Monaco - Grand Prix by Bicycle
How small Monaco really is becomes apparent only from the highway that goes around it on the slopes of the mountains under which it nestles. From there, you can see how much this city-state is actually dense. Skyscrapers tear the sky and numerous cranes hint at much more to come. Everything seems compact, packed, condensed. It's far from not being beautiful. Even further than my concept of beauty. My impression of Monaco and Monte Carlo is in short - naaah, I've seen better and more beautiful places. And those more beautiful places are on the same stretch of the coast. 😉
On the other hand, I didn't visit the richer places very often. At every turn, it is obvious that Monaco has money. The buildings are amazingly decorated, the facades are flawless. The parks looks like picture. Statues, busts and works of art are at every turn. The shops are glamorous, glittering. The streets are filled with sports and luxury cars. To my untrained eye, the yachts seem a class more expensive than in any port in the area. This is the only city I have visited in the last few years where there are absolutely no abandoned buildings. There are no closed shops or storefronts plastered with posters that they are for rent. Not to mention that there are no homeless, drifters and shady characters offering hashish on the corner. Everything is tip-top, everything works, everything seems organized and impeccably arranged. And everything is completely empty, especially if, like me, you are looking for those little joys that fill your soul and make you happier.
I stayed in Monaco for that reason for a very short time. I took the opportunity to take a walk along the Formula 1 track, and after a very short dilemma, I took a bicycle Grand Prix on the same stretch. Okay, almost the same stretch. On one part, a pleasant but determined policewoman stopped me and forbade me to drive any further. Access to the famous Casino Hotel is prohibited for all vehicles that have not announced their arrival, and absolutely prohibited for motorbikes, cyclists and others who did not have money for the latest Bugatti, Pagani or Maybach to take them to the hotel. You can take a walk, and judging by the crowd in front of the hotel, a lot of people just come here to wander around expecting to see a celebrity or a very rare car. But for us with cycling ideas, the ban is very strict, although my comment to the policewoman that this time the record of Formula One track will not be broken, brought a genuine smile to her face 🙂
The Formula 1 track is surprisingly small and short. Like the whole city, it is packed very dense. It is easy to follow, since every few meters on the sidewalk there are openings marked with tiles that say ACM, i.e. Automobile Club de Monaco. Barriers and fences are mounted in these openings during the race. In many places, red and white curbs are an integral part of the traffic infrastructure. The track in the harbor passes ten centimeters from the sea, which is something I was not aware of even after all the years of following the races in Monaco. In many places there are monuments of famous drivers, a tribute to their achievements and the noble (metal) steeds that made them champions of the narrow streets of Monaco. And of course, sports cars are at every turn, because - what else to drive in Monaco, a bicycle won't do, right 😉
And that is that. Monaco is (probably) worth seeing, but my recommendation ends there. There were a few more places I could have visited: the Cathedral, the Oceanographic Museum, the Palace, but... The crowd, the thousands of people wandering up and down, the glamor that doesn't interest me, and the fake glamor that disgusts me, made me damn tired of everything in a record time. Just a few hours after arriving, I gave up trying to like Monaco and cycled on.
And there is a lot of places to cycle to. If you continue towards Italy, the beautiful city of Menton awaits you. There I spent a very nice and relaxed day. Just a few kilometers further in Italy, you will find a couple of typical Italian fishing towns with excellent restaurants. And there is also San Remo just a few miles further. On the other side Eze-sur-Mer and Villefrache-sur-Mer, two small French villages, that just burst with charm and will enchant you and make you find a cafe with a view and completely lose track of time. And that's the real kind of beauty.
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