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Monaco, a police state?

Monaco geographic and history

Visiting Monaco-the Palace-the Cathedral and princess Grace

Only one more part of the Monaco-Monte Carlo area has to be visited: Monte-Carlo, which means the area you see on the landside from the rock.
The most important edifice is of course the already mentioned casino. It was once described....”la cathedrale d'enfer qui dresse les deux cornes de ses tours mauresques sur cet eden de perversite", translated with the courtesy of Mrs. Anne Forrest " the cathedral from hell, the twin horns of whose Moorish towers rise up over a wayward Eden".
Located at the place du casino, bordered by magnificent gardens, pineapple shaped palms, ferns and figs, jacaranda and magnolia, decorated in exorbitant "belle -époque "style , with daylight filters through stained glass domes and windows. Bronze lamps are held aloft by sculpted nymphs.  There is also a large terrace from where you have a splendid  view so far as the pointe de Bordighera. Entrance is only allowed to persons over 21 years (from 12.00) In the wealthy decorated gambling rooms, you can cut the suspense and lurk at the stressed faces of the players around the roulette or baccarat tables. Only the Salle des Jeux Americains is free-but not gratuity-, for the other rooms you have to pay an entrance fee: 50 FF!! You must pay and buy play chips showing your passport. Dressing code is strict.
A few other strict rules: ministers of religion and residents of Monaco are forbidden to enter. If the Grimaldi attend an opera in the Casino's Salle Garnier, they have to enter through a side door. 
Next to the casino, in the Theatre National, also built by Garnier in 1878, a lot of concerts, ballets and film events take place.
But what I like most is to cross the street and pay a visit to the incomparable “HOTEL DE PARIS”, even only if you want to see how the plush world of the billionaires must have looked around the beginning of the 20th century. It has a delightful setting, overlooking the lush Casino gardens, the Café de Paris and the sea.  Notice the unbridled extravagance and early rococo style of its facade.  Even taking into consideration that times changed a lot, there is still a “Death in Venice” atmosphere. It is worth to enter this hotel, walk through the labyrinth of corridors, and take the elevator to the 6th floor to have a lunch. It’s very expensive, I admit that, but what an experience!! If you want to do this folly, do it! You will sit between all the world celebrities or remember all those who lunched here like Sarah Bernhardt who failed a suicide bid in her suite , when she had lost her last 100,000 Francs in the Casino,  or Churchill, who came with his pet parrot Tony who escaped out of his cage one night and flew away, leaving the poor man at the brink of despair. Only a cognac " fine champagne" of 1810 that he shared with lord Beaverbrook , could comfort him....
In the same neighbourhood, where many other prestigious hotels are located, you can find city hall and the Musée National. Installed in the villa Sauber, built by Garnier, it houses an exceptional collection of hundreds 19th century automats and dolls.
Along the promenade on the waterfront you can also visit the recent “Jardin Princesse Grace” which is in fact a Japanese Garden, created by Princess Grace.  
Our visit to Monaco would not be complete without a stroll through the famous “JARDIN EXOTIQUE” You can take bus no 2 from the palace or centre town. For those who would climb wit some scepticism to the Jardins, there is a big surprise in store! It’s the most perfect collection succulents from South America and Africa that manage to survive in Europe. About 8,000 of them! It’s Albert who got them to Monaco. The garden climbs and descends through sometimes-perpendicular breakneck paths, over small wooden bridges, between the bullet cactuses, Mexican yuccas, pillar cactuses of 7 meters high Peruvian 

Grottes de l'Observatoire

monster candles, agaves and Moroccan euphorbias that cab grow up to 15 metres high, gigantic philodendrons and aloes. On small terraces built against the stonewalls of the “Tete de Chien”, from 90 to 130 meters above sea level you can, when the weather is clear, even see Corsica and the island of Elba. In 1950 the “Grottes de l’Observatoire » was opened for the public. It's a circuit through slippery steps leading down to the bottom of the caves. A succession of halls in the grotto plenty of stalactites and stalagmites. It is prove that the man of “Cro-Magnon” lived here 20,000 years ago! The majestic Grande Salle resembles the inside of a cathedral, with Romanesque pillars and baptismal fonts. A weird fact: these are the only grottos in Europe where, the more you descend, the more the temperature rises!

For me this Jardin Exotique is one of the few remaining undamaged spots on the Cote. Avis aux amateurs!!

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Visiting Monaco-the Musee Oceanographique

Visiting Monte Carlo-Casino-Hotel de Paris-Jardin Exotique