Monaco: Enclave for Millionaires

Panoramic view of Monaco from the Tête de Chien (Dog's Head) high rock promontory

Monaco is home to the very rich and known to be one of the wealthiest places in the world. About 30% of 38,000 population is made up of millionaires--12,261 of them, according to Business Insider--France. The per capita rate is $165,420. The second highest rate is Liechtenstein at $166,021 and which is 80 times larger than Monaco. Luxembourg and Bermuda come in third and fourth with per capita rates higher than $100,000. Just for the sake of comparison, here are per capita rates in other cities:

Kalamazoo -- $31,388
Detroit -- $32,924
Tokyo -- $38,927
Rome -- $39,412
San Francisco --  $52,261
Paris -- $62,107 
New York City -- $93,196
Abu Dhabi -- $70,000

According to the 2019 Knight Frank Wealth Report, the number of millionaires living in Monaco increased by 12% between 2013 and 2018 with predictions that by 2026 there will be 16,100 millionaires. However, the BBC reports that at present, there is not enough room for them all, so the country has recently made plans to  construct artificial islands on the sea to house them. (This seems to be an absurd and expensive solution until one realizes that besides Dubai's extravagant artificial palm islands, there are in fact 44 countries that have built artificial islands to extend their territory, including the USA.)  

Naturally, I had to go to Monaco to see what this little country was all about. It turned out to be a very revealing and reflective experience about wealth and its purpose. 

Truth be told, upon arriving in Monaco, I felt uncomfortable, as though my Midwest working class roots were showing. Despite my "climb" into the professional class, I was intimidated by the aura of wealth that pervades the country: fancy buildings, luxurious hotels, huge yachts, expensive cars. Indeed, I was one of the "gawkers" of all these material goods. However, I soon found that I wasn't alone in my curiosity as most of the people out on the seaside promenade were gawkers. Some of these gawkers were dressed up trying to "look" like a million dollars, but they gave themselves away by their obvious stares and gasps at the Lamborghinis, Porches, Ferraris, and Bentleys that whizzed by trying to show everyone who they were. Even motorcyclists don't wear face masks on their helmets, perhaps as their a way of "being seen".


Monaco wasn't always a magnet for the wealthy. That only occurred in the late 19th century when the Monte Carlo Casino opened and a railway connection to Paris was built. Since then, Monaco's mild climate and scenery have made the .778-square-mile nation a destination for the rich. Another major reason Monaco is so attractive to the rich (75% of whom are foreign-born) is that it is a tax haven; there are no income taxes; and business taxes are low. More recently, the economy has attracted business people in banking, services, and small, high-value-added, non-polluting industries.


Automobiles and the Grand Prix
Monaco's other claim to fame is its annual Formula One motor race called "The Grand Prix". (Formula One is the highest class of single-seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile and owned by the Formula One Group.)


















The annual race is held on the Circuit de Monaco on the last weekend in May. Established in 1929, it is considered one of the most important and prestigious automobile races in the world, along with the Indianapolis 500 and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The race is held on a narrow course laid out in the streets of Monaco (see above), with many elevation changes and tight corners as well as a tunnel, which thus make it one of the most demanding tracks in Formula One.



This sculpture of William Grover, winner of the first Grand Prix on April 14, 1929, holds a prominent place on the circuit.









Cars are held in particular reverence in Monaco, much like they do in my hometown of Detroit. However, these cars are unique in that they are the most expensive in the world.

Mercedes-Benz on the Grand Prix circuit

 

Bentley Bentayga

 

In Monaco, the Audis and Mercedes-Benz seem to be sort of ho-hum rich. Then there are the odd-ball cars that make a statement about climate change and wealth at the same time.

Our transportation from Nice to Monaco and back turned out to be Bus 100, which offers a 45-minute ride along the Mediterranean coast. We took the bus because the trains were not running due to the train strikes. The bus turned out to be a better option than we expected: a one-way bus ticket cost only 1.50 euros. (A round-trip train ticket would have cost 24 euros.) We eventually realized that the people we rode with on the bus were either "gawker tourists" like us or those who serve Monaco's wealthy. 

(Just a tip if you go to Monaco, Bus 100 is just down the street from Garibaldi Square toward the port. Turn left at Rue Fodérém the last street before you reach the port. There are a couple steel benches and a line of people there. If the bus drives off without you, don't worry, another one will appear within 15 minutes.)

The other advantage of taking the bus was that it runs along the Mediterranean Sea coast and offers some beautiful views.

Upon our arrival in Monaco, we passed through a beautiful tropical garden.

 

Then we headed for the Café de Paris, a restaurant near the Monte Carlo Casino just off the main street. We ordered a mid-morning snack of croissants (they gave us 2 each), café au lait and one tea. We enjoyed our snack immensely, but were astounded that it cost 27 euros! It was just the beginning of a lesson on what wealth is about.

 

We walked along the route of the Grand Prix race track and saw some beautiful and interesting buildings.

 

 

After walking around for a while, it was lunch time. We had just arrived at the harbor and spotted a Casino grocery store (pronounced CAS-ee-no). We decided to buy our lunch there: breaded chicken with rice and diced vegetables and some fruit. We ate lunch under a tree on the promenade near the harbor where big yachts were docked and the sun shone brightly. Lunch cost only 20 euros. Quite a contrast to our breakfast snack!

We didn't expect to "save money" in Monaco. We just wanted to experience the country, eat some good food, and enjoy the 60-degree weather. It was our way of celebrating New Year's Eve and making it memorable. However, we know how to economize our spending so that we could do more things.

Of course, we stopped at the Monte Carlo Casino of James Bond fame. We didn't see him there because we were too early. The casino didn't open until 2 p.m. To just take a look at the place, however, cost 17 euros each. Instead, we found a little casino in the same building as the Café de Paris that sated our curiosity and didn't have entrance fees.

Tracy tried her luck at one of the slot machines and quickly won 28.56 euros. Unfortunately, the casino took it back almost as quickly. (Pshhh....check out the chairs: their backs display the Casino's name in Trumpian gold.)

 

Monaco is a good place to visit in order to understand and reflect on what wealth is: very real, very powerful--and very hidden. Wealth intimidates, and that's exactly what it is meant to do. It also operates under the radar so that no one knows who is pulling the strings. 

 
Many people aspire to acquire material wealth so they can be on top and enjoy the luxuries in life. The truth is that striving for material wealth will inevitably be challenged by someone else who is more aggressive and more successful. In short, it's a game. No wonder J. Paul Getty's response to the question of how much money is enough was "more". 

Wealth is also showy as in: "If you've got it, flaunt it." In Monaco they do it with cars, clothes, boats, jewelry, etc. A simple black bracelet with fabric wound around a wire cost nearly 100 euros. A pin with someone's name and birth date--in diamonds--was probably thousands of dollars. A tabletop Santa went for 115 euros.  

Actually, flaunted wealth is usually "new wealth" or nouveau riche, as the French call it. Old money downplays its wealth, according to Peter W. Cookson, Jr. in his book on America's elite boarding schools, Preparing for Power. Students learn how to do this in school by duct taping their old shoes or wearing mismatched and/or torn clothes. Americans really don't understand what it means to be wealthy and to have all the power that it affords. Instead we marvel at the millionaires and billionaires and wish we could be like them. We also consider them to be smart because they are rich. 

 
Another advantage to wealth is that rich people can live where other rich people live and benefit from that advantage. For example, Monaco is a very safe place with one of the most sophisticated security systems in the world including a 24-hour video surveillance system. Monaco is a very clean place and there is no litter or dog droppings on the streets or sidewalks. There are no homeless people, and the official poverty rate is 0%. This is not the real world that most people know. Actually, the very wealthy live in a protected bubble. 

I must admit that I have written a class-biased posting. However, I feel totally justified: it had just been reported that the top 500 wealthy people of the world had made over $1 trillion in 2019--that's just in one year. So I'm left with 2 questions: (1) what does one do with all that money? (2) what life would be like if some of that wealth were spread around a bit more?

Brioude and the Basilica of St. Julian

Churches in France are significant places to visit not only because they are/were religious places of worship, but they are/were at the center of life for the townspeople.  Likewise, they are historical buildings and museums illustrating and preserving the art of their time.

Brioude hosts the Gothic-style Basilica of St. Julian, which was built between the 11th-14th centuries. Classified as an historic monument, the basilica is very colorful using a mixture of red sandstone, limestone, basalt, and marble. Most interesting are the many colorful columns. 

The floors are covered with paving pebbles that form geometric shapes and or ornamental designs and motifs.


 

















 

The Virgin of Chariol is a 14th century sculpture made of volcanic stone.












 
 A rare 15th century polychrome wood sculpture of the Virgin lying down ready to give birth is also featured. This Virgin may have possibly been part of a crèche scene with other persons grouped around her. Its artistic value is in "the serenity of her face and ease of movement of her arms."

 This jolly fellow tops the capital of one of the basilica's columns.

 

The basilica still has many colorful frescoes intact, which illustrates the sometimes overlooked importance of painters of Middle Age churches.

The basilica is dedicated to St. Julian of Antioch (d. 305), a Roman senator who was venerated as a Christian martyr in the fourth century during the persecutions of Diocletian. According to legend, he was subjected to terrible tortures and paraded daily for a whole year through various cities of Cilicia. He was then sewn up in a sack half-filled with scorpions, sand, and vipers, and cast into the sea. The sea carried his body to Alexandria, and he was buried there before being moved to Antioch. Some of his ashes are allegedly kept in a small chapel underneath the altar of the basilica.  

Eparchius Avitus is buried next to Saint Julian. He was a Roman senator and a high-ranking officer both in the civil and military administration, as well as Bishop of Piacenza. The Gallo-Roman aristocrat opposed the reduction of the Western Roman Empire to Italy alone, both politically and administratively. He was the Western Roman Emperor 455-456.

This caryatid is simple but compelling. It also gives me a headache just to look at it.












The narrow streets of the Centre Ville have many interesting old buildings, arches, and decorations dating back to the Renaissance.

 


 

This Gothic house was built in the 15th or 16th century. Today, it is the House of Mandrin, which now serves as an art gallery and exhibition place.

The stone work is simple but intriguing. 











This band was warming up for the celebration in the courtyard in front of the church where the Christmas market and food stalls were located for the holidays and a foot race. 

History of Brioude from Wikipedia:
Brioude lies on the banks of the River Allier, a tributary of the Loire. Its population is just under 7,000 people. The ancient Brivas can be traced to the 4th century. It was taken by the Franks, then in turn besieged and captured by the Goths (532), the Burgundians, the Saracens (732) and the Normans^. Carolingian Brioude remained a place of some importance: William I of Aquitaine minted deniers at Brioude. Louis V of France married Adelaide of Anjou there in 980, and they were crowned King and Queen of Aquitaine. The feast of Saint Julian, 28 August, drew such crowds to the saint's relics that in the mid-11th century the chapter was obliged to build a hostel to care for the indigent pilgrim and the sick. In 1181 Eracle III, viscount of Polignac (near Le Puy), who had sacked the town two years previously, made public apology in front of the church and established a body of 25 knights to defend the relics of St Julian. For some time after 1361 the town was the headquarters of Bérenger, lord of Castelnau, who was at the head of one of the bands of military adventurers which then devastated France. The knights (or canons, as they afterwards became) of St. Julian bore the title of counts of Brioude and for a long time opposed themselves to the civic liberties of the inhabitants. 
 
 
Auvergnat language is a language or dialect spoken in France in part of the Massif Central where Brioude is located and in most of Auvergne, the province that gives it its name. 




Brioude was a place I had long wanted to visit. It is only an hour northwest of Le Puy, and it courses through some very pretty countryside with hills and rocky terrain.  Of course, navigating the city--even with GPS--is not easy. First of all, you need to distinguish between "Old Brioude" and Brioude, which was our destination. Usually, you get your bearings for a city by looking for signs that point to "Centre Ville," the older part of the city. A church and historic buildings are usually there. However, the road signs were not clear about where the Centre Ville was, and we couldn't find the church just by looking up. Finally, by chance, we found not only the Centre Ville but a huge parking lot. Good thing, too, because many roads in the Centre Ville were blocked due to the town's foot race for kids. It's never easy in France! However, once you get to where you want to go, you are delighted, as we were in Brioude.

We parked the car and found an elevator that took us up into the city. We met a man who highly recommended Cardigan's Restaurant on Place Lafayette. So we plowed through the crowds that were gathered around the race's finish line, found our destination, and weren't in the least disappointed.


Salad, pesto pasta with shrimp, and hamburger. Delicious!! And Santa Claus was our server!

Brioude was well worth the effort to get there !! 

French Roads and Signage: Ils Sont Compliqués

  

French roads have to be the best in the world. They are smooth and well-marked. The two-laners wind through beautiful countryside. The auto-routes (expressways) are efficient with aires (gas stops with stores and restaurants every 10-20 miles). They are all clean, well-maintained, and fast--130 kph (80 mph). Coming from Michigan, a state that pretty much stopped adequately taking care of its roads since the Engler administration of the 1990s, French roads are a dream. Signage, however, remains a baffling challenge that makes navigation difficult--and critical. If you make a mistake, it may take you a while to turn it around. 

 
Here are a few examples of what it's like to drive the French countryside. One caution: the landscapes are gorgeous, but keep your eyes on the road!

• The road signs indicate their directions by citing cities but not north, south, east, or west. You must know your geography.

• The speeds are constantly changing depending on the topography and whether the road goes through a town. In the countryside speeds are between 70 - 90 kph depending on the number of lanes available. Towns reduce the speed anywhere between 30 - 70 kph. Even the auto-route speeds change between 110 kph and 130 kph. Sometimes what you think is an auto-route (a 4-lane divided highway), isn't because the road is going through a city where the speed can go down to 70 kph. Of course, the radar speed machines are strategically posted nearby ready to catch you speeding. (These machines take a picture of your license and then two weeks later send you a fine in the mail. People usually just pay the fine instead of contesting it.)

• Mountains can suddenly appear without warning. The ground may be gradually increasing in altitude and voilà, you are among giant rocks, huge gorges, and endless switch-backs. It's absolutely beautiful, but you better know how to use your engine brake so your brakes still work after going through the mountains.   
• Maps are complex and difficult to read. A map of France has intricate detail of the whole country. It is more advantageous to have a map of a region.
• It is difficult to read a map while you are driving. It really takes two people to get to where you are going: a driver and a navigator. Road signs are not always helpful or available.
• Roads are circuitous because they follow old roads and circulate around various land forms and water. 
• Unless you are on an auto-route, there are not readily-available rest stops with bathrooms, gas, and food. On the two-lane countryside roads, however, there are little parks that allow you to stop. Make sure you bring a picnic lunch and toilet paper to use in the weeds or behind a tree.
• Winds can affect driving. Watch for the wind socks that provide both the direction and force of the wind on high bridges that cross magnificent valleys and gorges.

French road and traffic engineers have to be the best in the world. They have taken cities that were built for pedestrians, horses, and wagons and converted them to modern roadways that accommodate cars, mega-buses, and trams. They are an engineering marvel. However, Americans traveling in France must learn new tricks to the road and adapt their eyes to different signage (pictograms instead of words), different maneuvres (rotaries, priority-of-the-right), traffic lights that are on the side of the road instead of overhead, and different sign colors for departmental, national, and auto-route roadways. Cracking the code to the system is the ultimate challenge but with it comes sweet victory and confidence. Bon voyage!