Monaco and Monte Carlo: Day 5, Part 2

After leaving Eze, our guide, Sandrine took us right on to Monaco.  Monaco is divided into 10 districts, the most famous of which are the Rock District(where we began our time in Monaco and where the Prince's Palace is located), The Port District (Formula I Grand Prix location) and Monte Carlo (where we ended our time in Monaco).  To get on top of "The Rock" you must drive around a mile or so of curving streets, get into a parking garage, go up an elevator, walk across a gift shop and museum AND FINALLY, ride another elevator to the top.

View of the Royal Palace in my sunglasses

       Upon our arrival, our guide showed us the Oceanographic Museum, and then took us all the way to The Main Square, going past the gorgeous Judicial Building, covered in intricate stonework; the homes of the Princesses and numerous other beautiful buildings and gardens.  The square of Monaco was what you'd probably expect: colorful, bright and open.  At the center was the Prince's Palace, a unique building itself due to it's two parts, built in completely different centuries.  On either side of the Palace are incredibly gorgeous and different views of the harbors below.  On one side you can find a view that looks completely fake (in my opinion it looked like a miniature village), with the buildings perfectly cut and colored exactly the same.  In this same spot were the original cannons and stacks of cannonballs used when Monaco was first created, to protect from outside invadors.  The second view, on the opposite side of the square is where you can see the Grand Prix track, the biggest port, the Olympic swimming pool, and a great view of the hills AND the sea.
       We see the statue of Francois Grimaldi, who tricked his family's way into power by pretending to be a monk.  After this, Sandrine leaves us to explore on our own.  We eat lunch at a little restaurant with an even littler outdoor cafe where I fell off the patio's edge twice. :)  Then we saw the changing of the guards(the hourly, much briefer version than the 11 o'clock changing), went shopping and decided to take the tour of the Prince's Palace.  The Palace had it all.  Gardens, courtyards, famous artwork, paintings, and rooms in every color.
       After this we met up with Sandrine who drove us along the beginning of the Grand Prix track, (around the harbor and nearby areas) and stopped we in Monte Carlo.  We saw the famous and beautiful Casino(which Mom and Omi went in) and the Hotel de Paris(from the movie Monte Carlo) and then explored the gardens next to these famous buildings, which were filled with fountains, sculptures and more fountains.  Finally, we finished up the Grand Prix track on the way back to the main road, where we headed back to the ship.  The end of an amazing, beautiful, colorful day.