Monaco Thoughts

As for the Monaco casinos, they are more like the US than I thought, just no free drinks. Slots are exactly the same and make the same noises, table games look the same with a few minor variations (Just a “0” on roulette tables, no “00.”). Save for the Grand Casino, most others will allow casual clothing. I don’t gamble much, but I will give it a shot tomorrow…besides, my nemesis is not here: Cocktail waitresses. Truth be told, for a heterosexual male, it just doesn’t get any better than a beautiful young woman in a short skirt bringing free drinks. How do you concentrate on the table with that distraction at your side?



One of the things I wondered about most when I decided to travel to Monaco was whether the prices would be exorbitant, and surprisingly no, they are essentially in line with what you would expect to pay in Europe. Certainly, there are pathetically expensive options, such as $20,000 per night hotel suites in the well known Hotel de Paris, but there are more “normal” prices here than I imagined. Supermarket prices (yes, I found one almost immediately) are essentially in line with what I saw in Paris, and casual restaurants offer pizzas in the 10 euro range.




The difference between Monaco and the rest of the world is that (literally) a few feet down from the “normal” pizza place is a small storefront, plain-looking in its own right, which sells customized corporate jets, and displays in its front window a plastic mock-up of an Airbus outfitted with couches, reclining chairs and beds. What a convenience, you go out for a quick bite at the local pizza joint, and you can stop in and check on the status of your corporate Airbus right afterwards.


Monaco is, of course, synonymous with the Mediterranean seacoast, and the harbor is one of the city’s most renowned vistas. To be certain, walking past, literally, dozens of yachts is an experience beyond words. A large percentage of these come from Georgetown (Cayman Islands), though you will also find vessels from many other cities such as London.


It is coming on towards mid-afternoon, and the hotel has just dropped off their New Year treat, so I think I will take a short nap so that I can awaken later and become…..Bond, Mark Bond.