Been busy...but technically not.
Greetings from Holland. I have been meaning to write down the goings on of the past few weeks (because I feel there is a real hole developing in my play by play...) but have been really busy being leisurely--sociallizing, riding my bike, shopping.... The girls and I just had lunch at the one place in town where there is exceptional coffee....aptly named "Coffeelovers". And now, I will attempt to get some thoughts down about Monaco before it gets too far out of memory to create a good ramble.
My journey started with a trip to the immigration offices where I was rudely gouged of approximately 700 CDN to reimburse the government of the Netherlands for whatever costs they think I incur while here for a measly 6 months. anyway, in the end, I got a really pretty stamp for my passport, so it definitely softened the blow. Then I was off to Brussels to catch my plane.
I met a nice boy on the train named Steven. He wanted to chat. *groan*. Everyone always wants to chat and snotty insensitive me just wanted to listen to music and watch the cows go by. Anyway, i was nice, and we had a nice talk...all the way to Brussels.
Since I had some time, I did a little walk around in Brussels, took some photos and such then went off to find the airport. I had Pizza Hut for lunch. HA. everything else was too expensive...a trend that continues for the following 6 days.
My flight was thankfully uneventful and I sat with a nice older couple who were off to their "other" house in Nice. Also, they have a boat. They sail around the world for fun. The lady was very chatty, and I was well practised by this point, so I was chatty too. Plus I hate flying so I was happy for the distraction. She was happy for my experiences and promised I would never forget Monaco for the rest of my life. By this time. I was so excited I could puke.
I made it through baggage claim with my bag. That deserves a whole line to itself.
When I walked out of the airport, the first thing I saw was a palm tree. I just about threw up. PARADISE.
The bus ride was scary. I wasn't sure I was going to survive to see Monaco. When I first got on, I noted there were seat belts which I thought was off. But then we started driving and it all made sense. I still have rope burn around my waist because I think our driver fancied himself a formula one driver and those mountain roads can really get to you. Then he let me off at the wrong stop, but a nice french girl directed me to the right place. I was thrilled to find that my understanding of french is almost completely intact!! Speaking is another thing, but how nice to be in a country where nothing gets by you again. I could understand things you take for granted like the headlines on the newspapers, streetsigns, menus...It was really refreshing and even more so since it wasn't english. I liked the exercise!
I met up with Mark and we walked up, up and up to the "ghetto" he lives in. Those are his words. Really his place is not a ghetto and I thought it was really nice. The location was fabulous...a five minute walk from the Casino Monte Carlo. granted, all uphill, but you get used to that.
Mark and I went out to dinner our first night to get reacquainted and such. We shared a gorgeous bottle of wine and then went for a walk to the port, and then stopped off at the hotel de paris, the most expensive hotel in europe. we had another glass of wine there while a jazz combo entertained us and some rich business man snuggled up to his very expensive prostitute. It is a strange place where the hookers are better dressed than myself. Was that snooty?
We went home again to call it a night and found Ivan (a friend of Mark and Roy's...Roy is Mark's roomate and is from Montreal) and Roy passed out from too much Absinthe. a sure sign of bedtime. The next morning, the weather was not so good, so I wrote my paper for globalization. It went surprisingly well. i think it was the palm trees...very inspirational.
That night, being Friday, the boys planned a party at Karément, a club by the water. We had our table reserved and the bottles laid out. There were 8 or so in our party and I got to wear all my best threads, which is always a treat. We drank and watched the people, danced and flirted...all in all a perfect night. Except for the flirting...an Italian boy asked to buy me a drink, so I said ok. My interest was about as fleeting as the drink, so once I had stayed a polite amount of time, I went back to find my friends. Turns out, they thought that I had left, so they took off too!! that's what you get for hanging out with boys. I was then left in a very awkward situation...my Italian friend decided to play hero and make sure I got home ok. Somehow I found it, and thankfully, they were home before me, so someone answered the door. What a pickle. I wasn't too worried though...apparently Monaco is one of the safest places on the planet. Mark says you can leave your purse in the park overnight and come back for it the next day. Certainly my purse would be untouched...i don't know what anyone in Monaco would have to gain from stealing my junk.
Saturday, Mark and I went on a tour de Monaco. The weather was superb and we walked really far. He showed me all the boats I will never be able to afford and we even saw some rowers!! I thought about asking if I could take out a boat but am still gunshy from the snooty dutchies and their "no-rowing" rules. So I just watched. Plus, they were some crazy ocean boats I had never seen before and they were using spoons instead of hatchets. It would be really cool to row on the mediterranean i would think!!
Then we got crepes and beer. We looked at all the landmarks of Monaco: the autoclub, the formula one circuit, the Lady Moura (one GIANT yacht which features its own helicopted pad and an enormous price tag.) then we walked up the rock to see the prince's house. It is actually fairly low key for a palace. very nice on the rock though. you can see both ports (there is one on either side: Monaco to the west and Monte-Carlo to the east). Unfortunately, the prince has been very ill, and dangerously close to death while I was there, but I think he is doing better now. The pope was kind enough to pray for him last week...
I tired Mark out from all the walking in the Prince's gardens and such, so we took the bus home and started getting ready for our big saturday night. for me this meant having a long nap because so much sun can get to a girl.
that day, Mark told me about the nightclub Jimmy*z. He said it was world famous, and that every celebrity and every possible car you can think of had passed by its doors. The menu is extremely expensive and in my Monaco by night guide, where the price of places is ranked out of 5 $ signs, Jimmy*z got a 6. He said "The day I pay 400€ for a bottle of vodka is the day hell freezes over." I wholeheartedly agreed! Imagine my surprise when we got home and Ivan had already convinced Jeremy, Robert, Roy to go to that very place. Jeremy and Robert are Roy's friends visitng from Montreal by the way. In Mark's defence (since hell has not frozen over), we actually had scotch. What a night. We sat in the VIP section of the most VIP place I have ever seen or imagined. Johnnie Walker was in attendance, and I was made "one of the boys" because I happen to enjoy a nice glass of scotch. It was a great night, and they even waited for me before going home this time. haha. The rest of the trip is getting blurry. I would have to consult photos, but we went to the aquarium, and that was a highlight. I saw nemo fish and was surprised at how small they actually are!! maybe only the size of a toenail! Also, there were sharks. I had italian ice cream, which was fabulous. We went to the beach and I put my feet in. It was cold, but there were people swimming so I regretted not throwing on my swimming suit that day. It was so inviting I would have loved to jump in. Lunch on a terrace for way too much money (a common theme in Monaco)...and I also went off on my own a couple of times to take pictures like the dorky tourist I am.
I forgot to mention two very Monagesque things: the cars and the casinos. My casino story is good. I took my 20€ in and exchanged it for 0.50€ tokens and played video roullette and some slots, just to test my luck. I was down to my second last token and won 50!! So i decided to put my 20€ back in the bucket and just gambl the last 5€ to see where it got me. I played a lot longer than I would have thought possible with the 5€ and seriously considered playing the original 20 again. But then I saw a girl in tears, sobbing over all she's lost and thought....nah. So I walked out even. That's more than I have ever "won" at a casino. what a success.
Lastly, the cars. Oh the cars. I have never seen so many Ferraris in my life. I was averaging 20 a day and before that I think I had seen 20 EVER. They came in all different models and colours and by the end, it wasn't exciting anymore. I could never live in a place where a Ferrari is more common than a Honda Civic. It is just too unreal. Besides Ferraris, there were also a million porsches, aston martins, mercedes, Jaguars...the place made BMWs look like a shitbox. I still only saw two lambourghinis though which I thought was great. even in this auto-wonderland, the fabled Lambourghini is still tough to come across. ah, my unicorn. I saw a Murcielago (Bat) and Gallardo (brave, elegant, gallant in one) and that's it. The best part about the 24/7 auto show in Monaco though is that you get to see the cars actually being cars instead of just furniture as they are at auto-shows and stuff. You can see them, hear them, touch them, maybe flirt shamelessly with the driver to get a ride...(I wasn't that bold this time. too bad.) Plus there is something oddly satisfying about seeing a Ferrari with some dust on the hood.
Anyway, as it comes back to me, I'll add more posts about Monaco, but in sum, it was a really really really nice time away, I had an excellent holiday. I was so refreshed when I got back and the sun really does wonders for a girl's spirits.
and now what you may have been waiting for....here are the pictures
My journey started with a trip to the immigration offices where I was rudely gouged of approximately 700 CDN to reimburse the government of the Netherlands for whatever costs they think I incur while here for a measly 6 months. anyway, in the end, I got a really pretty stamp for my passport, so it definitely softened the blow. Then I was off to Brussels to catch my plane.
I met a nice boy on the train named Steven. He wanted to chat. *groan*. Everyone always wants to chat and snotty insensitive me just wanted to listen to music and watch the cows go by. Anyway, i was nice, and we had a nice talk...all the way to Brussels.
Since I had some time, I did a little walk around in Brussels, took some photos and such then went off to find the airport. I had Pizza Hut for lunch. HA. everything else was too expensive...a trend that continues for the following 6 days.
My flight was thankfully uneventful and I sat with a nice older couple who were off to their "other" house in Nice. Also, they have a boat. They sail around the world for fun. The lady was very chatty, and I was well practised by this point, so I was chatty too. Plus I hate flying so I was happy for the distraction. She was happy for my experiences and promised I would never forget Monaco for the rest of my life. By this time. I was so excited I could puke.
I made it through baggage claim with my bag. That deserves a whole line to itself.
When I walked out of the airport, the first thing I saw was a palm tree. I just about threw up. PARADISE.
The bus ride was scary. I wasn't sure I was going to survive to see Monaco. When I first got on, I noted there were seat belts which I thought was off. But then we started driving and it all made sense. I still have rope burn around my waist because I think our driver fancied himself a formula one driver and those mountain roads can really get to you. Then he let me off at the wrong stop, but a nice french girl directed me to the right place. I was thrilled to find that my understanding of french is almost completely intact!! Speaking is another thing, but how nice to be in a country where nothing gets by you again. I could understand things you take for granted like the headlines on the newspapers, streetsigns, menus...It was really refreshing and even more so since it wasn't english. I liked the exercise!
I met up with Mark and we walked up, up and up to the "ghetto" he lives in. Those are his words. Really his place is not a ghetto and I thought it was really nice. The location was fabulous...a five minute walk from the Casino Monte Carlo. granted, all uphill, but you get used to that.
Mark and I went out to dinner our first night to get reacquainted and such. We shared a gorgeous bottle of wine and then went for a walk to the port, and then stopped off at the hotel de paris, the most expensive hotel in europe. we had another glass of wine there while a jazz combo entertained us and some rich business man snuggled up to his very expensive prostitute. It is a strange place where the hookers are better dressed than myself. Was that snooty?
We went home again to call it a night and found Ivan (a friend of Mark and Roy's...Roy is Mark's roomate and is from Montreal) and Roy passed out from too much Absinthe. a sure sign of bedtime. The next morning, the weather was not so good, so I wrote my paper for globalization. It went surprisingly well. i think it was the palm trees...very inspirational.
That night, being Friday, the boys planned a party at Karément, a club by the water. We had our table reserved and the bottles laid out. There were 8 or so in our party and I got to wear all my best threads, which is always a treat. We drank and watched the people, danced and flirted...all in all a perfect night. Except for the flirting...an Italian boy asked to buy me a drink, so I said ok. My interest was about as fleeting as the drink, so once I had stayed a polite amount of time, I went back to find my friends. Turns out, they thought that I had left, so they took off too!! that's what you get for hanging out with boys. I was then left in a very awkward situation...my Italian friend decided to play hero and make sure I got home ok. Somehow I found it, and thankfully, they were home before me, so someone answered the door. What a pickle. I wasn't too worried though...apparently Monaco is one of the safest places on the planet. Mark says you can leave your purse in the park overnight and come back for it the next day. Certainly my purse would be untouched...i don't know what anyone in Monaco would have to gain from stealing my junk.
Saturday, Mark and I went on a tour de Monaco. The weather was superb and we walked really far. He showed me all the boats I will never be able to afford and we even saw some rowers!! I thought about asking if I could take out a boat but am still gunshy from the snooty dutchies and their "no-rowing" rules. So I just watched. Plus, they were some crazy ocean boats I had never seen before and they were using spoons instead of hatchets. It would be really cool to row on the mediterranean i would think!!
Then we got crepes and beer. We looked at all the landmarks of Monaco: the autoclub, the formula one circuit, the Lady Moura (one GIANT yacht which features its own helicopted pad and an enormous price tag.) then we walked up the rock to see the prince's house. It is actually fairly low key for a palace. very nice on the rock though. you can see both ports (there is one on either side: Monaco to the west and Monte-Carlo to the east). Unfortunately, the prince has been very ill, and dangerously close to death while I was there, but I think he is doing better now. The pope was kind enough to pray for him last week...
I tired Mark out from all the walking in the Prince's gardens and such, so we took the bus home and started getting ready for our big saturday night. for me this meant having a long nap because so much sun can get to a girl.
that day, Mark told me about the nightclub Jimmy*z. He said it was world famous, and that every celebrity and every possible car you can think of had passed by its doors. The menu is extremely expensive and in my Monaco by night guide, where the price of places is ranked out of 5 $ signs, Jimmy*z got a 6. He said "The day I pay 400€ for a bottle of vodka is the day hell freezes over." I wholeheartedly agreed! Imagine my surprise when we got home and Ivan had already convinced Jeremy, Robert, Roy to go to that very place. Jeremy and Robert are Roy's friends visitng from Montreal by the way. In Mark's defence (since hell has not frozen over), we actually had scotch. What a night. We sat in the VIP section of the most VIP place I have ever seen or imagined. Johnnie Walker was in attendance, and I was made "one of the boys" because I happen to enjoy a nice glass of scotch. It was a great night, and they even waited for me before going home this time. haha. The rest of the trip is getting blurry. I would have to consult photos, but we went to the aquarium, and that was a highlight. I saw nemo fish and was surprised at how small they actually are!! maybe only the size of a toenail! Also, there were sharks. I had italian ice cream, which was fabulous. We went to the beach and I put my feet in. It was cold, but there were people swimming so I regretted not throwing on my swimming suit that day. It was so inviting I would have loved to jump in. Lunch on a terrace for way too much money (a common theme in Monaco)...and I also went off on my own a couple of times to take pictures like the dorky tourist I am.
I forgot to mention two very Monagesque things: the cars and the casinos. My casino story is good. I took my 20€ in and exchanged it for 0.50€ tokens and played video roullette and some slots, just to test my luck. I was down to my second last token and won 50!! So i decided to put my 20€ back in the bucket and just gambl the last 5€ to see where it got me. I played a lot longer than I would have thought possible with the 5€ and seriously considered playing the original 20 again. But then I saw a girl in tears, sobbing over all she's lost and thought....nah. So I walked out even. That's more than I have ever "won" at a casino. what a success.
Lastly, the cars. Oh the cars. I have never seen so many Ferraris in my life. I was averaging 20 a day and before that I think I had seen 20 EVER. They came in all different models and colours and by the end, it wasn't exciting anymore. I could never live in a place where a Ferrari is more common than a Honda Civic. It is just too unreal. Besides Ferraris, there were also a million porsches, aston martins, mercedes, Jaguars...the place made BMWs look like a shitbox. I still only saw two lambourghinis though which I thought was great. even in this auto-wonderland, the fabled Lambourghini is still tough to come across. ah, my unicorn. I saw a Murcielago (Bat) and Gallardo (brave, elegant, gallant in one) and that's it. The best part about the 24/7 auto show in Monaco though is that you get to see the cars actually being cars instead of just furniture as they are at auto-shows and stuff. You can see them, hear them, touch them, maybe flirt shamelessly with the driver to get a ride...(I wasn't that bold this time. too bad.) Plus there is something oddly satisfying about seeing a Ferrari with some dust on the hood.
Anyway, as it comes back to me, I'll add more posts about Monaco, but in sum, it was a really really really nice time away, I had an excellent holiday. I was so refreshed when I got back and the sun really does wonders for a girl's spirits.
and now what you may have been waiting for....here are the pictures
posted by Unknown at Monday, April 04, 2005
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home