pistol shaped rock. This strategic location became the stronghold of the Grimaldi dynasty and is where the Monaco Palace is located. We decided not to join the queue for the tour of the Palais du Prince but did enjoy seeing the guard striding up and down at the entrance and then retreating to his guardhouse, like a toy soldier. Next stop was the Cathédrale de Monaco, where we expected to see the graves of Princess Grace and Prince Rainier, but that section of the Cathedral was cordoned off. The interior is very elegant. We then headed just a bit further down the cliff line to the Musée Oceanographique, where we did get to see the wonderful aquarium with excellent displays of fish species from far and wide and live coral. Prince Albert 1 (1848-1922) was a keen oceanographer and promoted preservation of the seas to the world. Prince Rainier 111 and Prince Albert 11 have been/are also actively supporting this important work, including a special focus on saving turtles from extinction. We had a cool drink on top of this beautiful building before walking back through the cliff top gardens and back to Trilogy.
There is a dress code of long pants and shoes for men and slacks or dresses for women to enter the Monaco Casino up until 8pm, after which time it is coat and tie. We just wanted to have a glimpse of the famed James Bond casino but unfortunately we did not realise that passports or driver's licences were required to enter the gaming area. We tried in vain to find something digital for my proof of ID but it had to be original documents in the end! It is a very beautiful building, full of granite floors and marble pillars, chandeliers and statues. We headed to the Hotel de Paris across the square, but having got into the foyer for 5 seconds, we were asked to leave, as we were not guests. Talk about feeling like a mere mortal! There was an endless stream of Bentley's, Roll Royce, Ferrari's, McLaren's and Mercedes to name a few outside in the Casino Square, which had an Anish Kapoor sculpture 'Mirror of the World' centred in the beautiful gardens. We were mesmerised for a while just gazing at the scene before us, nothing like our idea of 'normal', but for some this is the norm!