Italy Day #3
a new day ahead! after a night's rest in milan, it was a long journey to Monaco.
along the highway from Italy to France. lots of greens and random houses. passed Bologna on the way. birth place of pasta. that's where we get bolognese sauce!
one of the hundred over tunnels which we had to go through as the area was tremendously mountainous. i lost count at 11. hehe. fell asleep.
one of the many houses along the highway. pretty isn't it?
it reads 'Monaco'. stephano was going too fast for me to capture it. shoot.
Monaco
Monaco (Principality of Monaco), is an independent country despite being completely enclosed by France. it has been ruled by the Grimaldi family (long story about the family. traces back to 1292 when an Italian man dressed as a Franciscan monk, killed the ruler and became the 1st Grimaldi ruler). monaco is the world's most densely populated country. it is also the world's smallest French-speaking country, at only 1.95 km². famous figures like elton john and numerous renowned F1 drivers have registered property there. know why? it's a tax free country! cool! no tax on your income. keep all that you earn.
monaco is divided into 3:
Monaco: the old city where the palace is located
Monte Carlo: principle residential and resort area. more exclusive.
La Condamine: the port area
ok ok not gonna bore you with more facts. let's get down to the pictures!
a new day ahead! after a night's rest in milan, it was a long journey to Monaco.
along the highway from Italy to France. lots of greens and random houses. passed Bologna on the way. birth place of pasta. that's where we get bolognese sauce!
one of the hundred over tunnels which we had to go through as the area was tremendously mountainous. i lost count at 11. hehe. fell asleep.
one of the many houses along the highway. pretty isn't it?
it reads 'Monaco'. stephano was going too fast for me to capture it. shoot.Monaco
Monaco (Principality of Monaco), is an independent country despite being completely enclosed by France. it has been ruled by the Grimaldi family (long story about the family. traces back to 1292 when an Italian man dressed as a Franciscan monk, killed the ruler and became the 1st Grimaldi ruler). monaco is the world's most densely populated country. it is also the world's smallest French-speaking country, at only 1.95 km². famous figures like elton john and numerous renowned F1 drivers have registered property there. know why? it's a tax free country! cool! no tax on your income. keep all that you earn.
monaco is divided into 3:
Monaco: the old city where the palace is located
Monte Carlo: principle residential and resort area. more exclusive.
La Condamine: the port area
ok ok not gonna bore you with more facts. let's get down to the pictures!
Monaco (old city)
monaco is itself a little garden. the houses there, buildings, streets, they are just so well planned and beautifully architectured. just look at this sidewalk. we never get this in Malaysia! well, only near the palace we do.
on the way to the restaurant. the streets are too narrow for any form of transportation. so...gotta walk lo.
the oh so tiny restaurant. as the cost of land there is extremely high, the shops are all very compact.
me trying a hand at being a pro photographer ^^ 
main course for lunch. curry chicken with rice. check out the tiny ball of rice. haha.after lunch, it was more walking. good thing that the palace was just a few hundred metres from the restaurant.
House of Grimaldi. Palace of Monaco. doesn't look very grand. 
grand stand of the Monaco Grand Prix. it took place 4 days before i was there. missed it!! =.=Monte Carlo: playground of the rich and famous
view of monte carlo. port on the right. many huge yachts there. *drools*
yachts!! many of them have got really comfy looking couches at the back. i wanna have one too!!! the building with the green dome is the Casino. smallest chip: Eur 1k. *sweat*
mommy, her cap and i
the famous Monte Carlo casino. many nice nice cars parked outside. nothing to be awed about. there are so many nice nice cars all over Monte Carlo. oh something interesting about this casino. there is a "feng shui" garden right in front. in addition to the 5 elements, the garden also contains a convex mirror which reflects the image of water from a fountain flowing into the casino itself. no wonder they are making so much!
Monte Carlo Opera House
Cathedral of Monacothat's it from monaco. really nice place to visit but if you wanna put a night there, it's gonna cost you a bomb!
our next stop was Nice. managed to stop by at Fragonard (a perfumery) to see how perfume is made and of course, buy perfume! ^^
Fragonard
not allowed to take any pictures inside. mostly distillation machines which are used to extract essential oils from flowers, leaves and what nots.
*interesting fact #1: 1000 kg of rose petals is needed to make 1 litre of essential oil, making it the most expensive ingredient in perfumes. seconded by jasmine and then lavender.
*interesting fact #2: three critical points where perfume should be dabbed on; behind the ears, wrists, andddddddddd behind your knees! latest French fav: on the chest. for a sexy touch!
outside Fragonard. it was another long drive to Nice. which is good for me, because i got to sleep. hehe. our dinner at Nice that night was at another not-very-good chinese restaurant, Oriente. i don't feel the need to take any pictures of chinese food. so no pictures ^^
our room at the Garden Hotel, Nice. goodnite!
wein
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