Monaco

Attending the Monaco Grand Prix Race marks a milestone on this travels this summer. Nights are in Nice a short train ride from days in Monaco.

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20230524 - Travel to Nice

This was a lowkey day of travel from Frejus to Nice. Because of train schedules and the time of day I chose to travel, I rode two trains today. The first took me on a 15 minute ride from Frejus westward to Draguignan. Then after walking to another track (voie) and 20 minutes later, I rode a train back eastward flying past the station at Frejus and onto Nice.

I couldn't check into the VRBO until 5:30PM so I had some time to chill. Being on the warm side and not keen on carrying the luggage around on my back exploring Nice, I found a lunch spot near the VRBO and ordered some food. As I'm just about to start eating a 52 year old lady asks if she can share my table. She then proceeded to pour her heart out in English tainted with Dutch, French, and some Nigerian dialect accent regarding her two month love relationship with a 32 year old Nigerian refuge. He seems to have killed someone with a machete who'd done something to his father and now was being pursued for revenge and this was his justification to seek asylum in France. He seems to be loosing love interest in the lady talking to me. The story goes on for about an hour while I finish my lunch and she manages to finish hers all while talking. It crosses my mind to excuse myself, but I was enjoying the entertainment and being in a conversation with someone even if I was playing the role of listerning only.

We said goodbyes and I walked a couple of blocks to the Jardin Mozart (a park covering a small sicty block). There I enjoyed the people taking their toy dogs for walks, neighbors meeting and chatting, Jewish parents walking children home from school, elderly people sitting, and tourists wandering through while taking pictures of the flowers. It all felt quintessentially of French lifestyle. The shadows noticeable shifted alerting me to check-in. It went smoothly thanks to good directions. The host spoke very little English, but we managed well with the little French I could muster and understand.

No pictures today.

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The sovereign micro city-state of Monaco perches on the Mediterranean surrounded by France. The official language is French. Roughly 39k people reside there with about 10k nationals. It is not a member of the European Union though it utilizes the Euro as its currency. Entry requirements are satisfied based on France's when coming by land, but if arriving by boat you'd better read all the fine details and requirements. Its big economic break came in the late 19th century by legalizing gambling while benefitting from the climate, status as a tax haven, and global money laundering hub. Only 30% of the population are millionaires. Come with a big down payment because housing costs $11k per square foot or about $22 million for a 2000 square foot home.

On this first day of Grand Prix activities, I needed to pick up my tickets. Trains cycle between Nice and Monaco at least every hour. I wasn't sure what to expect regarding crowds so decided to catch a train a little after 8AM. The Nice Ville train station was just beginning to set up a barricade gauntlet which I sweetly avoided but also alerted to the crush of people likely coming on the weekend. The train seemed to be filled with about half locals and half tourists. The ride east is spectacular with dramatic seaside cliffs and homes reaching high on the mountainous coastline. The station in Monaco feels like its underground (and probably is) and left me a bit disoriented when I finally found myself on a street. I had skipped a long queue for an elevator (asceneurs in French) which I later learned are located all about the city built on the side of a steep mountainside. The public elevators have the bottoms deep inside the hillside down long corridors with the tops popping out near the surface. Floors have negative numbers such that '0' is the top and surface. I climbed many stairs before I discovered these elevators. (Google maps hasn't figured them out yet.) Easily finding the office with 'will-call' tickets, the folks there quickly provided my tickets for the next few days.

I started walking, or should say climbing, to explore Monaco in the few hours before the first race activity. The Monaco National Museum sadly was closed despite stated hours of being open - I chalked it up to the Grand Prix. However, getting there took me by the Parc Princesse Antoinette park; a lovely very manicured garden with goat pens, winding paths, small courts for basket ball, badminton, etc, flowers, and playgrounds for kids all clinging to a steep hillside. I managed to find myself back in France during the morning walk that also straddled the northern border - France on the uphill side and Monaco on the downhill side of the street. I tried out the elevators. I wandered the ancient Monaco City adjacent to the Palace and admired the impressive building housing the oceanographic museum (didn't go in). I saw no trash and just a few graffiti - a very stark contrast from Marseille. It's a city of old and modern high rises with more under construction yet it retains the feel of an older European city. I didn't pass much shopping though the supercar show rooms stood out. The folks I passed, the adolescents kicking a soccer ball, the mothers with toddlers in the park all caused me to pause and contemplate the idea that they must be associated with millions of dollars in wealth.

This is only my second Grand Prix race to attend so I come with limited experience. Just the same, this must be one of the most intimate spectator race experiences of the race circuit. The pungent smells and ear shattering gut punching noise envelope fans on turn 19. The unique exhaust smells of the F2 and F3 cars is akin to that of jet aircraft but sweeter. The sounds bursting from the F2, F3, and Porsches each had a definable signature. The F3's rumbled. The F2's growled and exploded with extremely loud gunfire on the up and down shifts; this unique character meant the upshifts could be counted (with earplugs in I'll add) as they sped away out of sight down the home stretch. The Porsches were a combination of a loud purr building to a crescendo growl. I wish I'd measured the decibel levels. The monitors remind people to wear hearing protection (and sunscreen). The Porsches generated the smell of burning rubber as they often did four wheel drifts around the two ninety-degree corners.

Large monitors, located in sight of grandstands, display editor selected cars racing on the track. These enable attendees to see action around the race course not just where they sit. The announcer language rotated between French, English, and Italian; this fits with the fact that in Monaco these are the three principle languages spoken.

Grandstand L, where I sat, provides a view of the pit lane entrance and the passage between the pit and equipment areas. Thanks to the eagle eyed people around me, I saw Lance Stroll (driver for Aston Martin), Max Verstappen (driver for Red Bull and current front runner), Lewis Hamilton (driver for Mercedes, seven time world F1 champion and currently 4th - I saw him twice), and Fernado Alonso (driver for Aston Martin and third in the current driver standings - I saw him twice as well).

The weather bordered on hot in the morning, then rained in the early afternoon for the F3 practice session then cleared up for the remainder of the day. I perspired in the morning heat then donned my jacket and tried to avoid sitting on wet seats in the early afternoon. The casual rain cooled things down without drenching.

There were red flags for all three practice sessions: F3, F2, and Porsches. One of the crashes happened almost immediately in front of me as a driver tried to over take on the inside of the tight turn 19.

I wasn't alone in being a bit lost as to the location of the train station. A couple approached me from some non-English speaking country, switched to English and asked how to get to the station. We walked together a bit until coming upon the entrance I completely avoided when I exited the train in the morning. And yes, the station is underground. Waiting on the packed platform there were many uncertain riders about whether this was the right place. Thankfully I've had about three weeks to learn about the trains. A security guard gently moved people back from the edge. The 6PM train back to Nice was packed with a bit of pushing by people to get on which I found disconcerting.

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A time comes when a person needs a vacation from a vacation - ha ha! Most of today shone through the open window while I edited pictures, wrote blogs, and did a little laundry. Nice is a nice city and by mid afternoon sightseeing started again. One street has shop after shop of women's dresses and shoes. A band stand had a band practicing so one could hear the music, but one couldn't see in. A small photographic museum displayed some intriguing pictures incorporating a mirror and scenes like a plowed field that wouldn't draw your eye twice except for the reflection in the mirror. There exists an elevator that carries one from the beach level to the old castle grounds high on a hill that exists as a lovely park now. The views from the top including that of the city, a fish feeding frenzy in the sea, the Nice beach, yachts coming and going, the airport, and an adjacent harbor were well worth the 'climb'. The route back brought me past a beautiful cemetery where I stopped and chatted with Reed and Carol on the phone. Continuing down a zig zagging stair the walk passed through the Old City of Nice with its many cafes, shops and tourists. I passed what looked like a shrunk version of the Notre-Dame in Paris; I'm finding there are plenty of 'Notre-Dame' churches. A shop near the VRBO sells warm soft baguettes for 1€. Slicing them the long way they form the foundation for great sandwiches.

I've discovered that Nice has mosquitos! So tiny and quiet they almost go unnoticed until their anticoagulant saliva starts the itching response. The itchiness far exceeds the insects size and can last for a couple of days - ugh. Leaving the tall windows open to admit the delightful breeze is so inviting yet has its downside.

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The 7:20AM train from Nice to Monaco perhaps was just barely early enough - people were standing. With the first activity on the track not starting for several hours, I elected to exit the Monaco station a different way. I stopped for a coffee and croissant and a little compare and contrast; the coffee in Lisbon was 60% cheaper and the croissant trailed the quality of one I had in Ramatuelle - it was Monaco though!

Not being eager to walk I made my way to seating in the L grandstand. This location provides a nice view of the Palace, the harbor with it's massive yachts, most of the pit, and turn 17. Initially the empty stands allowed wandering around. A reprimand came for leaning over the railing above the track to take a panoramic photo and for standing at one point to stretch my legs. The day was spent there since I'd packed lunch and had water. The sun grew strong through the day demanding protection. People sought refuge in the shade of the grandstands.

There were two sprint races, F2 and F3, the last F1 practice, and the F1 qualifying at the end of the day. In F1, Verstappen, number one in the standings, managed to go faster each time another driver bested his time. The crowd would cheer anytime a better time was set though this could have simply been fans for different drivers spread through the grandstand.

Being able to see the pits added dimension. One of the drivers, Nico, cycled to the pit waving which brought cheers and claps from the audience. There were what seemed like a very large number of personnel in pit lane.

Upon the completion of the F1 qualifying, the boats in the harbor blew their horns for maybe five minutes. I can only imagine what tomorrow's conclusion of the race will bring!

The voyage home became an epic effort. I waited over an hour before even trying. I explored the route from the train station to the Casino where I'd be sitting the next day. The queue near the elevators to go down to the train station shortened so I went down. But they were directing all people to enter a vehicle tunnel not the station that was immediately insight. Wow! It was a huge line in the tunnel. I decided to go back outside on the streets and wait longer. Three hours after I'd left the grandstand one of the train station queues was shorter. I made it all the way to the train platform, but people kept coming till the point when the train arrived there was no room to board. People were pushing and shoving. Miraculously the next train arrived in five minutes. It was a long train with lots of cars. The crush of people had finally passed. An available seat on the train presented itself - a small miracle. It was almost four hours.

Back in Nice a convenience store remained open and had a couple of items I wanted in preparation for tomorrow's main race day and the long travel day following on Monday.

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Monaco - Monte Carlo Grand Prix race day!!

Loath to practice as a sardine on a train, I rose at 5AM catching a 6AM train. Empty seats abound and the ones filled had mostly Formula 1 employees. Visiting a city in the early morning void of traffic and people shows a different pleasant side. Coincidentally following a local off the train, she jay-walked the clear street stepping inside a patisserie. One catering to a local clientele! Relaxing on a bench shaded by a massive tree in a pleasant park north of the Casino, rain faked a threat and the morning woke up a bit more.

The first event was the F3 race running smoothly. An hour later the F2 race was run. A car crashed just entering Casino Square where I sat then burst into flames. If cars aren't going round-n-round-n-round they're likely crashing. Not that anyone wishes for a crash or injuries, the events do create more thrill to the experience of watching. In the final morning's race involving the Porsches there were a number of incidents. The first was a spinout with the driver able to exit the course so the race was uninterrupted. The thrill continued with three laps remaining in the Porsche race, a car hit the barrier on the right hand turn immediately in front of the Casino and across from the grandstand. This caused the driver to loose control and the car plowed into the barrier immediately at the base of the grandstand! People stood and tried to scamper toward the bottom of the stands to get the proverbial photo. The security attendants calmly and firmly ushered people back to their seats with clear instructions to sit down. That raced ended behind the Safety Car effectively over.

So the Casino grandstand seat has not disappointed with the feature F1 race still to come.

The F1 cars started the show with some ear-shattering warmup laps. Then came the formal Monaco national anthem, the formation lap, and then .... "Lights Out!" .... the race began! Max Verstappen held the lead from pole position to the end. Alfonso held on for a spell then slowly slipped back as Max pulled away. The rain came in the last 20 laps sending cars in for wet tires (tires with a tread), fans donning rain gear if they'd brought it, some folks getting soaked, and others just leaving. The race pace slowed considerably and the order of the cars shuffled. There were some contact between cars and the barriers, but the race was never stopped - amazing!

Overall the race closed out on a high the adventure of visiting Monaco and attending a Monte Carlo Grand Prix experience. Sitting in the stands as the last pictures were taken by the fans and the trophies awarded on the big screen, I wondered how the last four days passed so quickly. Maybe that's just the feeling of life - it races past like F1 cars - in a streak of color and the roar of an engine.

Pictures and video will follow in a day or so.