What To Do in MONACO
Experiencing the Oasis of Monaco
Where do I even begin? After traveling to every major city in America, residing in my favorite City (New York), vacationing in Hawaii, Mexico, Paris, Italy, and other beautiful destinations, my feet have finally touched down on my new favorite place in the world.
I’ve finally discovered the land of Monaco.
The day I arrived, it was warm. I was hungry. The group I was with (my future family who I love PS!) led me on a long walk that for a while seemed like it might be leading to nowhere. BUT ON THE WAY, we saw the beach. And not only was it gorgeous, but people were HAPPY. Children, adults, tiny bodies, thick bodies; everyone seemed to be in their own personal heaven. People were swimming in the ocean like it was a swimming pool; doing backflips off of this large structure just a little passed the buoy. I loved what I saw and I hadn’t even brought my swimsuit.
ON THE WAY, we passed the PRINCE of Monaco. The what? YES, AN ACTUAL PRINCE. There appeared to be a boat building competition (a what? Yes. A boat building competition.) and in the narrow path, there was a little hubbub. A couple cameras, a few security detail. Nothing too heavy and disturbing, but enough to know someone or something was important was afoot. And sure enough, a stranger whispered in my ear saying, “The prince of Monaco is right there.” I was so mesmerized that my group had actually left me and I hadn’t noticed! So I ran to catch up with them. And…
ON THE WAY, my dear loving and handsome fiancé stumbled into this building where once again I was thinking, ‘I’m getting a little hungry. And it doesn’t look like there’s any food in here.’ But he spotted two huge jugs of iced lemon water and iced cucumber water. He poured us a cup each. Maybe it was the heat of the day but it was the best water I’ve ever tasted in my life. The Holy Spirit was in that water. It satisfied my thirst and left a lingering reminder that it was truly the best water of my life. We ventured on, and
ON THE WAY, we passed yacht after yacht after yacht. And I’m not talking about small humble yachts, (which lezzz be honest, are AWESOME. Not that i've ever been on one, but anyway). These suckers were MASSIVE and GORGEOUS. Triple and quadruple deckers with jacuzzies on them. Watching fancy people walk the stairs to get on and be escorted by the attendants and workers of the yachts was a sight to behold. I felt like I was watching a TV show except with my own eyes in real life.
We finally found the place we were looking for to have lunch. It was right on the beach, outside but covered. I ordered salad and it was tres bien. There’s been a lot of free alcohol floating around on this trip and I must say, it was nice to skip the drinks for this meal. I didn’t want it or crave it. The water and my chicken salad was perfect. And then I went around the corner and headed straight to the water.
Mind you, I don’t have my swimsuit. I’m in a sundress and sparkly flats and not prepared for the beach at all. The moment I stepped on to the sand, I was skeptical. It isn’t soft sand like in California. They are almost pebbles or rocks. That’s not really my style, so I kept my sandals on as I ventured closer and closer to the shoreline.
And when I put my feet in the water, something happened to me.
I felt like I was home.
I felt this incredible sense of joy and peace and happiness. And suddenly the rocks beneath my feet felt like a massage. I wanted to go further and further out. I’ve never WANTED that. I’m an ankles-deep kind of girl. If I had brought my swimsuit, I guarantee I would have gotten in up to my neck. That’s how good it felt. I could have stayed there for hours. I could have enjoyed that spot for the rest of the day. I think that’s the first time I ever touched the Mediterranean Sea.
I checked back in with my future family at the table and right next us in the sand, there were two love birds. Literal birds—KISSING. I don’t think I’ve ever witnessed that. They were standing in front of each other calmly and putting their beaks together. Then they began necking each other and grooming each other. Then they sat down together touching and just hung out with one another. Then more kissing, more grooming.
It felt like a sign. It felt like, yeah, I should probably go ahead and marry Andrew. Haha! In fact, that’s how we love on each other before we turn on Netflix. Those birds were living their best lives in their own little corner on the beach in Monaco. I ain’t mad at it!
We walked up this huge mountain. It didn’t feel like a hike because there were large steps nicely paved and endless photo opportunities. We got to the top and there it was: the Prince’s palace, equipped with formal guards and all. The view was perfect. There were a few little shops and restaurants in the area that were fun to walk by. And as we wandered around we passed a beautiful garden. And we passed the Chalet of one of the princesses. It was a PINK palace with white trim. And she also had her own guard. I loved seeing that. And then finally we found an aquarium at the end. Super random but we all wanted to go. So we did!
We were like kids in that aquarium. It was so fun! But the best part in my opinion, Andrew and I found when everyone else had already exited. We found an elevator and there was a button for a rooftop. And so we went. And when those elevator doors opened, HERE was the most stunning view of the city I could ever dream of. And THERE WAS NO ONE UP THERE! It was silent. Peaceful. In that moment, I heard and felt a hushed, “Take off your shoes.”
So I did.
And I just breathed in and out, standing there in the middle of this rooftop in Monaco. It felt so special. It felt Holy almost. It felt like a secret place. They DO have a restaurant up there but it was closed. And you wouldn’t be up there unless you had a ticket to the aquarium. But also the aquarium ends and shuffles you out into the gift shop. There weren’t a tremendous amount of signs to keep exploring upstairs. So I’m saying, it was easy to miss if you didn’t know it was there.
While I was taking it all in, a worker came out of the elevator. She saw me, and she smiled. I smiled back. And she left me alone.
At some point in the day, because we were there for almost 11 hours and timed seemed to stop in Monaco, we had gotten on the public bus. I think the fare was 2 euros each. And we rode it from one end of the city to the other. It was stunning. So much greenery and plants and trees along the public streets. I can only imagine what all the homes looked like. We heard a stat that 1 in 5 people that live in Monaco are millionaires. Which definitely tracks, except the stat was wrong. It’s actually 1 in 3. I KNOW, RIGHT?! Population: 38,000. Passing by all the shopping looked so glamorous. They had every major brand represented there. But then there was a Zara, which I couldn’t tell was Zara because the clothes in the window looked like DIOR!!! I thought to myself wow: Even the Zara is fancier here. We also passed by the Casino. That’s not my cup of tea. But it was highly decorated with the fanciest cars out in front. It was immaculate.
We got off the bus at the end of the line and did some light shopping. I call it light shopping because there weren’t that many stores down there but enough to scratch my itch. I’ve been wanting to shop this whole trip and finally I had a 45 minute window of time to go and do my own thing!! I found a scarf for my mom and this perfect fitting black leather skirt and the cutest denim romper!
We ended the day getting dinner at www.lexpressmonaco.com and it was exactly what I needed. Red wine and a pizza and a few bites of warm chocolate cake. There was laughter, good stories, and a whole lot of love.
Here’s my Monaco Takeaway:
Monaco is a VIBE. It’s heaven on earth. It’s where people go to enjoy life. No one is stressed. Everyone is beautifully dressed. What I really loved about it was that even though it’s clearly a fancy place, I never felt unwelcomed. I never felt out of place. I felt like… maybe one day I could live there if the stars aligned. It makes me want to be my best self. It makes me want to be chic, fit, and warm. It makes want to finish my laser hair removal and also get really healthy. I felt so much love and peace and beauty and wonder! It feels royal, regal, bougie, but also welcoming, laid back, and accepting. I’m currently staying in Nice, France and now I know that Monaco is about a 20 minute train ride away.
I’m going back.
