La vie en rose in Monaco

It has been a real hardship to spend 5 days in Monaco. The biggest problem has been keeping Morag out of the designer shops. She has taken to clothes shopping like a fish to water, and there are few more expensive places to practice this habit than in Monaco.

Of course we didn't go to Monaco just to feed Morag's addiction. My cousin Liz lives there with her husband Gabriel (sorry Gabriel, this was the best picture of you!), and her two beautiful daughters, Alexia and Claire. It is now 25 years since I played the bagpipes at their wedding in Monaco, 18 years since I became godfather to Alexia, and 14 years since Elspeth and I were last in Monaco, just before leaving for Uzbekistan.

We had originally intended to spend three days in Monaco, and then a couple of days further along the coast. However we had such a great time with Liz and her family that we extended our stay in Monaco to 5 days. We stayed in a small hotel, just up from the casino. Outside the casino there is the most amazing range of luxury cars, but the the children cannot tell the difference between a Fiat and a Ferrari and they were more impressed with the cute little smart cars.

Monaco has changed since I was first here. In 1985 I stayed in a small flat in Fontvielle. The apartment building where I stayed has disappeared and the area now has a stadium and a host of new apartment buildings. Monaco railway station is now underground, or rather under new buildings. And the pier has been extended to allow cruise ships to dock. One thing which hasn't changed is the stunning array of yachts in the harbour.

We went to the wonderful Oceanographic Museum where the children enjoyed the aquarium and seeing fish which they had last seen when diving in the Red Sea. There was also a Damian Hirst exhibition, but the children were not convinced of the artistic value of a dead sheep cut in half (photos not allowed of this for some reason).

The old Balmoral Hotel which used to sit in front of Liz and Gabriel's apartment has been knocked down and there are building problems with the new building which will replace it. The result of all of this is that Liz and Gabriel now have a beautiful view of the harbour from their balcony. We spent several very pleasant evenings relaxing on the balcony with a glass of fine wine in hand. We also spent several afternoons at the swimming pool which you see during the Grand Prix. The water slides were a bit too tame for Lachlan, so he had to relax and take the rays instead

We had a fantastic time in Monaco, with the children getting to know their cousins. A huge "Merci beaucoup" to Liz, Gabriel, Alexia and Claire. And thanks to EasyJet and their Nice-Edinburgh flight, we are looking forward to seeing each other than once every 14 years.