The streets of Monaco are narrower and remind me of what Europe should look like in mind. Souvenir stores line the corners of every street and all showcase items of bright red. From t-shirts to little replica racecars, its pretty clear what the main attraction of this town.
I ended up making several trips to Monaco and was able to see different aspects of the place each time. The first trip I found the Oceanographic Museum and Aquarium at top of a hill. For 6€, I decided it was worth a look. Everyone else decided it wasn't and we all went our separate ways after discussing to meet back near the Aquarium by the yellow submarine.
The Aquarium was pretty impressive and the museum was showcasing an Antarctica exhibit. The highlight was obviously the aquariums. The first tank you see is huge and is at the bottom on a flight of stairs. When I first got there, it was not crowded but soon people flocked in and pretty much covered the entire viewing glass. There were several other windows on the other side as well. It show cased live coral, reef fish, and as well as larger species such as sharks, green turtles and rays.
Six large metal halide fixtures lit up the viewing area and the live coral all had vivid color. Artifical waves splashed against the top of the viewing window. Below are some pictures of the main tank.
There are tons of aquariums on the lower levels, but none that even compared in size to the first one. Each tank showcased a different time of aquatic life. Of course all the display signs were in French so I really didn't learn much about the sea creatures. There was one tank in particular that was I was really impressed with. It was a larger rectangular tank that housed hundreds of clown fish and anemones. The clown fish darted around and the movement of orange and white was spectacular. I will try to setup a similar tank when I get state-side. I have always wanted to setup a salt tank, but hesitated because it is notoriously difficult. After mastering a freshwater planted tank for 3 years, I think my next setup will be a salt.
We ate at a cafe in the touristy area. I ordered a Stephanie, named after the Princess of Monaco. It was suppose to be salmon and pasta. But when the plate finally came the salmon fillet that I was expected were merely little chunks. Ever since Belfast I've been crave a good fillet of fish. The quest continues.
My second trip to Monaco was with some Canadians that were staying at our hostel. We didn't stay that long, but we were able to walk around on the racetrack area. I believe there was an event that day, as everyone was setting up tents and lawn chairs. Near the race track we could see pit crews warming up tires. F1 tires are different than the Indy slicks that I'm use to in the states. Rather than the large flat slicks, F1 uses tires with thread which is suppose to be safer since it reduces racing speeds.
The racetrack is situated along the bay and boats that are docked near the track have a pretty good view. There are tons of yachts and boats here of all sizes, including a giant cruise ship docked a ways out. Since the track is on the bottom of several hills there are many places to see the race from. Many people had already setup lawn chairs and coolers along the many paths that go up and down the hill.
Both times that I went we ended up taking a train back. The train station was probably one of the nicer ones I've seen and it was super clean.
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