Just like any other typical American girl, I grew up dreaming of distant royal lands. So, when I heard that I could go to Monaco for a day, I jumped at the opportunity. My knowledge of the royal family in Monaco is fairly limited compared to the lovely Windsors, but I’ve seen a fair share of old movies to know a bit about Grace Kelly. Honestly the entire section of the city, where the palace stands, looks strangely like a movie theatre set. Everything was clean to perfection and freshly painted. The little girl inside of me thought, “This is exactly how I would imagine Genova to look like in the Princess Diaries.” I was waiting for Anne Hathaway to wave from a window to me or for Fat Louie to scurry across the street. While I was pretending I was in a fairytale, we walked around the town to find the post office, stores which sold a plethora of Ferrari merchandise, and the church where Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier were married. I am proud to say I walked on the same steps where Grace Kelly walked on her wedding day, even if I had to step in front of a tour group for a picture of me on the steps. All I can say is, it was completely worth it.
I think Americans are awfully obsessed with the idea of royalty than other parts of the world. We have never experienced our own version. I mean, the Kennedy family is probably the closest we could get to have a royal American family, but does that even count? Compared to Europe, the United States is not a regal place. I mean you could wear jeans to a majority of events and it is still socially acceptable. We are also from the culture where people think cake comes from a box. (But that is a completely different topic for another day) So, it is not surprising that Americans are interested in these super influential (and gorgeous) families. This is probably just me, but walking around Monaco made me feel a little bit “royal”. I am absolutely positive I crafted this feeling in my own mind, but once again, it was completely worth it to believe that prince charming could come riding down the street looking for me. I felt like I was living in a movie for a few hours.
Then the movie (aka the trip) switched to a 007 theme. Once again this theme was only made possible in my mind most likely. But several of the James Bond movies were filmed on location at the Monte Carlo Casino, so I think it is only fitting to create the theme. I honestly could care less if people were gambling ridiculous sums of money away a few yards away from me. I was the little weirdo walking around taking photos of everything and imagining where Sean Connery or Daniel Craig were. (Noted: I did not take photos inside the Casino… that is illegal, just so everyone knows) However, I walked through gardens and streets which probably cost more than my college tuition. But the entire time, it just did not feel real, not like a walking on the cloud feeling. But like a, what is the purpose of casually seeing 20 Ferraris in one day. The area seemed as though it was trying to compete for your attention as there were so many things passing you by that you have only seen a few times in your life prior. Granted, there is not a place similar to Monte Carlo in the world, but I could not imagine living in a city that felt like a movie set. I will always remember how gorgeous the city was stylistically, but at a certain point I just want to wear jeans and pretend I am a princess for a day.