Where the Wealthy P(l)ay

June 19: We left Arles on a beautiful morning, saying farewell to the Rhône River.

Our first destination was Marseille, where we needed to transfer to another train. For reasons I can't recall, we needed to get seat reservations that we hadn't already made. The station was the absolute worst we've ever seen anywhere. Apparently the cleaning crews were on strike, because there were mountains of trash everywhere. Really alarming.

But we were on the hunt for those reservations, because there was very little time before the train we wanted to catch was taking off. Despite seeing people leaving the line in front of the ticket office, we went there, were given a number and told to wait. Our luck was with us that time; we were called almost immediately and sent to a remarkably laconic agent who helped us do what was needed--and we were off, finding our seats and settling in. We were grateful that we hadn't been forced to hang out in that station any longer than we did. Whew!

I'll pause here to say that this was the only station we ever saw that wasn't super clean and well tended. Europeans really know how to maintain their public spaces. We have seldom seen trash, public restrooms are almost always spotless because they're usually pay-to-pee (I've become a fan of this because you can know every stall will be clean and stocked; and yes, I realize that there are inherent downsides to this, not least of them being that if you don't have the money it's a problem. They often also take credit cards...even for the twenty or fifty cents required.)

The only picture we have of Marseille:

BUT! Best first-class train car ever:

We transferred again in Nice, to a local that was carrying lots of beach goers because there were plentiful beaches at numerous stops along the way.

We saw Cannes, our first and probably only visit:

And we finally reached Monaco in the early afternoon, with the usual hot half-hour walk to our lodging. This time we were in a hotel, which had three great amenities: air conditioning, a balcony, and a laundry room right next door, all of which we put to good use. Here's the view from our balcony; we could even see the sea:

After enjoying our balcony for a short while, we took off to see what we could see, first stopping at one of the many gardens that break up the relentless high-rise residences. One of the great things about Monaco is that the royal family clearly values public art and has placed sculptures and installations by well known artists throughout the city/country/state/nation. Monaco, all of about one square mile in land mass, has made ample use of, and profit from, the air above the land, which already seems mostly vertical, by building lots and lots of tall buildings. Here are just a few of the art installations we found along the way:

Andy Goldsworthy: Slate cone for Little Africa (1991)

Philippe Hiquily: Girouette Marbella-Shanghai (1963-2009) This was part of a fundraising auction for something.

Nature's contribution, perhaps aided by a gardener.

We walked on to the vicinity of the Monte Carlo Casino, where plenty of crowd controllers kept the unwashed masses from getting too close to the high rollers and celebrities who might need to enter.

Cindy plotting entry into the hotel where one night's stay probably costs more than a year's income for us.

Kate pondering her assault on the casino.

We walked around the guarded area and on to the marina to see what kind of mega yachts might be moored there. Nothing at all impressive there, and not much moored further out. But more awesome famous artists represented, thanks to the royal family's foundation(s).

Bezzina: Ludus (2017)

Manolo Valdes: Reina Mariana (2003)

Fernando Botero: Adam et Eve (1981)

Hexa Grace: le ciel - la mer- la terre (1979)

I actually tired of photographing art...but you get the picture... 😉

Interestingly, Prince Albert is deeply committed to environmental concerns as well as sharing art with "the people."

Here's something else provided for the people: stairs, lifts, and escalators--just a tiny, tiny sampling:

Frankly, without the public lifts and escalators this place would be unbearable (and when they're out of order it must be sort of hellish).

We climbed our way back to our aerie, stopping along the way to pick up a sandwich for dinner on the balcony while we ran a load of laundry (yay!).

The next morning, we started a big touring day by heading to the casino for the "people's" entry. The thing is, there is a strict dress code for gambling guests, and Cindy and I were definitely not interested in adding to our wardrobe in order to pass muster. So we paid our €17 each to go through the place before the gamblers arrived. Lots of pictures taken, which will not overwhelm here. Notable takeaways: every huge fabric drape was absolutely devoid of dust; every gaming table was being meticulously vacuumed and polished; every separate room was its own unique themed work of art; there were cameras and security personnel everywhere. Funny how art always ends up in the places of power and money (I.e., churches, palaces, casinos).

Just a sampling:

Right at the entrance, this sculpture titled La Fortune, by Daphne du Barry, gives hope to all who enter...

Cindy trying to fit in

Cindy's always on the lookout for a fine W.C., and this one seemed perfect--but it was locked. 🫤

Salon 1889 ceiling

Those dust-free drapes

I'm convinced this was the entrance to a secret area...

If I had a favorite rooom in this place, I think it would be this Salle Medecin (I wonder who or what the doctor would be). A couple more images from this room to finish up this series:

Next up: our tour of the Oceanography Museum and the Prince's Palace. Stay tuned!