You're Such a Big Baby

 
Today started as a disappointing day for Auntie.

For weeks now, I'd been planning to take in the giant Vide Grenier or community garage sale in the pretty town of Beaulieu sur Mer.  Their Vide Grenier is one of the largest and best in the region and I'd been looking forward to it ever since it was cancelled back in late April due to bad weather.  Last time I went, Auntie Meghan bought a lovely shelf for her kitchen and I bought a little ceramic cat. 

This morning I threw open the curtains with a big smile on my face only to be greeted by a dead grey sky and rain pelting down.  I shut the curtains and started to sulk.  Wah!  With the rain getting heavier the Vide would be cancelled for sure.  Double Wah!

Well, as it turns out there were bigger babies than me in Monaco this morning!

With my plans to venture down the coast suddenly cancelled and visions of good, cheap junk swirling down the sewer along with them, I did as any Auntie with some unexpected time on her hands would do -  bake something!

As I was mixing the batter for some cornmeal and lemon madeleines for Uncle Jim to dip in his morning cappuccino, the clouds thinned so I thought I'd venture outside.  I love Sundays in Monaco because it's so quiet and calm.  The madeline batter needed time to rest in the fridge anyhow, so I stuck on my running shoes, popped my head out the front door, sniffed the air and off I went. 

Little did I know that a quiet walk was the last thing Auntie had in store...

Just down the street at the Oceanographic Museum there was a big hub bub. Someone had left a baby on their doorstep.  But this baby was no cute little foundling, this was a gigantic baby boy, seemingly floating in the air! 

The baby's name is "Planet" and its father is British artist, Marc Quinn.  His bouncing baby boy is made of bronze and steel, 3 metres tall by 9 metres long.  Things could get messy.  I don't think they make nappies big enough for that baby.

Last year for the 100th Anniversary Celebration of Monaco's Oceanographic Museum, big works of art were sprinkled throughout the museum and on the roof. It's a spectacular setting for artwork, especially large pieces that have lots of room in the enormous spaces inside the museum.  I imagine they'll find a good place inside to put Planet down for his nap.

After a short detour to photograph and coochie coo the baby, Planet, I continued my walk and minutes later I came face to stern with another big baby in the exact same place where the Chinese Frigate was moored last week.  This time it was the immense and impressive ocean liner, Cunard's Queen Victoria. This big baby was born in 2007, weighs 90,000 gross tons and can carry almost 2,000 passengers.  It's bigger sister, the Queen Mary 2 floated into Monaco last April and brought back some fond memories for Auntie  because eight years ago, Auntie and Uncle Jim were on board the QM2 for its maiden voyage.

 

Two other ships were docked in Monaco, both of them cruise ships that looked like fragile preemies compared to the robust Queen Victoria ocean liner.  All three ships were filled with passengers, all of whom were roaming around Monaco-Ville transforming it from a sleepy Sunday into a noisy street festival.  

Everywhere I went I'd hear the "toot toot" of the police blowing on their whistles trying to tame the crowds and keep the everyone from walking where he shouldn't.

With so many visitors it was becoming impossible to get around.  I cut my walk short and climbed the long staircase home. 

Once inside our little nest, surrounded by peace and quiet, I baked Uncle Jim's Madeleines. I had a choice of two pans, one to make big ones and one to make little ones.  Auntie had had enough of big babies, big ships and big crowds for one day so I made little ones.

Tuesday there's going to be a big Vide Grenier in Menton.  Let's hope Auntie makes it to that one!