Remember last year when Auntie wrote about the Grand Prix and how it's crazy making for people who live in Monaco?
Well, it's that time of year again boys and girls! Monaco's going car crazy!
First to arrive in town to whet everyone's car whistle is Top Marques Monaco. Starting next week, for a €50 admission fee, you can oogle and lust after an admirable array of rare and beautiful cars. Ferrari, Lamborghini, Aston Martin and Rolls Royce all have cars on display. And if you book in advance, you can test drive them too.
A few years ago, Uncle Jim saved up enough of his lunch money for the €50 admission fee and went to Top Marques. He test drove an electric Roadster made by Tesla and from time to time he becomes misty eyed when he reminisces about the experience. Too bad they stopped making them. I guess Uncle Jim should have bought one when he had the chance!When The Top Marques show is over and the air has cleared from all those exhaust fumes, the Historic Grand Prix arrives on May 11 followed two weeks later by the Formula 1 Grand Prix. This gives people a last chance to escape.
Now, if you're a fan of cars and you have a good set of ear plugs, then it's a great time to be in Monaco but if you're not, like Auntie, it's quite annoying. Why? Because the race is run on Monaco's streets. I'm not kidding! Those very same roads that people walk on, cyclists cycle on and cars drive on, are transformed into a race track for the Grand Prix and they've been doing it since 1929. That's 83 years worth of crazy! Although for the first few years they didn't erect any barricades, they just told everyone to stand back and get out of the way if a car was coming. I imagine you had to be quite nimble and have good eye sight.
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| You can't park there! |
It takes about a month to set up the track which means that for pedestrians, the streets become more and more treacherous every day.
Poor Auntie, today she was jumping hurdles and running an obstacle course by climbing over barricades, dodging forklifts and trying to avoid getting run over by cars whose drivers were as confused as I was.
One thing's for sure. This time of year, the grand Prix means means Auntie gets a good aerobic workout!
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| I'm "tired" of it already! |
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| This way to the chaos! |
After bike racers on the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix, this would be pretty high on my list of events to see in Europe.
ReplyDeleteWell, I must say, I did like the seeing historic Grand Prix. The security is much more lenient and it's possible to visit the pits and talk to the drivers and look at their cars. The same cannot be said for the Formula 1 where the security resembles Fort Knox.
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