We hope you’re having a great holiday weekend and are all ready to celebrate! And here we selected the most interesting articles of the week.
Christmas at the Prince’s Palace and other princely news
On Wednesday the 20th of December, Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene welcomed young Monegasques for Christmas at the Prince’s Palace. There was a traditional dance performance in the Palace’s court before a photo was taken of the Princely Family with the children and Mickey and Minnie mouse. Even Santa was there to greet the 500 young guests, aged 5 to 12, who then attended a magic show in the Throne Room before afternoon tea was served. They received Christmas gifts from the hands of the Princely Couple and Camille and Louis, Princess Stephanie’s children.
Unique Salute to Palace Guards: tribute to 200 years celebrated in postcards
The 200th anniversary of the Palace Guards is already making waves across the Channel. Every time a British Royal writes to the Prince’s family a note of appreciation will wing its way back from the Palace in Monaco to Buckingham Palace or some other Royal residence in the UK.
A section of solar road has been installed in the Principality. The Department of Urban Amenities along with the transport company Colas, have recently installed a 50-metre section of solar road on Avenue des Papalins, alongside the Parking de la Mer car park.
Monaco and Cuba Celebrate Diplomatic Relations
The 10th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations between the Principality of Monaco and the Republic of Cuba was celebrated in Paris in December 2017, in the Monegasque Chancellery, as reported by the Princely Government.
This article will help you learn all a place near Monaco in the form of the small village of Sospel, which has about 4000 inhabitants. It is located at an altitude of 350 metres above sea level, near the Italian border and the Mercantour Park. Sospel is one of the most amazing places in the region. This small 15-kilometre patch of land has a complicated history. It can be likened to that of a successful person born in difficult times. Its glory started in the Middle Ages and continued up until the 18th century when Sospel became a jewel of the Savoy kingdom.
Smile at your Wi-Fi Camera: the world is watching you
Do you have a Wi-Fi security camera watching over your baby? Did you know that anyone in the world can tune in and watch too. All these video-cam pictures, once they are in the “digital world” are preyed upon by hackers who make a good living by making them available on web-sites to any internet surfer who wants to “peep”.
Monaco Explorations and the Principality’s actions to protect oceans and seas highlighted at UN
Ms Isabelle Rosabrunetto, Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, accompanied by Ms Marie-Catherine Caruso-Ravera, Director of Diplomatic and Consular Relations, was in the United States from 4 to 8 December for working visits to various Monegasque diplomatic and consular missions.
Weightlifting: AS Monaco Young Men and Women Lift Their Way to Victory
It was a triumphant approach to holiday season for AS Monaco Weightlifting. The trainer’s vision is paying off. Jea Canestrier had decided to use the regional competitions in Nice in November and Villeneuve-Louber in December to prepare his athletes for the higher levels they are training hard to progress to.
Extra Security for New Year’s Eve Celebrations
This year, New Year’s Eve celebrations in the Principality are back, with concerts and firework displays. Christmas and New Year’s Eve celebrations draw thousands of people to the Quai’s Christmas Village and the Place du Casino, so extra security measures are put in place to keep everyone safe.
On a normal day, 380-400 members of the Police Force are in operation every day. Richard Marangoni, Director of Police, says that the Principality’s Police Force have a Security detail with several phases, which began at the beginning of the month of December and will continue until January. The detail consists of increased security and police presence in public with large visibility. Visibility in public is a preventative measure. There is also an increased number of patrol officers and increased surveillance. All areas and establishments have increased public over the Holidays. Overall, there are 20 more officers working per day, and the peak will be on New Year’s Eve, when there will be 50 more officers. Add to this, private security agents from the Christmas Market and the SBM on the Place du Casino. All in place so everyone in the Principality can celebrate New Year’s Eve safely.
‘Monaco in the Rain’ Photobook
An original photobook consisting of twenty images depicting the Principality in the rain has recently been published. After ‘Nice in the rain’, Stéphane Brasca chose Monaco as the second city to portray under rainy weather, and is preparing an edition on the city of Arles. The black and white pictures were taken by Ivana Bovis, who has been living in Monaco since 1989.
The concept is to show postcard landscapes in a different light. Places where it never rains. In a desert-like Principality, beaten by raindrops, a certain charm emerges in the images.
Cracks in Monaco’s Drinking Reservoir
Since 1942, Monegasques may have stumbled upon, perhaps by accident, the Principality’s main drinking water storage basin. Behind a rocky section of boulevard de Belgique, with an indiscreet plaque in Latin writing at its base, are two huge 3,000 m3 vats carved in stone. At the beginning of 2017, a crack was detected in the basins, requiring repairs.
Not only have the old-fashioned tanks withstood several decades of use, they also withstood the frenzy of construction sites in the Principality. Recently, underground works for the Pasteur islet touched the foundations of the Exotic Reservoir. After emptying the tank (the tank is emptied each year for a large cleaning) workers had a confirmation on the damage.
A month and a half of construction is needed for repairing the first tank in the spring and for finishing the second tank, which is scheduled for mid-January 2018. Two tanks allows for a continuity of service, so drinking water will continue to flow steadily in the Principality.
