Monaco, France, and Casino Monte Carlo: A Tourist's Guide

The train stops right in the middle of the mountain. "Just like a scene from Tolkien," I thought as I walked the lengthy platform and entered an even longer tunnel that led to the edge of the mountain.

Finally, I was in the daylight again. The sun filled the small, compact city with soft filtered rays that only partially penetrated the humid atmosphere of the rugged Mediterranean coastline. As I stepped out into the sunlight, I had to squint, while my eyes adjusted to normal daylight conditions. In front of me was a busy street with many rows of pastel-colored buildings and a small mountain that held a small road that curved around one side of the rocky landform. In the distance were the blue-green waters of the Mediterranean.

Welcome to Monaco, a sovereign, royal kingdom and a tiny, French-speaking city all rolled into the same small package. Monaco, home to the famous Monte Carlo car race, is one of those unique dens of human habitation, where every square inch of possible space is put to use in housing the local population. Here, along the tranquil waters of the Mediterranean, narrow streets run between and sometimes beneath towering apartment complexes and pristine shopping enterprises. In the distance extravagant bungalows cling to precipitous cliffs that drop sharply into the shining sea and the harbors are filled with expensive yachts, which often serve as houseboats in this crowded town.