My ex was a Formula 1 racing fan, and the epitome of F1 racing chic is the Monaco circuit. Unlike NASCAR, which he used to refer to as “go fast, turn left”, F1 races are held on road courses and winding tracks, none so dangerous as the streets of Monte Carlo. The turn by the casino and out of the tunnel is treacherous at best. My ex and I always said we’d get there someday. Anita looked at me and said, “Well, you got here.” And I did. Back in the day the wealth and the exclusivity impressed me. It was a lifestyle I couldn’t imagine attaining, but could easily imagine enjoying. Now? Not so much. Yes, it’s all beautiful to look at. Yes, I appreciate the great food and wine. Would I want the responsibility of that much wealth? Nope. Would I want to dress the lifestyle? High heels? Are you out of your *&^%$#@ mind? Since retirement it’s been all yoga pants and tee shirts. So it’s been great fun seeing all of this but I’m happy with life as I know it.
We danced our buns off, including a conga line led by Eric, our cruise director. When it snaked past itself I asked him if he realized how much titanium from artificial hips and knees he was trailing behind him.
The Principality of Monaco is beautiful, clean, and busy. We walked by the Place du Palais. Princess Caroline and I were born on the same day, same year. I’ve been convinced since I’ve had conscious memory that we were switched at birth. I considered stopping by for a DNA test. We toured La Cathedrale de Monaco and the tombs of Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier. We walked to the Musee Oceanographique and the stadium. We lunched at Café de Paris on salty oysters and Salade Nicoise and great bread and escargot and Weihenstephan biere before visiting the casino. We walked through the marina with Med-moored boats that were so close together you couldn’t squeeze a playing card between them. We then happily made our way back by water taxi to our comfy palace on the sea to kick back before the Azamara’s infamous White Night.
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Azamara’s White Night is the pool deck party where they serve a buffet that is based on the cuisine of the area. In June it was Greek, this time it was Mediterranean. The DJ played dinner music and we danced the cha cha. We probably should have cut back on the wine. We’d worn our white clothing, but many folks were unaware, and showed up in whatever they had. We, however, looked spectacular in our white outfits. And Steve tried overly enthusiastically to photograph all of it, to the point where we had to take the camera away (see photos below).
New acquaintances Bonnie and Bill had no white clothing and wore the Azamara white bathrobes. We thought it was inspired. So much so that we told everyone to write on their comment cards that any cool weather cruises should have White Bathrobe Nights. One guy wore a white outfit and a captain’s hat. He claimed he was off duty. When dancing with his wife we stole his hat from his table and took photos of us all wearing it. Did I mention we’d had too much wine? We danced our buns off, including a conga line led by Eric, our cruise director. When it snaked past itself I asked him if he realized how much titanium from artificial hips and knees he was trailing behind him.
We met an Australian couple, Matt and Di, who had lost their house in a tornado, and had decided that instead of saving for a rainy day they’d have some fun. They were away for a month and had spent time in Holland with family and in Munich before coming to Barcelona to board the ship. In Munich at Oktoberfest they’d found a great hat, that had a mind of it’s own and a prescription for Viagra. Matt and Di provided a lot of entertainment that night, and ended up being in a stateroom down the hall from us. On the way to our room Mike and Anita stopped by to see the video of Anita wearing the hat, which you can see here, and Matt and Di happened by at the same time. They came in to watch as well. After some hilarious viewing and uproarious conversation our phone rang. Guest services had a complaint about noise from an adjoining room. I thought, wow, it must be late. It was 10:30.
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Tomorrow: Nice, Corsica and My Waterloo
Oh Deb – to live vicariously through you has been pure fun. Thanks for sharing your awesome journeys this year! xoxo, Jenifer
Wish you’d been with us!!!
D. xx
Re: The Video: Isn’t that the Hogwarts Sorting Hat? And just what House did she end up in?
Re: The Architecture: Sublime.
Re: The Automobiles: Sublimer. (Not a word, I realize, but my honest opinion.)
Re: The Conga Line: Too Much Fun. No, that’s not possible. No such thing as “too much” fun. OK, maybe Steve with the camera was Too Much Fun. But look at the result!.And is he listening as you beg, cajole, order, and threaten? Someone wrested that camera from him eventually. But I’m glad he got it back in time to capture you in the Conga Line.
Why Gryffindor, of course!
D.