Monaco is like a weird dream where you are a peasant amongst the rich and you are trying and failing to put forth your classiest act. It is the picture of elegance and wealth, filled with yachts, fancy restaurants, upscale casinos. About 30% of the city’s residents are millionaires at least, there is no income tax, and it shows.
I don’t spend a lot of time in places like this, so it was exciting and also a little bit intimidating! I try to be a class-act at all times, OF COURSE, but how can you hide that you are just a clumsy American with frizzy hair and a tight budget? Hopefully I pulled it off moderately well.
We arrived in Monaco from our hostel in Nice in less than half an hour (only 8 miles away), then went to a swanky restaurant for dinner, which you should do because you’re in Monaco and you should treat yourself whilst here. Also be sure to check out the view over the Monaco Bay because it is worth a look-see, even on the overcast June evening we had.
The Monte Carlo Casino is a treat to experience. Though at this point I had never been to an American casino, I knew the general gist: lots of drinking, flashing lights, and loud gamblers. Monte Carlo is nothing of the sort. Just like the rest of the country, it is elegant and quiet; people dressed to the nines sit at tables politely sipping their wine and placing their bets. Before heading to Buddah-Bar for a nightcap (is that a drink at the end of the night? Is that what that is called? Because that’s what we had), I put 20€ in one of the slot machines and ended up walking away with THIS LOL:
I am not a gambler at heart, had no idea what I was doing, and I lost 19.80€, but I lost it at the Monte Carlo, and this entire evening was an experience I will not soon forget!
