Monaco

You think of Holland as a small country. Think again; between Nice and the Italian frontier lies a tiny mountainous settlement, that to this day managed to save its independence from France and the European Union. The ruling family call themselves princes, since François Grimaldi in the year 1297 treacherously gained entrance to the Genoan fortress on the rock, hiding his weapons under his monk's disguise. At 15 minutes from the Nice Ville train station it makes for a nice day trip, where everybody takes almost the same photographs. So did we!

The Monaco train station, built inside a mountain

Banana tree near the casino

The royal palace on the rock

Cristina assisting the defenses of the Principality

Canon balls

Heikki and Cristina on a cannon

Sainte Cecile, in Monaco mistakenly taken for a patron of musicians

The port of Monte Carlo

Some Brazilian influences?

From afar it looks like a favela

Restrictions on civil liberties protect the sensitivities of the royal family