A brush with the world of the fabulously rich... Monaco's wonders!

... our day trip to Monaco was a fascinating adventure.  The trip not only provided an opportunity to experience the local train network (a useful introduction for the days ahead to enable further exploration of some of the smaller beach towns along the Cote D'Azur), but also an opportunity to see the many sites in the Principality.  Our knowledgable guide, Isabella, was a wonderful addition to our group.  We climbed to the old town of Monaco to see the stunning views of the sea and learn a bit of the history of the second smallest country in the world.  We saw the changing of the guard at the Royal Palace and had free time to enjoy a wonderful lunch in the park.  Our afternoon visit to the famous Musee Oceanographique was fascinating.  Later we even managed to take a local tourist train from the Royal Palace to the casino in Monte Carlo.  From above the city, it was amazing to see some of the  incredible yachts docked in the harbor.  We could even get up close and pose with the fabulous cars lined up in front of the casino ...  many of the group took the opportunity to pose with the Bentleys, Maseratis, and Ferraris while others took their chances in the casino... great news... some even won!!!