Grand Prix de Monaco

The principality of Monaco is an amazing place and there are many things to see and do. There is the Palace, the Cathedral with beautiful stained glass paintings, gardens, interesting museums (like the museum of arms, museum of automatons and dolls) and of course, the casinos. Located on the French Riviera and an attractive destination for the wealthy because it levies no income tax, it is a perfect place for a permanent holiday. Monaco is also known for its famous Grand Prix Formula One race event and that is what I think of when I remember my visit to Monaco.

I was visiting a few days before the Grand Prix weekend some years ago and although I was not staying on to witness the exciting race, it was fascinating to see the principality getting ready to host the grand event.

The circuit stretches over 3.3 kms along Monte Carlo and Le Condamine municipalities and even includes a stretch under the tunnel.  Being one of the most demanding street circuits with hair-pin bends, narrow lanes and inclines, it is an ultimate testing ground for strategy, technique, skill and speed. The narrow lanes do not give much room for overtaking and at some bends the drivers have to slow down considerably. The sight-seeing tour which I had taken took us along the race circuit and one could see the preparations being made in full swing. This included newly resurfaced streets and marking them especially for the race by erasing all the earlier road markings, placing advertisers’ billboards, welding the manholes so they do not get thrown up with the speed of racing cars, and setting up viewers’ stands along the route. The amount of preparation and work that goes behind the scenes to make the race both smooth and thrilling is enormous. Although the circuit does not meet the safety standards, it is still the most spectacular places to race and hence the event continues with the backdrop of the harbour.

Having watched F1 races only on television, it was terrific to walk on the circuit and get a sense of how electrifying the atmosphere must be with cars racing at unimaginable speeds, expertly negotiating the twists and turns without room for even a slightest error. I imagined the action that would unfold in the next few days- right from the pits stop to the circuit, among the rivals Schumacher and Alonso (Alonso went on win with Renault) as well as among the strategists and the spectators. More recently, when I read a little about F1 and what actually goes on with the driver and the entire team- before, during and after the race, my admiration for the teams grew immensely. I realized that it is not only about speed, it has much to do with technology, engineering, strategy, intricacy and sheer fearlessness. And what can be a better location to witness these in action other than the glamorous Monaco.

Red Carpet

Cannes is synonymous with the International Film Festival which it hosts every summer. But the glamour and glitz of this city goes beyond films as it is a popular destination for the rich and the famous across Europe and beyond. Hundreds of expensive and beautiful yachts are lined along the Meditarranean coast and one cannot help peeking and trying to get a glimpse of the luxurious interiors of the yachts. Our visit to Cannes was timed just a few days before the Film Festival. We had decided to drive from Nice where we were staying as there was no question of booking any hotel anywhere in Cannes during the most expensive season. 

Outside the Palais des Festivals  

Spotting Celebrity Hand Prints

We first went to the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès which was getting spruced up for the Festival. We could not enter the Palais so just hung around checking out the pathway where several film celebrities are said to have left their hand prints. There was an interesting installation of an old camera wrapped up with extra film roll near the pathway. Within the next few days, we knew the entire place would look magical and become a pilgrimage centre for celebrity watchers. We moved on and walked along the La Croisette lined with palm trees and flower gardens on one side and the deep blue Mediterrannean on the other. We managed to find a public beach and watched how every establishment, whether a boutique, a hotel or a restaurant, was preparing itself for the Festival. Pictures of movies to be showcased were splashed on billboards. But surely, Cannes has got to have life outside the Festival. 

View of the Palais and Yachts from the Hill

We decided to visit the Old Town Le Suquet and walked up the cobbled path and up the hill. This place was so different from the happening La Croisette that we were glad we took the detour. The Old Town was sort of laid back and had a life of its own, with shops, eateries and old houses. The travel handbook we were carrying talked about a church on top of the hill and we decided to go all the way there. The Notre Dame de l' Esperance was not only located in one of the most scenic spots, overlooking the city of Cannes and the Mediterranean below but its stone structure with huge gates had some interesting interiors as well. Contrary to the city below, there were only a handful travelers who had bothered to come to the church and we were enjoying the solitude. From the top, we could see the city getting ready to lay the red carpet and large hoardings publicizing the select films. Far away, the Mediterranean was dotted with white yachts, some sailing away while others just coming in to join the big party round the corner.

An interesting billboard seen from the hill in Old Town

The Mediterranean Magic

What do you do when you have a whole week to laze out in Saint Laurent du Var located along the French Riviera? Absolutely nothing! I tried doing just that for a couple of days. I was practically spending the entire day on the pebbled beach with my daughter doing nothing, except eating, stretching, strolling and basking in the beautiful weather. My daughter and I had found a nice patch under the palm tree for stretching ourselves and a mall at one end of the beach called CAP 3000 from where we could buy food and beverages. We were completely happy just sitting around and absorbing the sight of the blue Mediterranean waters and the colourful surfers bobbing on the waves. One could also see the airplanes taking off and landing from the Nice Côte d'Azur Airport. The air-strip is so close to the water that it seems as if the planes are about to land on the water.

But doing nothing can also become boring for those who are used to poking around and seeing new places. So, my daughter and I decided to go on a ‘hop on-hop off’ sightseeing tour of Nice. The tour started at one end of the famous Promenade de Anglais of Nice. The footpath on the Promenade is as wide as some of the roads in Bangalore and as most people tend to flock the Promenade, it has earmarked space for all- walkers, runners, cyclists, skaters and bystanders. I accidentally strolled into the lane earmarked for cyclists and got a friendly nudge. We waited for our tour to begin and were given a brochure indicating the route and the stops the bus would take. Since we had the whole day, I decided that it would be worth hopping off at every stop. Although my daughter was not too happy with this idea especially because we were the only ones hopping off at some stops, she had no option but to follow me. We saw some beautiful mansions on the hills overlooking the Mediterranean, churches belonging to different denominations, the Nice port and statues along the way. One of the important stops where many tourists hopped off was the Cimiez monastery. The monastery has housed the Franciscan order since over four hundred years. It has one of the most beautiful rose gardens I have ever seen. The flowers were so huge that they could cover my entire palm and the colours were so bright and unique that I wish I could take pictures of all. The fragrance was so sweet and strong that it had filled the entire garden and had surely clung to our bodies as well. Close to the monastery is the cemetery where the great painter Henri Matisse is buried. The Matisse Museum is located nearby and we took some time to go through the amazing collection of the artist, including his sketches, paintings and sculptures. The museum also showcased some of his personal belongings and publications related to his works. This was undoubtedly the highlight of the tour and after the Cimiez stop, I did not mind just sitting on the open deck bus and missing the next stops. 

Aerial view of Nice

My daughter, however, insisted that we spend all the remaining time in one of the parks close to the port, where she could get her share of swings, slides and running on the lawns. This time, I readily followed her. I loved to see her mingle with other children and feel completely at home in absolutely new surroundings. For her, the Nice tour was now complete. Back on the Promenade, as we waited for my husband to pick us up, we were caught in a bad thunderstorm. With upturned umbrellas, we managed to run to the nearest restaurant. The sun had set and the semi-circular Promenade was getting lit up as the rains continued to lash over the Mediterranean shore. Suddenly, I was reminded of the Queen’s Necklace getting washed by the monsoons in our good-old Amchi Mumbai.

Oops…we almost missed it!

Antibes beach

Antibes is simply astonishing and oops, we’d almost missed it while driving from Nice to Cannes. Frankly speaking, we must have done poor research of our route as we had not even registered Antibes as a place to check out along the way. Therefore, discovering every corner of the town by walking through its web-like lanes was a delightful surprise.

We felt like children eagerly opening heaps of presents, one by one, showing each other what we had found, what we had seen, touched and felt.

Shopping musical trinkets at Antibes

Located along the French Riviera, Antibes is an old town believed to have been inhabited since more than 2000 years ago. The town with its old rampart walls, narrow sloping lanes and impossible curbs is ideal for walking, although some confident drivers do zip around flamboyantly. Small shops selling antiques and trinkets sit cozily next to museums interspersed with residential quarters belonging to the locals and hotels for outsiders, seamlessly blending commerce, art and society. The white sandy beaches and the blue Mediterranean Sea along the Antibes look picture perfect. We made our way to the Picasso museum (Picasso is believed to have stayed here!) albeit a little late as the museum was closed. We sat in the square, bought some trinkets and tried to absorb the vibrancy of the old town before we got back on our scheduled route plan. Moral of the story: (1) poor research is sometimes good-that’s the only way you can see the unexpected; (2) happily deviate-sometimes it can actually make you forget your planned destination; (3) Remember and be thankful about such small surprises along the way-they keep you hopeful throughout the journey.