Day 07 Walking Around Monaco

After saying good-bye to our new friend Walter at the Monte Carlo Casino, we made our way down toward the Circuit de Monaco hairpin turn. Standing there, curbside, it didn’t take much imagination to hear the scream of Formula 1 engines echoing off the buildings, cars blasting through the Monaco Tunnel and rocketing back into the sunlight. Even just walking on the sidewalk through the tunnel, my senses filled in the rest — the smell of fuel, the vibration in your chest, the controlled chaos. It pulled me right back to Connecticut, nearly twenty years ago, when Donna, Keara, and I were racing ourselves. Different scale, same heartbeat.

Once we emerged from the tunnel and stepped toward the water, Monaco made its next point very clear: this place runs on money. Port Hercule opened up in front of us with yachts that looked more like floating cities. The sun was shining, the air was warm, and we walked hand in hand casually deciding which one we wanted. A little later, near the Palace, Donna spotted the one in a window display — a yacht named Energy. I checked the price. €185,000,000. I’m confident that with Walter’s help we could talk them down. We are not paying more than €150,000,000 for a used yacht. Especially one with only seven guest suites.

We took the pathway up toward the Prince’s Palace of Monaco, passing guards who take their jobs very seriously. From up there, the views stretch across rooftops, the harbor, and the endless blue beyond. Eventually hunger won the debate, and we headed back toward the marina to an Italian restaurant we had noticed earlier. Dinner was wonderful — relaxed, delicious, and exactly what we needed.

That’s also where we met a couple of very charming four-legged locals — Kooikerhondjes. They’re a rare Dutch breed, originally bred in the Netherlands to lure ducks into traps (kooiker literally means duck catcher). Today, they’re known for being affectionate, intelligent companion dogs — and they seem to show up more often in wealthy European enclaves than almost anywhere else, which made Monaco a perfectly believable place to meet them. Donna was smitten. I was outnumbered.

As the sun began to set and the light softened, we made our way back toward our AirBNB — uphill, of course — dragging ourselves up the cobblestone streets. We knew what was coming next: packing, logistics, and the final push of our eight-day mini Amazing Race toward Barcelona. Tomorrow would involve another flight. But for now… wow.

It had been one of those days — full of people, places, and moments that don’t need exaggeration to be unforgettable. Monaco is a place we’ll remember fondly, not just for the glamour and wealth, but for the unexpected kindness, the shared laughter, the walking, the wondering, and the feeling that for one perfect day, we were exactly where we were supposed to be.Read more