Monaco and the Côte d'Azur

A new - for me - map of the Côte d'Azur showing the position of Monaco.  I bought it ready stamped with old stamps, and probably over-priced, but I liked it.  It seems slightly odd that they have shown the casino towering above the Prince's Palace.

Monaco Grand Prix 2014

Today the qualifying rounds for the 2014 Monaco Grand Prix start.  There have been two days of practice sessions already and the race itself is on Sunday 25 May.  All this take place on the normal roads of Monaco which are shut to road traffic from 7 am to 7 pm each of these days.  No wonder so many residents make sure they are nowhere to be found as they leave the Principality for the duration, no doubt renting out their homes for exorbitant sums to anyone who'll pay.

Circus Festival

Once upon a time I had a stamp that matched this card from Monaco, or at least looked very similar, but by the time I found the card the stamp had long gone.  The Monte Carlo Circus Festival is an annual event.  Although It's many years since I've been to a circus, I think the artwork on this is wonderful.

This is a post for Postcard Friendship Friday hosted on Beth Niquette's blog, The Best Hearts are Crunchy. Click on the button to join in.
 

Monaco port

Virtually the same view but the top card shows the port in Monaco on a card dating from 1937 while the second is dated 1984.  Between them they show the incredible development of the Principality which continues today.

To be fleeced in Monte Carlo

Postcards of the Casino in Monte Carlo are commonplace and many are extremely similar, with only the flower display in the garden to distinguish the years.  This one, though, stands out because of the charabanc parked in front, either picking up or letting off its passengers.  The difference between the picking up and setting down isn't as obvious as it is in my second card below.

The charabanc driver is seated on the right of the vehicle which would indicate it's a British charabanc but there are no distinguishing marks that I can see.  I had hoped the fairly distinctive curved supports for the windscreen would help but after ploughing through an internet's worth of images, I am none the wiser.

I am not very proficient at dating cards from the fashions worn but I would guess that this may date from pre- First World War.

There are quite a few postcards using an image of sheep "before" and "after" visiting the Casino but this is the only one I own.

This is a post for Sepia Saturday

Stamps from Monaco

The mini-sheet from Monaco is actually larger than the postcard, larger than most postcards, and so it came on an envelope.  In June 2012, Monaco and TAAF (Terres Australes et Antarctiques Françaises / French Southern and Antarctic Lands) produced this joint issue promoting biodiversity

I enjoy collecting postcards from Monaco because it has changed so much over the years.  The postcard is an old one showing the development of the newest of Monaco's sectors, Fontvieille, on reclaimed land.  The work started in 1966 with the cornerstone being laid in 1981, and looks on the card to be half finished.

This is a photo of the same area I took in 2009, from a different direction.  No space left.

This is a post for Sunday Stamps, now hosted by Violet Sky at "See it on a Postcard!"

Flight of the Hirondelle

I was going to stretch the theme by using the name of the yacht, l'Hirondelle or Swallow, but then I noticed there is a seaplane in the foreground.  The postcard is one from an unused booklet of Monaco cards.

The yacht, owned by Prince Albert I, was built in 1911 and sold in 1923 which dates the images relatively precisely.  There was a "Grand Prix d'Hydroaéroplanes de Monaco" held in 1912, from 24-31 March, almost exactly 100 years ago.  It would be nice to think the image dates from then.  I don't know if a single seaplane makes a Grand Prix meeting any more than a single Swallow makes a summer, but maybe it lingered on for a week or two.

A post for Sepia Saturday.  A click on the button will take you to the blog.

Monte Carlo and the Rally

In 1911 the place to be seen was Nice, on the Mediterranean coast.  Monte Carlo did have its share of wealthy visitors but the Carnival in Nice and the Paris-Nice race attracted by far the majority.   The success of the race, a "concours d'élégance", led people in Monaco to the idea of starting their own rally.

To make it different from the others, they decided to have it starting in different European cities, including Geneva, Paris, Brussels, Berlin, and end up in Monaco.  It was to be for standard tourism class cars and not specially designed racing cars.  The winner was not to be the first past the post but points were awarded for distance, for speed (up to 25 km/h or 15 mph), for elegance, for comfort, for "aesthetic appreciation", amongst others.  Source.

This year was its centenary.  The first race was held in January 1911.  These postcards, although not showing the rally, date from roughly the same period.  They were produced by Jean Gilletta who opened a photographic studio in 1880 and in 1897 became a postcard publisher, ironically though, in Nice.  They are part of a booklet of 10.

Monaco was the ancient port of Hércule founded by the Phoenicians, a fortified peninsula which for a long time commanded the passage through this part of the Mediterranean Sea.  The Genoese established themselves in the 13th century and the Grimaldi family have been the rulers ever since. The Palace, the Cathedral, the Oceanographic Museum are the main monuments of the old Monaco, held within the 17th century fortifications. [from the introduction to the book of postcards]

Because of the casino there, Monte Carlo was a "new" town created in 1866 under the auspices of Prince Charles III who gave it his name. This town is as well known worldwide as many much older cities. From all  points of the globe, people flock to Monte Carlo where opera performances, comedy, classical concerts, pigeon shooting , various competitions such as motor boat racing are organized  in royal fashion.  No other town can offer such a beautiful set of daily attractions, sports, arts.  [Also from the introduction to the book of postcards].

A post for the celebration of the 100th Sepia Saturday.

L'Hirondelle in the port of Monaco

I have several vintage cards from Monaco, most of them in a booklet of cards which has never been used, and this one of the yacht L'Hirondelle is one of them.  A total contrast to my previous one.

It's fairly easy to date the card.  It has a divided back so it must be after 1905.  The yacht is L'Hirondelle.  Prince Albert I of Monaco had two yachts called L'Hirondelle.  The first dated from 1873 but was replaced in 1891 by the first Princesse Alice.  L'Hirondelle II was built in 1911 and in 1923, after Albert I died in 1922, it was sold in England, so I think the date must be roughly during that time, even allowing for old pictures being used.

The Hirondelle was used extensively in oceanographic expeditions but after it was sold to William Randolph Hearst in 1923 it lay idle in New York.  It changed hands several times and there are conflicting reports as to where it ended up, one saying that it ended up as a pontoon in the Panama Canal.

Of course the skyline of Monaco would give another way of dating the card if you knew the place well.  All I know is that it's completely different from the modern Monaco, easily seen when you contrast it with the modern card I posted last year showing Monaco at night.

This is a post for Postcard Friday, which is hosted by Beth Niquette at The Best Hearts are Crunchy.

Monte Carlo Grand Prix

A relatively unusual card from Monte Carlo where, to my way of thinking, many of the postcards leave something to be desired.  The vintage ones are much more attractive and less glitzy.  This one was sent by my son after many threats of excommunication.  The Grand Prix doesn't interest me in the least but I did want a card.

Monte Carlo - the casino terraces

I picked up this card because I'm interested in seeing cards of places which have radically changed over the years and of course Monte Carlo is one of them.  What I didn't realise at the time was that the reverse was every bit as interesting as the picture on the front, possibly even more so.

As you can probably see, it was postmarked Southampton and dated 24 February 1927.  I had no idea what R.M.S. Lancastria was until I looked it up.  It was a Cunard liner, first sailing on 19 June 1922, and on scheduled crossings of the Altlantic until 1932 when it became a cruise ship.  This must have been sent at the beginning or end of a crossing, though you have to wonder why there was no message at all.

During the war the Lancastria became a troopship and was sunk during the Dunkirk evacuations, on 17 June 1940.  Approximately 4000 lives were lost (and possibly considerably more) making this the greatest loss of life in British history, greater than the losses of the Titanic and Lusitania combined.  Because it was such a disaster, public announcement was banned, though the New York Times and the Scotsman published the story in July that year.  It is well worth reading the Wikipedia article if you have time, or the Lancastria Association history.

Monaco at night

Unused, bought 2009.

143 - Le Port d'Hercules, la nuit.
Photo: A. Tisserandet

Monaco at night, with a view of the Port of Hercules, built in 1926, and La Condamine behind it.  What isn't shown on this card is that the port breakwater has been extended to allow access for larger cruise ships.

Monaco

Postmarked Monte Carlo, dated 11 May 2009.
208 - Monaco - Monte Carlo.
Photo: A. Tisserandet.

Monaco is a tiny principality on the coast between France and Italy.  It is the second smallest independent state in the world after the Vatican, though six times the size of the Vatican.  It is almost entirely urban and has been gradually building out into the sea.  It is made up of four sections - Monaco-ville, (the old city), Monte Carlo (the resort), La Condamine (by the harbour), and Fontvieille (reclaimed land).  The old city is very attractive, and beautifully maintained.

Monaco cathedral

Postmarked Monte Carlo, Pté de Monaco, dated 18 May 1979.

Monaco - Principauté de Monaco
La Cathédrale

Monaco is a tiny sovereign state on the Mediterranean coast, at the south east of France, close to Italy. Apart from the sea, it is entirely surrounded by France. The Grimaldi family has ruled over Monaco since 1297. It is the world's most densely populated country and the smallest French speaking state.

In the past there were 3 communes or wards: Monaco-ville (the old city), Monte Carlo and La Condamine. These last two have been since added to and sub-divided so that there are now 10 communes.