Thank you very much Tommy, and I'm glad my photos are bringing back many fond memories. That was a great cruise and we love Viking. We only wished we had more time in several places, but that's what happens on a cruise: you see a lot of places, but only get a snapshot of each place. For that reason, we rented a car last year and drove around Italy for a month, staying in most places 2-3 nights. You also get to places that are difficult to get to without a car. Photos of that trip to follow when I finish these posts.

The city of Monte Carlo in the petite kingdom of Monaco boasts some of the world’s most exclusive shopping and a beautiful old port. A fairy-tale aura has settled on this glittering city of the Grimaldi family, perhaps nowhere more elegantly than at the Prince’s Palace, where the late American actress-turned-princess Grace Kelly presided with Prince Rainier III. Monte Carlo’s medieval quarter perches on “The Rock,” an escarpment at the foot of the Maritime Alps, and offers spectacular views of the Mediterranean and the harbor lined with mega-yachts. With an area of 2.02 km2 (0.78 sq mi), it is the second-smallest sovereign state in the world, after Vatican City. Its 19,009 inhabitants /km2 (49,230/sq mi) make it the most densely-populated sovereign state in the world. The smallest is Vatican City, which we visited later in this trip. The third smallest is San Marino (an amazing place), which we visited the year after this trip.

We were scheduled to anchor outside of the harbor and tender in to Monaco (using the ship’s lifeboats). However, we were able to dock instead and were thus able to walk on and off of the ship.

The Lionheart yacht (photo 5), built by Benetti Yachts, is owned by British billionaire Sir Philip Green. Constructed of steel and aluminum, the yacht features a diesel-electric propulsion system powered by Caterpillar engines. The Lionheart is 90m (295 ft) long. With an estimated value of $150 million, the yacht can accommodate 12 guests and a crew of 30. Interior design by Green and Mingarelli reflects the personal touch of the owner’s wife, Tina Green. The yacht often berths in Monaco, Philip Green’s place of residence. Sir Philip Green has made a name for himself as a renowned British business magnate, best known for his ventures in the retail industry. Often referred to as the “King of High Street”, who has established an empire in the clothing retail business. Sir Philip’s Arcadia Group is a significant player in the British clothing retail scene, owning over 900 stores in 40 countries, including popular brands such as Dorothy Perkins, Miss Selfridge, and Evans.

On a smaller scale is the 35m/114'10" motor yacht 'Bacchus' that was built by Benetti in Italy at their Fano shipyard (photo 6). Her interior is styled by French designer design house Zuretti and she was completed in 2005. This luxury vessel's exterior design is the work of Stefano Righini. Bacchus has been designed to comfortably accommodate up to 10 guests in 5 suites. She is also capable of carrying up to 5 crew onboard to ensure a relaxed luxury yacht experience. Her features include a gym, deck jacuzzi and air conditioning. Built with a GRP hull and GRP superstructure, with teak decks, she benefits from a semi-displacement hull to provide exceptional seakeeping and impressive speeds. Bacchus comfortably cruises at 13 knots, reaches a maximum speed of 17 knots with a range of up to 3,000 nautical miles from her 132,475 litre fuel tanks at 12 knots.

We spent part of a day in Monaco on our 1973 European trip, but that was our only other visit. We visited the oceanographic museum (photo 9) in July, 1973 and it was one of the best museums that we visited on that trip; alas, we had other things to do on this visit, so we’ll have to go back. One of the excursions offered by Viking included a visit to the casino, but we chose the walking tour and are glad that we did. As a Formula 1 fan for over 50 years, I have watched a lot of races from Monaco on TV. I was able to walk part of the track on this visit (and did the same in 1973) as you will see in a later post in this series.
My previous post can be found at https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-802328-1.html, while the first post of this series can be found at https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-801137-1.html

Next up: more of Monaco