A Few Hours in Monaco

Monaco's Old Harbor

So, I hit country #89 ever-so-briefly during a student tour to France that I was leading. We wrapped up our week abroad in France with a day trip to Monaco. Much as I wanted to play James Bond and indulge myself in the famous Casino, alas, when leading a group of middle and high schoolers, you make sacrifices. Of course, seeing how every cruise ship with a 100-square mile radius must have been in port that afternoon, too, maybe it is a good thing I didn't try! I'll have to save that experience for another visit.

Tucked along the French Riviera, the inhabitants of Monaco look out on stunning scenery every day

I did get to see Monaco's breath-taking scenery, though. So, this blog entry is mainly photos. We did a short walking tour, and then we were given an hour and a half to wander and eat lunch. The funny thing about that is it always seems you lose at least an hour of that sightseeing time on lunch! Oh well. Enjoy the pictures!

The palace for Monaco's prince - somebody important came out as we were walking by, as the police stopped us to let them pass

Not sure if this is a business or a home, but it certainly is beautiful

The tiny kingdom is running out of land, so is constructing new space for buildings out over the water, like these high rises

Like elsewhere in the Mediterranean, the historic sits side by side with the modern

Here I am at right with my tour group - it was a good group of kids and adults!