Our first stop in France was the City-State of Monaco.
We had tried twice before to visit Monaco, in 2006 when we spent a week in Sestriere in northern Italy and then again in 2020 when, due to Covid, our trip had to be cancelled. We are both Formula 1 (F1) fans and wanted to see the track so that, when we saw the different sections when watching a race, it would have so much more relevance.
What is the difference between Monaco and Monte Carlo, literally Mount Charles? Monaco is the City-State while Monte Carlo is a district within Monaco. Monte Carlo has sometimes been referred to as the capital of Monaco but the City-State does not have a capital. It is a tiny, independent, city-state, not even 1mile2 in size, yet it certainly has a great reputation.
Monaco has a colourful and fascinating history filled with barbarians, kings and even movie stars. It is a story of castles, epic battles and untold riches. Today, as we know, the Grimaldi family are the rulers of Monaco and their ascent began in 1297 when, one night, dressed as a monk, he led a small army into the fortress and reclaimed it for the Pope. In honour of this, the Monaco Coat of Arms bears 2 monks with swords. Over the centuries Monaco prospered as an important port and naval base. Today it is known as the place of the rich and famous, many who go to live there as it is a tax-free haven.
We arrived in Monaco on Tuesday, 28 May 2024, with the F1 race having been held over the weekend. In fact, we had heard that we might not be able to enter the harbour as deconstruction of all the race equipment and spectators’ stands was taking place but, we were fortunate to be able to dock in the harbour. This meant that we didn’t have to pay for a ferry to take us to the city but walking around was not always easy or convenient.
We disembarked and walked towards town but then got a bit lost as it was not clear in which direction to go. We met a young lady with her dog, which was not on a leash and did not want to go with her. With a bit of assistance from us she managed to convince him to go back on the leash and follow her. She told us that we were going in quite the wrong direction and we walked back with her to discover the correct route. As we walked, she told us that she was visiting her mother from Zambia and she lived in an apartment block where Charl leclerc lives and he often assisted her with her shopping. Until the past Sunday, her mother had not known who he was, but she got a real surprise when she learnt that he had won the Grand Prix in Monaco.
Once we had been shown the way into town the young lady went on home. We had to be constantly aware of where we walked as, due to the clearing up operations roads were narrowed and traffic battled to make its way around. The first item of interest which we came across was a model of a Mercedes racing car in which Juan Manuel Fangio won the Monaco Grand Prix on 22 May 1955. By many, he was considered the greatest racing driver of all time.
As we continued our circuit of the track, we came across the Pit Lane which was completely closed up. After a race it is the first area to be packed up for various reasons, including getting equipment to the next venue, protection of the very valuable items and giving staff time to prepare for the next race. What was being deconstructed were the stands and all the protective fencing. What fascinated us was that it was all being done by hand and not with mechanical equipment.
We walked on to climb the hill when we came across a very attractive Chapel called the Chapel of St Devote, the Patron Saint of Monaco. It was a very simple Chapel but beautiful.
Further up the hill we came across the Gardens of Ranier III, the former Prince of Monaco who was married to Princess Grace, formerly Grace Kelly the actress. She died in a motor accident in 1982 and he died of natural causes in 2005. In these gardens were two very interesting sculptures, one which was called the 3-part object and the other, Tebe in costume. Looking down from the Gardens we were able to see ‘The Tunnel’, a very well-known part of the race.
Across the road was a very striking building which housed the Cardio-vascular and Thoracic Centre which was opened in 1987. It has proved to be a great advantage for patients, not only in the immediate Monaco area but also the whole of Europe.
The one place we hadn’t seen was the famous swimming pool which is mentioned in every race as cars go racing part of and at the end of many races, the winner jumps into the pool dragging his engineer and other members of the team with him. Walking back, we were directed to an easier route than we had taken to reach the track and, suddenly, there was the pool in front of us. Thus, we saw all of the important parts of the track and look forward to the 2025 race when we can say, “We were there.”
