Monte Carlo (Monaco)

 Monte Carlo, Monaco

Apropos that the coast line is a golden hue. Monaco has the richest population per capita in the world. 

Perched over the Mediterranean Ocean, Monaco is a picturesque country. With very high prices, most travelers can afford to spend only one day in this gathering place for the rich. Thus, we were going to stay one day.



We had chosen a walking tour of Monte Carlo. I chose this picture of the journey up into the city because the real path to this point was a bunch of steep steps. Even though it was a sunny 77 degrees, it was a real workout. 

The views made the climb easier to bear.

We think this beauty is Princess Stephanie's private home. Nice little bungalow, and the average price of real estate is just $65,600 per square metre. 



Front facade of Saint Nicholas Cathedral. 



Prince Rainier and Grace Kelly were married in this cathedral in 1956.



One of our tour destinations--the Prince's Palace of Monaco. The Prince's Palace is the official home of Prince Albert II, son of Prince Rainier and Princess Grace. Of interest also, in the wing behind the trees is the residence of Princess Caroline the sister of Albert.  



Princess Caroline is very active in civic affairs but is over-shadowed by Prince Albert. The flag over the Sainte-Marie Tower is flown whenever Prince Albert II is in residence. To the right is Albert I's clock tower in white stone.



The famous panorama of La Condamine, the second oldest district in Monaco known for its distinctive wide harbor and moored yachts.

Changing of the Palace guards. We will just show the sequence of the changing without comment.

The courtyard is guarded 24/7 but the formal changing of the guard happens at 11:55 a.m. everyday. We were there at noon that day but our good fortune was not being hungry. One person stated that he spent $75 for a meal in a Mexican restaurant in Monte Carlo.

 Christine was quite pleased with the changing of the guard ceremony.

 After the Palace, we were taken to the "rich" section of town where we could wander around on our own or be escorted back to the ship by the guide.

 The Hotel de Paris established in 1864. It is part of the elite Palace Grand Hotels in Monaco. Why do travelers stay only one day in Monte Carlo? An inside courtyard room is around $636. If you want a room with a view--$831. (No, we did not see a Motel 6 in Monte Carlo).



THE Casino of Monte Carlo.



The world-famous Casino Monte Carlo, the gambling center which has made Monte Carlo "an international byword for the extravagant display and reckless dispersal of wealth." A lot of the wealth is dispersed to Monaco as the Casino put the small country back into financial wealth long ago.

 

The casino is featured in the James Bond films Never Say Never Again and Golden Eye. To Catch a Thief was an Alfred Hitchcock film with Monte Carlo and the famous casino as the setting and featured Cary Grant and the future Princess Grace of Monaco as the stars. Incidentally, there is a scene in the movie where the then Grace Kelly drives a car very quickly--and dangerously--along the steep winding roads of Monaco that surround the height of Monte Carlo, an interesting coincidence to her actual fate in 1982.



This is as close to the casino as I would let Christine go. Can't be too careful.

So I tried to distract her by some pretty flowers nearby.

Nearly perfect bloom.

There were a series of fountains and gardens that fronted the casino.

The rich and famous Family Dollar Store.

The Chanel Store. 

Members only gambling salon.

Talk about exclusive--in case you can't read the sign--billionaire Sunset Lounge. That says it all.

Hey, look what I spotted. Bring your own toys to Monte Carlo. They are checking into the Fairmont Hotel (only $900 for one night).

Not a problem for these travelers. A Bianchi bicycle starts at $5,000.

On the way back to the ship. Doesn't this just make you want to don your snorkeling gear and jump in?

A tribute to Formula One racing. Every year Monte Carlo hosts the Monaco Grand Prix on the tiny streets of the city. Besides tiny streets, there are elevation changes and tight corners making the race a dangerous one. It has been held since 1929.



This looks like one of the yachts from a James Bond film.

And here is James Bond parachuting onto the yacht to rescue a maiden in danger.

All of the hob-knobbing with the rich and famous made us want to dress up for dinner.

Even I washed behind my ears. 

 And then we topped off the night by attending a performance in the theater. Ah, luxury is great.



Lucca, Italy

 I wish.

Had we known that the first place we visited in Lucca had bicycle rides available, I doubt I would have gone on a walking tour.

 The cyclists toured the walls (ramparts) surrounding Lucca.

The ancient city walls completely surround the city of Lucca and were built in the 16th and 17th centuries. Although they were originally intended to keep out invaders, the ramparts currently help to keep our vehicles (as we will shortly see). Thus, Lucca is a pedestrian friendly community.

 The Via Fillungo is the main street in Lucca. The streets in the ancient days did not envision 350's roaring through the streets. (Maybe a chariot but not a truck). 

 Shortly into the city we came upon the statue of Giacomo Puccini. Puccini's statue is in front of his December 1856 birthplace. He was an Italian composer whose operas are frequently performed all over the world. Puccini is said to the be "the greatest composer of Italian opera after Verdi". Ever heard of La Boheme?

 Down another narrow street, we approached the basilica: San Michele in Foro.

 The church is in the center of Lucca and is located on the land that once was a Roman Forum. 

The church is dedicated to Archangel Michael shown above flanked by two angels.

On the lower corner of the facade is a statue of the Madonna sculpted to celebrate the end of the 1476 plague. (Not the same plague that inspired the Oberammergau Passion Play).

  

Approaching the Torre Guinigi.

 

 The Torre Guinigi is the famous tower with a tree on top. It is part of the ramparts that circle the old city with a three-mile circumference and on top is the park where we started the tour.  

It is said, but I can't personally verify, that there are 230 steps to the top of the tower.

 

 Present day buildings utilize the foundations of Roman structures.

Tunnel entrance to the Piazza della Anfiteatro. 

 The Piazza della Anfiteatro is a large circular piazza. It was once the site of an ancient Roman Amphitheater where gladiators and beasts engaged in mortal combat. Today, the piazza features outdoor restaurants and cafes. (It also has a large free public restroom). Keep that in mind when you visit Lucca.

 

"Just a few steps" away from the Piazza is the Basilica di San Frediano. San Frediano is among Lucca's most ancient churches and was built in the 6th century by the bishop Frediano. A crypt with the body of San Frediano was added to the church at the end of the 8th century.  

 The mosaic above represents The Ascension of Christ the Savior with the apostles below. The Madonna was portrayed in the center, but her image was cut away to open the single-light window below Christ.

 Yep, I was there.

 On the coach ride back to the port, we passed some outstanding scenery. Whereas the mountain is nice, look closely at the car. He is passing two cyclists. Go riders!!

 Sun flower fields.

 Must have been a nursery as I can't see harvesting this crop. I recognize the Italian Cypress as we have them all over Texas.

 After boarding the ship, I looked down from our balcony.

 Police dogs were sniffing our food containers. Thankfully, I never saw a dog "alert" at a crate so I guess we were OK.

Let's go to the other side of the ship and think of more pleasant things; like heading to Monte Carlo tonight.

Pisa, Italy

Although I may have never heard of "Necropolis," I had heard of the Leaning Tower of Pisa and insisted that we take that tour. Glad we did.

The towering walls and immediate buildings channel visitors (tourists) to the Cathedral Square entrance gate.

The Cathedral Square is located within the oldest early medieval city walls. The walls were built in 1155

and are perfectly preserved. The field of green is the perfect backdrop for the white marble buildings that we had come to see. 



Cathedral Square.
The square is also know as the Piazza del Duomo and the Field of Miracles.

Baptistery of San Giovanni
Confirmands studying the catechism had to be very careful. The dome roof in the shape of a cupola formed a perfect resonating chamber. It is said that a whisper on one side of the baptistery could be heard on the other side. The sacrament of baptism is administered in the baptistery.  
Interestingly, the ground under the baptistery is of the same type as the tower and thus is leaning 0.6 degrees toward the cathedral.

Campo Santo
The Campo Santo is also known as the monumental cemetery or old cemetery. "Campo Santo" can be literally translated as "holy field" because it is said to have been built around a shipload of sacred soil from Golgotha.

The outer wall is composed of 43 blind arches and has two doorways, one of which is shown above.

Above the doorway is a Gothic tabernacle. It contains the Virgin Mary with Child, surrounded by four saints. Most of the tombs are under the arcades, although a few are on the central lawn.

Duomo (Cathedral)
At first I was a little aggravated with the sun's position but on reflection, it appropriately forms a halo above the church (wish I could say I planned it that way).
Construction of this beautiful structure began in 1064. The cathedral also has tilted as can be seen by my photo angle  :  ). Seriously, the structure has started to lean but I don't think by the amount of my photo tilt. 

Lunette above the middle door of the cathedral, picturing Blessed Mary by Giuseppe Modena da Lucca.

The facade of this impressive cathedral is made of grey marble, white stone, with discs of colored marble.

Backside of the cathedral is also impressive.

Dulcis in Fundo
(the dessert comes at the end!!)
THE LEANING TOWER OF PISA
At the beginning of the story I mentioned that even I had heard of the leaning tower. What I didn't know was that the tower actually started leaning by the time they had constructed the third story. If you study the tower closely, you can discern that the builders offset each floor with one side longer than the others to see if they could stop the sinking. (Didn't work. Recently there was a huge project to stabilize the structure).

Originally a bell tower, the bells were removed in 1990 to relieve some weight.

You don't need special effects to have a dramatic photo of the tower.

Note the statue between the tower and cathedral.

Romulus and Remus raised by a she-wolf. Their mother, Rhea Silvia conceived the twins by the god Mars after Rhea's father was deposed by his brother and took over the kingdom of Alba Longa. The twins were in danger of being killed so Rhea put them in the Tiber River (Moses style). They were rescued and raised by a she-wolf. Long story short, when the twins learned of their real birth, they killed the evil King and restored Numitor (Rhea's father) to the throne. Neat story but Roman myth.

You knew this was coming--
I will bet half the visitors demonstrate holding up the tower.

While I was saving the tower from falling, Christine was enjoying the plants and flowers. With both of us happy, we were off to the near-by town of Lucca.