Carmen's Chronicles: Monte Carlo

Showing posts with label Monte Carlo. Show all posts

Monday, July 04, 2011

Ruby Tuesday - Monaco Police - July 5, 2011

This was an exciting week in Monaco with the wedding of His Serene

Highness, Prince Albert to Charlene Wittstock of South Africa. The

bride, elegant in every way, bore an uncanny resemblance to the

last Serene Highness of Monaco, Albert's mother, the former Grace

Kelly of Philadelphia who tragically died in a car accident in 1982.

The citizens of Monaco were very much a part of the two day wedding

celebration - the civil ceremony which took place this past Friday, July

1, 2011 in the palace throne room where Grace Kelly married Prince

Rainier in 1956 - and the religious ceremony which followed on July

2, 2011. There were so many people in attendance that the religious

ceremony was held in the palace courtyard rather than in the cathedral

where Albert's parents were married.

I am not sure whether the Monaco police were dressed in more elegant

uniforms for the occasion but, when I was last at Monaco-ville, the old

fortified town which holds the palace, St. Nicholas Cathedral ( the

final resting place of Princess Grace ), and the Oceanographic Museum,

the police were wearing these blue pants with the red stripes. That

was in October of 2009, for my 65th birthday!

I am participating in Ruby Tuesday - check out the site and add your

red post to join in the fun!

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Magpie Tales #33 - Something Stinks in Portofino - September 28, 2010

Stephanie had spent the past month on the Italian Riviera. Somehow, the lifestyles of
the rich and famous seemed aberrant to her after the two months of summer vacation
she had spent volunteering in the refugee camps in Darfur. She wished she had stayed
there for her final month before returning to her senior year of medical school at Harvard.
Her mother had insisted, however, that she "have a little fun" and had arranged for her
to see family friends who owned a villa halfway between Portofino and Santa Margherita.
She had finally acquiesced when her parents agreed to let her take a week long seminar
at the International Institute of Humanitarian Law in San Remo. The class, which dealt
with refugees and international law fueled her desire to continue providing medical
services to the victims of the genocide in Darfur and the Sudan.

She glanced up from her book as Luigi approached the pool. He looked like a model and
had, in fact, appeared several times in photo shoots for Pal Zaleri. They were about the
same age and had spent a good deal of time together since they were toddlers and
their fathers, famous cardiologists, first met at an international summit. Over the years,
he had become a pompous, spoiled young man, who had little regard for others. It was
clear that Luigi was used to getting whatever he wanted. This past month, it seemed
he wanted her.

"We're taking the yacht and sailing over to Monte Carlo, then on to Barcelona," he
announced. "There will be about ten of us. You know everyone. We'll be back in time
for your farewell party before you return to America." Stephanie really did not feel like
a jet set party but she finally agreed. She would be headed back to school in less than
a week and she was very happy to be leaving. She was tired of fighting off Luigi's
advances.

The group aboard The Portofino Princesa was in high spirits. The chef prepared exquisite
meals and bottles of Barolo poured freely. Luigi constantly tried to drag Stephanie to the
owner's cabin on board the yacht. "You are leaving and we have not even had a chance
to be alone," he pouted. "Precisely," she responded, slipping away from his drunken
embrace. "You are like a brother to me, Luigi! I'm not interested!" She finally managed
to pull away and went to her cabin.

About 3AM, she awakened to find Luigi standing over her, holding two glasses of wine.
He was wearing a bathing suit and his usual fragrance, Acqua Di Parma. He leered at
her as he set the wine on the dresser. He bent over and tried to kiss her, fumbling
under the coverlet to touch her breasts. "For God's sakes, Luigi, get away from me,"
she hissed. "Get out of here now." As she struggled to move away from him, Luigi
grabbed her wrists, pulling her toward his cabin. "You know you want me." In a fury,
Stephanie went with him. Before he threw her down on the bed, her hand grasped
the bottle on the dresser and squeezed tightly. It was the Acqua Di Parma. She
moved swiftly. It made contact with his head, giving a resounding, "thump,"
shattering and spilling perfume everywhere. She ran from the cabin and dove
into the Mediterranean waters off the coast of Nice. As she swam she thought, "I
hope I never smell that stuff again."

Carmen Henesy

Sunday, November 29, 2009

65th Birthday Celebration - Third Photos - The Navigator of the Seas, Villefranche, France, Monte Carlo, Monaco

Well, I started posting photos of my 65th birthday trip some time ago, after my return in October. I never got around to doing any more because the trip to care for my mother in GA interrupted, then other things came along, as they will do. I hope to sort through the rest of the pictures in the next few days so I can get them all posted and sent out to my friends who made the trip with me. Honestly, it seems like that European adventure was last year, not less than two months ago!!

After our day in Pisa and Lucca, Italy, we had a day at sea before our next port. I actually like that sort of itinerary best - a sea day in between port days. It gives one a chance to relax, visit with other passengers, enjoy the ships services such as massage, shops, etc, a respite from a hectic day of sightseeing.

In midmorning of our sea day, there was a special party for the Diamond Plus passengers

( above 24 cruises -with this cruise, I achieved 77, in 14-1/2 years with Royal Caribban! ) and those who had booked suites. It was a lovely day and it was nice being out on this spot on the ship where I'd never been. The crew had set out champagne, juices, fresh fruit, and assorted

canapes and pastries.

Visiting with Leroy Moulton, head bartender

One of the nice things about having cruised so often, is that you run into crew members that you have sailed with many times over the years. They get transferred from ship to ship and you come across them time and again. It is amazing that they remember you, can often tell you what ship you were on, and, often, become like family. One such person is Edsel Toscano, the

handsome gentleman, in the dark suit. He is from Mumbai and I have known him almost since my first Royal Caribbean cruise. When I visited India twelve years ago, he was home on vacation and came to the crew member's house where I was staying and celebrated my being in India. Edsel has even spent a couple of nights at my home in the San Francisco area! Over the years, I have acquired so many Indian crew friends that they have given me the title of the American mother of the Indian crew, an honor for me! The other handsome Indian is the assistant manager of the photography department of the Navigator of the Seas. These ships take hundreds of pictures.

Phil Zaragosa and Brenda Garison

Villefranche, France is a beautiful port but most cruise ships are far too large to dock there. Instead, passengers must board the ship's tenders to be carried back and forth to port. The town is just beautiful but most folks opt for the short train ride to either Monte Carlo or Nice or Cannes after a brief stop in Villefranche. This was my fourth time to visit this port in the past twenty years. I would really like to come someday and stay for awhile!

On the tender, headed to Villefranche, France which is one of the deepest natural harbors of any port in the Mediterranean Sea, which gives it safe anchorage for large ships. It is the most

visited cruise ship port in France.

Approaching Villefranche

In Villefranche again!

Laundry day in Villefranche

Train station

Floral balconies

Former Royal Caribbean Sovereign of the Seas, now part of Pullmantur Cruises, Spanish based, bought by Royal Caribbean in 2006. Pullmantur acquired the Sovereign last year. I sailed on this ship out of Port Canaveral eight times and, in fact, flew directly from Rome last October to sail on their second to last cruise. I wanted to say farewell to many friends I'd made among the crew there. It was quite nostalgic to see her in port in Villefranche.

She kept the name "Sovereign", minus "of the Seas"

Next stop, Monte-Carlo, Monaco

This has always been a special place to me. Grace Kelly was my favorite actress and I still have the scrapbook I kept as a child. She was named Turner Classic Movies November 2009 Star of the Month and I just saw a lovely video, narrated by her son, Prince Albert.

You can watch it at the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lo5YoRA4W94.
I actually spent two nights in Monte Carlo about ten years ago but have been back there
three times on a cruise ship and another time, driving over from Barcelona.

Monte Carlo is second only to Vatican City as the smallest country in the world and I read in Wikipedia that it only takes about an hour for a person to walk the entire length of the country. I think that would be hard as it is definitely very hilly, being part of the Maritime Alps that extend to the sea.