Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous

I'm afraid to count the number of glasses of champagne I have had in Monte Carlo. Yesterday alone brought four (and that might just be an understatement.)

Apparently, being the honeymooners at the hotel grants you some level of celebrity status. Even though I'm not that familiar with my name, everyone at the Fairmont seems to know it. Meeeesus Schoolt. Oh, that's me. We have now received not one, but two Tattinger Champagne bottles in fancy ice buckets. The hotel manager wanted to take our photo at dinner, frame it and give it to us as a memento. We got turn down service every night. And they even brought me extra trail mix at the pool. 

Being a honeymooner only gets you so far in Monte Carlo though. The city is meant not only for the somewhat famous, but for the uber wealthy. It is tres, tres cher! The teeny, tiny nation, only .75 square miles big, has the highest per capita income, there are more Lamborghinis on the streets of Monaco than there are soldiers in their army (a mere 80 guards), the starting price on the mega yachts docked in Monaco's harbor is about $100 million, and the minimums at the Casino aren't $5, they're 50 Euro. 

Given our fleeting celebrity and desire to famously live up our honeymoon, but without the financial means to do it, we remembered a little something that we had - an incentive from the Fairmont Pittsburgh for a well done wedding reception. They gave us a gift card valued at a small percentage of what was spent on the wedding - a prize, that honestly should have gone to my parents, but instead went to us. 

This was our golden ticket yesterday to offset the Monaco prices. It enabled two amazing massages at the beautiful spa at the Fairmont. A lovely lunch by the pool. Postcard writing with champagne cocktails. And finally, a dinner at the hotel's more "gastronomique" restaurant, L'Argentin. We started with a split appetizer of cream of pea soup with crab ravioli, then Peter had the cote de boeuf and I had the salt crusted sea bass. 

The sites and sounds of Monaco were free more or less, so we took full advantage of them in the afternoon. We toured Prince Albert's palace, le jardin exotique, la Poste (interesting to see because their stamps are rarities. We bought some of the latest stamps which were perfect for me - Princess Grace winning her Oscar!) and an absolutely amazing aquarium and oceanographic museum. (Peter was in heaven ... and I was too, when I saw that there was a special exhibit at the museum about Prince Albert's wedding. Gotta say, I liked my dress better.) 

Looking up at a turret on Prince Albert's Palace. 

The renegade Italian dressed as a monk who founded the Principality of Monaco.

Lots of little Omega Supremes at the Aquarium

The logo for the Oceanographic Institute looks oddly similar to the Starbucks logo.

Had to get some of that for later!

After dinner we ventured off the Fairmont's property to try our luck at the Casino. It is a stunning piece of architecture, built at the beginning of the 20th century as a consolation prize for Monaco losing half of its land mass to France. The Casino accounts for 5% of the GDP of the minute country. The minimums for the tables are steep, and its clientele even steeper. Although dressed for the part, we were out of place. In hopes of winning it big and buying one of the amazing condos I saw today, I put my money on my lacrosse number - 7. And just as she did time and time again on the field, Meredith beat me. 27 won, my Euros were gone, and Peter and I headed back to the hotel. 

Peter and I most likely will never know the level of wealth that exists in Monaco, and our honeymooner fame will fade as fast as our wedding went by, but as long as there is champagne, dreams of fun adventures ahead, and a gift card or two in the future, I think we'll be living as high off the hog as all the black tie clad hommes in the Salons Privees.

And to Mom and Dad - thank you not only for throwing the wedding of a lifetime, thank you for doing it at the Fairmont and passing along that gift card to the honeymooners. 

Lo.