Monte Carlo Monaco on our 2nd Travel Anniversary

This is our Travelversary!  And the start of our 3rd continuous year of world travel.

Last year we enjoyed dining out for lunch and it in Bolivia, South America. In one of the poorest towns in one of the poorest countries.

And this year we dined overlooking the richest bay in the world.

Our first stop was t see the famed Casino. Last time I was 21 years old when I came here – 30 years ago.

It was so sunny and sparkly, and actually hard to take the photo.

The opposite will soon boast a new shopping center that is so modern – I like it!

We head for Ice-cream or Gelato, and a soft serve which is fifty cents in Australia to MacDonald’s is the equivalent of nearly nine dollars here.

The casino now boasts two entrances and I remember the grand entrance well. Today it was closed. Children are unable to enter anyway.

But we enjoyed the cars outside, but no, we failed to see any high flyers emerge.

I loved looking at the jewels in Van Cleef’s window.  I did spot a couple of items I wouldn’t mind owning too.

This piece was really unusual. Stunning birds were formed in the design.

With side doors firmly closed, we stopped to take shelter from the sun. Another day we should have worn a hat, but left it in the car.

I remember clearly at 21 having the Contiki bus parked here in the rear. How life has changed.

We then walked down toward the port and harbor section, and it has several layers to walk through to get there.

There are signs saying you will be prosecuted and possibly arrested for bare feet, bare chests and skimpy shorts. Monaco has a presence to uphold, and rightly so.

We stop for a few more photos and we try to find the Grand Prix start line – which I think we used as a pedestrian crossing!

Back past the casino, we spied a few more cars being parked for the day, or even a few hours at the tables.

We then headed out of town for lunch. We found a fabulous restaurant overlooking the harbor and the prices were really reasonable.

After lunch, we wander around the streets of a tiny town called La Turbie and find some ruins perched on the hill, but there is no way to enter them. The cobblestone little alleyways are something anyone would enjoy looking through for half an hour – very interesting, and peaceful, and old.

So we finally head back to Nice where our apartment is.

I’m really proud of Explorason.

In the last 2 years, we have achieved so much.

This is our 31st country.

We have enriched our lives in so many ways.

This for me is quite a remarkable milestone.  All the travel families I have followed so far have been back to their homeland within this period.  We haven’t. We have had birthdays, Easter, Christmas and New Year away.

For me, it has taken a lot of guts and determination.

It is not an easy ride at times, and we have not given in.

So here I sit, sipping a wine over the million dollar harbor view this day at lunch, and I thought to myself “What a Wonderful World”…. my favorite song – by Louis Armstrong.

This really is a wonderful world, and I have the best traveling companion ever; my son!

Questions and Comments

• Are you a family that travels permanently?
• Have you been to Monte Carlo Monaco?
• How was the experience?
• Do share your comments with us below.