Monaco Grand Prix
We stayed in a small village outside Monaco called Beaulieu-sur-Mer as hotel rooms are booked years in advance for this particular event. As it happens I am glad that we were not in Monaco for the whole 4 days as it gave us an opportunity to see more of the Cote d'Azur. We saw some fantastic coastline via train and taxi.
On the friday night we ate at Les Agaves just opposite the train station and judging by the signed photographs on the walls it has been frequented by some famous people, which did not surprise me as the food was excellent. We took the 15 minute ride into Monaco to meet up with some friends who knew some people that had a boat moored in the centre of the harbour with a grand stand view of the part of the racetrack. We were invited to board and enjoyed a few drinks whilst lapping up this lavish lifestyle.
As for the event itself, I can honestly say that my interest in motorsport prior to this was minimal, but I defy anyone to not get caught up in the atmosphere of the weekend. On the saturday for qualifying, we weaved through the crowds and chanced upon a charming Pizzeria, I asked for a 'Speciale' which was excellent but surprisingly had a fried egg in the middle. Lewis Hamilton qualified on the front row which was extremely popular with the large British contingent. Saturday night we spent walking round some of the racetrack and we finished the night off drinking champagne in the Cafe de Paris just across from the famous Casino.
Raceday was a phenomenal experience which saw Lewis Hamilton take 2nd place on the podium. After the race we had reservations at 'Stars and Bars'; a very American experience which strangely did not seem out of place. We observed many parties taking place on the boats and ships moored in the harbour; these probably went on until the wee small hours but we were all worn out by the weekend and made our way back to the hotel.
All in all this was a brilliant trip which inspired me to take my partner Michelle later on that year to see Monaco in it's natural state with no fences forming the racetrack but that's another story ..