I can’t offer you a lap of the circuit… but I can offer something almost as entertaining.

A wander through the city – when barriers are going up, the crowds haven’t quite arrived, and the whole place feels like it’s gearing up for something a little dramatic.

Start at the Places des Armes

Begin in Place des Armes, a short walk down from the Palais.

It’s lively in the mornings – proper local life rather than polished Monaco. Market stalls, bright fruit, the small of warm socca and pissaladière drifting through the square.

Cafés spill out under the arches, the shaded tables already taken by people who clearly know what they’re doing.

If you want one of those tables, book ahead. Or accept your fate and sit in the sun like the rest of us..

A few Monaco observations

• Men in tight suits….no socks ‘de rigueur’
• Sunglasses that probably cost more than your holiday
• An unexpected obsession with mashed potato

Yes, really.

Monaco may be the land of yachts and supercars, but its also the kingdom of the mashed potato. It’s everywhere. On every menu. And, slightly annoyingly, it’s excellent.

Grand Prix build-up

Even in April, Monaco is already preparing for its most important event of the year – the Grand Prix.

Grandstands rise in neat blue rows. Metal barriers line the streets. The whole town begins to feel like a stage set.

And the strange thing is – even without a race car – you can still feel the excitement.

Drive the circuit in an ordinary car (a humble Fiat 500 will do just fine) and suddenly you’re noticing the bends, the climbs, the impossibly tight corners. You start to imagine the noise, the speed, the crowds leaning over the barriers.

It’s a car lover’s paradise – the kind of place that makes you want to ditch the glitz and head straight for the Route des Grandes Alpes.

Outside the casino, every day feels like a private motor show.

Cars glide in, gleaming, engines purring. Doors click shut, and for a moment you’re not quite sure who’s on display – the cars or their owners.

Lunch, here, is a performance.

Cafés, casinos and slight disappointments

Opposite the square, the Café de Paris is perfect for people watching. The rich, the famous, and the wannabes.

Over a cappuccino. Add a glass of fresh orange juice. Sit back and enjoy the theatre. You could easily convince yourself you’re in a film.

Then, of course, there is the famous casino.

You can peek inside – and you probably should – but manage your expectations.
‘The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo’ turns out to be ….a rather oversized cartoon figure surrounded by giant Monopoly money.

Not quite the glamour I’d imagined.

A touch of old Monaco

Monaco does have history beneath the gloss.

Grace Kelly lived here. Married Prince Rainier. Became part of the story.

The royal palace, perched above the town, is open to visitors. It doesn’t reveal much of royal life, but inside – frescoes, marble, quiet opulent rooms – there’s a surprising sense of calm. An oasis away from the noise below.

Yachts (of course)

You can’t come to Monaco and ignore the yachts.

These aren’t boats. They’re floating worlds. Fully crewed, multi-million pound, five-star residences. Monaco doesn’t really do understatement.

They line the harbour in front of the Yacht Club – white, gleaming, slightly unreal. Strolling past them you can’t help wondering who owns them…and what their lives look like.

A changing coastline

To the east, Monaco is still growing.

A new stretch of reclaimed land is being transformed into a sandy beach with sun loungers, backed by restaurants and bars. It’s a long way from the relatively natural unspoilt beaches of Lake Geneva but it’s clean, bright, and unmistakably designed to please.

It’s already popular, and certain to be more so in the summer months.

Getting around

Monaco is surprisingly easy to navigate:

Hop-on-hop-off bus: about €26 for the day
Local buses: cheap and frequent
Walking: often the best option (if you don’t mind hills)

If you’re staying in Menton for example – the coastal train takes about 15 minutes, and the views are worth the journey alone.

A walk worth doing

If you have the time (and the energy), walk along the coastal path into Monaco.

It takes around two hours and passes some stunning spots – including the Eileen Gray house and villas once stayed in by Winston Churchill while he painted the beauty of the Riviera.

There’s a café at Beaulieu about halfway. You’ll need it.

Bring water, good shoes, and sun protection. This is not a stroll to underestimate.

And finally…

Yes, Monaco can feel excessive. There’s constant building work. Too many people. Too much money on display. And yet…

It still has glamour… it still has atmosphere… and it still has sunshine.

Would James Bond like it?  I don’t think he’d be shaken.

But he’d definitely be stirred.

The post A Spin Around Monaco before the Grand Prix appeared first on Tales from the Balcony.

You don’t just see them – you begin to notice them all around you.

Surrounded by lemons

Sweet dreams are made of this.

It’s February in Menton on the Côte d’Azur, and the carnival season has arrived. Or rather, something altogether more unexpected: a festival devoted almost entirely to lemons.

The Pearl of the Mediterranean

Menton calls itself the Pearl of the Mediterranean. Hugging the coastline between Monaco and the Italian border, this little French town is a riot of colour at any time of year.

Along with Thollon and Scotland, it’s one of those places that stays with me.

The facades of the higgledy-piggledy houses of the old town are painted in rich sienna, warm ochres and soft rose-petal pinks.

As they wind their way down the hillside alongside alleyways, cobbled streets and lantern-lit staircases, they look as if an artist has dropped a palette of ochres, sienna and soft pinks across the town.

In a summer state of mind, even in winter

The colours flow down into the sandy Garavan Bay. Where once a string of beachside restaurants and bars lined the promenade there’s now a more open, streamlined boardwalk- though it feels as the cafés will return, perhaps tucked beneath the arches of the road.

Out on the water, little white boats still bob in the sunlight.

The golden light of winter

People have visited Menton in winter for years, drawn by its mild climate, but also that soft, golden light that seems to settle over the town and linger.

In the late 1800s, local hoteliers came up with the idea of a winter exhibition of flowers and citrus fruits. It was a way to bring colour and life to the quieter months.   Those early exhibitions eventually evolved into the Menton Lemon Festival we see today.

Lemons and Oranges

Why lemons? Menton has been known for them for centuries. Once one of Europe’s leading producers, the town exported its fruit far and wide. Used to combat scurvy and prized as a small luxury on the dining tables of the wealthy.

Oranges are everywhere in Menton too.

In winter, the streets are lined with heavily laden orange trees.  And everywhere, of course, serves freshly squeezed orange juice.

What’s so special about the Menton lemon?

Menton’s lemons are quite different from those grown in Italy and Spain. They’re generally larger with a thick, knobbly peel. They can be sliced and eaten whole, and have a sweet, delicate flavour.

They’re higher in citric acid and richer in essential oils than other lemons. And they grow in clusters – sometimes fifteen to a branch, instead of the usual five. No wonder they’re prized.

Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy

Lemons and Love

Legend has it that it was Eve who first brought the lemon to Menton.

When they were expelled from the Garden of Eden, Eve took with her not an apple, but the golden fruit of the lemon.

On leaving the garden, she told Adam that she would place the fruit in the most beautiful country she saw.

They were so enchanted by Menton that she threw the lemon onto a terrace, saying “Go, prosper and multiply. Make this place a paradise, so that people who stay here throughout the ages will find a little taste of the Garden of Eden”.

…or something along those lines.

Paradise is anywhere with lemonade

The Lemon Festival Today

By the time the festival begins, Menton has taken on a slightly surreal quality.

In the gardens at the heart of the town, enormous sculptures rise up- built entirely from lemons and oranges. Figures, scenes, entire worlds, all glowing in shades of gold and amber.

Look closely and you’ll see that each fruit is carefully fixed into place with a rubber band, one by one. It takes 400 people to design and build the sculptures, and over 140 tons of lemons and oranges.  It’s a painstaking process in the days leading up to the festival.

Elsewhere, the streets fill with music, colour and movement. There are parades. lights, and just enough chaos and confetti to make it fell like a proper celebration.

But for me, its the contrast between the quiet winter light of Menton, and this sudden burst of colour and  exuberance that stays with you.

The lemon, they say is a symbol of abundance, prosperity and good luck.

Perhaps that’s more than enough reason to head for Menton.

The post Menton Lemon Festival: Sunlight, Citrus and Winter on the Côte d’Azur appeared first on Tales from the Balcony.