Chapter Fifty-Seven - A Special Day in Monte Carlo

We were thirty minutes from arriving to Port Hercule, in Monte Carlo, in the center of Monaco, because Marshall's yacht couldn't be accommodated at the other port due to its size. Hmmm... sounds like something else he told me about, after I met him, chuckling when that thought ran through my mind. Jean-Pierre had prepared something the exemplified the cuisine of Monaco, which many considered the national food, Barbagiuan, a deep fried crispy and flaky pastry filled with Swiss chard, and ricotta. Monégasque food uses the Provence style of cooking with fresh ingredients, influenced by both Southern French and Northern Italian cuisine, so it's both familiar and unique.

Accompanying the Barbagiuan were beignets de fleurs de courgettes, or deep fried zucchini flowers, with a charcuterie plate of olives, sliced meats, tapenade, aoili, and generally keeping it light, because we were all heading ashore in Monte Carlo. Marshall had some people to see about the berthing arrangements for next year's Monte Carlo Grand Prix and Rallye Historique, and tomorrow would be a good time to do it. We had just missed the Monaco Yacht Show by a few weeks, where lots of new innovations were showcased. Today would be checking out things, maybe doing some shopping, and having fun at the Casino de Monte Carlo later on.

Because we were not returning to the ship until it was time to sleep tonight, this was it for Jean-Pierre's meals for thirteen, paring it down to seven, with himself, so I asked if he could spare Marie. She didn't even know I was asking Jean-Pierre, but I told him I wanted to check with him before speaking with Marshall, he smiled and said she would have a lot of fun. I went to Marshall, then whispered I wanted Marie to come with us onshore, and Jean-Pierre already said he didn't need her tonight. Marshall told me I was very thorough, and I warned him to keep quiet, because I hadn't told Marie yet, until I spoke with him.

Marshall said he was second, after Jean-Pierre, and of course she could come with us. After all, she would be nice company with Bill and Richard on her arms, but we were all probably going to have to get some nice outfits in town, before hitting the Casino. This meant that me, Celeste and Marie, were going to get dressed and made up like movie stars tonight. None of them knew this yet, and I asked if I could break the news, so Marshall said to go ahead. We were all standing around naked, still finishing the yummy food that Jean-Pierre kept light, and I called for everyone's attention, with Marshall at my side.

Before I started, I made sure Marie was here, with François and Míchel filling wine glasses and pouring more sparkling water, while collecting plates. I announced that we were going to arriving in Monte Carlo's Port Hercule in a few minutes, we were going shore, and Marie would be joining us, which Bill and Richard enjoyed hearing. It was customary to dress well when going to the Casino de Monte Carlo, which we were intending to visit in the evening, so we were all going to be fitted for proper attire, before any additional shopping or sightseeing.

I did my research, and I wanted to walk a little south of the port, where the statues of Prince Albert and Princess Grace were near a grotto in Jardins Saint-Martin, on the ocean. I felt Celeste would also feel very romantic, and Marshall complimented me on me choice, because he was familiar with it. Marie ran up to me, all excited, and I explained that we might be out quite late, and she would still be needed to help Jean-Pierre in the morning. She assured me she would be fine tomorrow, and she was so excited, but I don't think she yet understood she was getting fitted for an expensive ball gown. I think Celeste knew what I meant, but Marie didn't.

We could see the port and casino, just having received our clearance to enter the port, and the Captain was taking us into a spot to moor for the night. Marshall really needed an assistant, but I think he enjoyed handling things like having a stretch limo pick us up from the opposite end of the garden walk, in front of the Cathédrale Immaculée de Monaco, to drive us for the night and following day. We were going shopping for clothes for the evening, especially the casino, but we were going to the exclusive Les Caves de l’Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo before dining at the The Louis XV - Alain Ducasse, at that same hotel, right across the street from the casino.

Marshall had the driver take us all to the world famous Thermes Marins, for a few hours luxuriating with the ultimate spa treatment, all of us getting massages, then me and the girls got facials while the guys hit the sauna. when we were done, we all went out to drink spritzes out at the pool, which had an incredible view. After our time at the spa, our driver drove us around the front of the Opera House, which is essentially half of the same building for the casino, then we were dropped off at Versace, where we would likely find everything we needed, to meet the dress codes for where we were going.

Marshall was easily going to drop $30,000 on clothing alone for all of us, plus $5,000 for wine, fine dining and libations, and who knows how much at the casino. The guys all went for the same look, having each of their coats and pants tailored for them, while Celeste, Marie and I were looking at dresses, with matching shoes and handbags. Fortunately, everything was ready to wear, which seemed to be customary here, if someone didn't meet the compulsory dress codes at the upscale locations, especially the casino.

I went for the Versace safety pin draped mini dress in green, opera bow patent ballerinas with a light green padded mini bag, Celeste chose the silver metal mesh slip mini dress with opera bow metallic mules and matching metal mesh la Medusa clutch, and Marie got the pink sequin silk slip mini dress, with matching underwater barocco la Medusa sandal stilletos and mini bag. The guys nailed the James Bond look in matching black mohair blend single breasted blazers with formal pants, white barocco shirts and Medusa velvet slippers, plus they each picked out their own handkerchief for a unique accent. The seven of us were dressed to kill for a night in Monte Carlo.

Being a person at or above the highest tier of Monte Carlo's elite visitors, Marshall commanded special treatment beyond that of any loyalty program, because he had dropped hundreds of thousands of dollars in the Casino de Monte Carlo during some visits, and won quite a bit at other times. We had a reservation at Les Caves de l’Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo, for hors-d'œuvres paired with some very special vintages of fine wines, before dinner at the very elegant Louis XV - Alain Ducasse. The doorman at l’Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo opened the door of the limousine, and the hotel concierge escorted us to Les Caves, where it would be just us in an intimate setting.

Les Caves had a selection of over 300,000 bottles of wine, some very exclusive and expensive, yet with eight of us, we went through a few bottles. In addition to the fresh vegetable tapas, there was a charcuterie plate, along with hors-d'œuvres made from fresh seafood like oysters, shrimp, crab and lobster. I believe we went through four or five bottles of wine, and I was feeling pretty tipsy, not wanting to waste a drop of the fine wines. Once we had completed our wine tasting, we were off to the three Michelin star award winning Louis XV - Alain Ducasse, where we would be the only guests, because it was normally closed on Sundays.

Our meal was being personally prepared by executive chef Emmanuel Pilon, with a sous chef assisting him, the maître d'hôtel, sommelier, and three servers to tend to our gastronomical desires. It felt weird to be the only people in this elegant restaurant that had been voted as the second best in the entire world, yet here we were, with the same number of people catering to our needs, as there were members in our party. The maître d'hôtel greeted us, then led us to our table, with the three servers pulling out the chairs for me, Celeste and Marie. We didn't even need the bell that was customarily on each table, being the only guests dining that night.

Apparently, Marshall's visit with his guests warranted special treatment, because it was his favorite restaurant in Monte Carlo. He visited it whenever he was there, often eating lunch out on their veranda alongside the Grand Prix course through the streets of Monte Carlo, bringing whichever F1 driver that stayed on the yacht to mingle with guests there to dine. Until Marshall told me, I wasn't aware Jean-Pierre studied under chef Alain Ducasse in Paris, so I expected I would love the cuisine as much I did Jean-Pierre's fantastic meal preparations. Moments after being seated, we were graced by a plate of various amuse-bouche delights to start us off.

Following the initial delectable treats, we were served some lovely Riviera sea bass on a bed of aromatic herbs and vegetables, all expertly prepared. A different wine was poured for each round of food, selected by the sommelier to go with each plate. Marshall was having his usual, the house specialty of marinated San Remo gamberone with saffron rock fish gelée and gold caviar. I ordered the blue lobster, Marie got the lamb, Celeste went for duck confit, it was the veal for Antoine, with Bill and Richard both going for the rib eye steak. There were so many different dishes, the sommelier poured a few different wines for the main courses, to pair with each.

While we were eating, chef Emmanuel Pilon came out to the table, making sure it met Marshall's standards, knowing that like him, Jean-Pierre had been mentored by chef Alain Ducasse, who was considered to be the Godfather of French cuisine. Marshall told him it was excellent, then the servers brought out little plates for each of us with grilled asparagus and a fried artichoke heart, on top of an artistic swoosh of spectacular flavored sauces. When those were devoured, savoring each bite, a zesty lemon sorbet was given to clear our palates for dessert. We each ordered different desserts, with coffee drinks or fresh herb tea, and the homemade dark chocolate candies.

After such a sumptuous meal, I could see how it could cost $500 per person for dining there, because it felt like we were eating within a palace, which in a way it was, with Prince Rainier of Monaco personally selecting chef Alain Ducasse for the Louis XV restaurant at l’Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo. It was indeed an entire feast for the senses, beyond the taste, appearing like art on a plate, with textures that were perfect. We spent nearly four hours at l’Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo, between Les Caves and Louis XV, and I drank more wine that I was used to, so I was extra glad I wasn't trying to walk in heels, with my wobbly legs making things difficult enough.

Marshall thanked the chef, maître d'hôtel and sommelier, before we left, and the restaurant was closed up after we departed. I had to lean into Marshall, who had one arm around me, while I held onto his other hand, just to steady myself enough to make it through the hotel. Marshall and Antoine rubbed the knee of a horse on a statue of Louis XIV in the hotel, on the way out, which they explained was for good luck over at the casino. Everyone but me did it, because I didn't want to fall over, but it was easy to see the worn area from so many people doing this.

We could have walked through the secret underground VIP tunnel, but we got into the limousine that was right out front, so it could take us to the entrance of the casino. Marshall led the entourage from the limo into the casino, which normally required each person to present a photo ID and passport for entry. Marshall was known, so his word that none of his guests were residents of Monaco sufficed, because it was illegal for residents to play in the casino, including the royal family, for fear of favoritism at the tables. Napoleon and Winston Churchill were among some of the famous patrons, and Churchill won 2,000,000 francs in one night in 1945, in a visit after the war had ended.

Antoine saddled up to the blackjack table with Celeste, while Bill and Richard tried their luck at craps. Marshall enjoyed playing all the table games, but perhaps his favorite was Baccarat, or punto banco. I wasn't really into gambling, nor was I in the condition to be hanging out at the tables, so Marshall recommended the exclusive Salle Blanche bar and lounge, for VIPs only. Marie wasn't in any position to gamble, so she joined me out on the terrace, for a nighttime view of the Mediterranean and some fresh air. Marshall had purchased a tray of chips, giving some to everyone, even me and Marie, which is what we were using in the bar for whatever we ordered.

Marie and I sat and talked for over an hour, ordering deux café gourmand, served with yummy mini créme brûlée, chocolate truffle and other miniature desserts. While we were talking, a couple of Italian gentlemen tried to pick us up, and we graciously declined, even though they were pretty handsome. After the time we spent in the fresh air, I was feeling much better, and we both decided to return to the casino floor. Marie and I walked out together into the Salle Europe, arm in arm, searching for anyone from our group. Marie saw Celeste near Antoine, who was still at the blackjack table along with Richard, and Bill was over at the punto banco table with Marshall.

Apparently, the dice weren't hitting on the bets Bill and Richard were placing, so they moved to try something different, and both Antoine and Marshall seemed to be doing alright. The same two Italian guys from the lounge approached the two of us again, not willing to give up on us, but we were near the punto banco table, so we excused ourselves from them to stand near Bill and Marshall. The two men got the message, we were with someone. When I did try gambling, I seemed to have the best luck at craps, so I invited Marie to pick one of the tables for us to try, and I was going to teach her what I knew of the game. Personally, I felt it had the best odds for players.

Picking a table where there were just a few people, we both walked over, watched for a few rounds to get a feel for how it was going there, then I took my seat when I felt lucky. I would be third in line to throw the dice, based on where the rotation was, and I placed a bet on Don't Come Bar after the point of four was set with a roll of a three and one on the dice. I felt pretty confident, explaining to Marie some of the betting strategies, also placing smaller bets on the individual odds throws for eight and nine, which I felt might hit. Sure enough, the next throw after the point was a nine, and I added the winnings from there to ten.

It took a few throws, losing my odds bets, but eleven was rolled after a few throws of the dice, and a fresh pair was presented to the person next to me. It was a couple from America, and I decided to place a bet on the Pass line, thinking this guy might have better luck than the prior one, and he hit with an eleven. He ended up throwing for three rounds until he crapped out, and so far I was up from the number of chips I started with, which emboldened Marie to mirror my bets when it became my turn to thrown another fresh pair of dice. I was feeling good, placing my obligatory bet on the Pass Line for the come out roll, and I threw a seven.

Continuing to throw, I began hedging my bets, going for individual throw bets in addition to my others, and I was starting on a streak after the first half a dozen successful rounds. After nearly a dozen, both Marie and I were doing well on our chip counts, attracted some attention to the table with the remaining seats being filled quickly. I threw the dice for nearly thirty minutes or more, so when my gut told me I was overdue to crap out, I made place bets on my lucky numbers of eight, nine and ten, with some for the dealer, which he appreciated, and now Bill had left the punto banco table to watch me throw.

I came out rolling a four for point, then ended up throwing another eight times, hitting one of my place bets half the throws, before crapping out, and my run was done. The dealer got a decent tip from my bets on his behalf, thanking me when the dice were collected, and I asked to color up me and Marie. He exchanged our chips, and we had nearly tripled what we had sat down at the table with. As we walked away fromm the table, Bill lamented that he wished he was at the table while I was throwing, when the dice were so hot. The three of us walked over to Marshall, who was doing pretty well for himself, but not as well as me and Marie had, in a relatively short time.

Richard saw us gathered near Marshall at the punto banco table, so he got up to walk over, followed shortly by Antoine and Celeste. Marshall was pretty much done, making rather sizable bets, but still managing to be up nearly fifty percent from what he started with, Antoine was just above even, with both Bill and Richard not doing so well. We were going to all head to the Salle Blanche, while we decided which clubs we might want to have fun at for the rest of the evening. Something in the back of my mind told me my lucky streak wasn't over yet, while we walked toward the exclusive bar and lounge.

I had a gut feeling when approaching a roulette table, so I asked Marshall to wait a moment. Impulsively, I handed over half my chips to be placed on number eight, not knowing where it landed before. All bets placed, the wheel began to spin, the ball released, and it bounced around, fortuitously falling into the eight slot. At 35-to-1 odds, it was a hefty payout, so I tossed a tip to the dealer, and I ended up being the biggest winner out of our group. We all drank some champagne to celebrate my win, because it turned out to nearly cover the Marshall's expenses for our clothing, wine tasting and dinner. A lot of clubs were closed on Sundays, leaving very few options for us.

Marshall went to turn in all of our pooled chips, which ended up being significantly greater than we started. Combining my chips with the wins by Marie, Antoine and Marshall, minus the losses of Bill and Richard, we won enough to have over 10,000 francs beyond everything Marshall had spent, so it was as profitable as it was fun, thus far. The end of the season in Monte Carlo was typically the end of September, and we were into October, with many clubs already closed until the following season starting in March. Some opened earlier for the Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique at the end of January through the first week of February, allowing models from 1911 to 1986 that had previously raced.

Our driver took us to Sass Café, but with tourist season already over, plus being a Sunday night, it wasn't the atmosphere we wanted for our evening entertainment. Knowing we were moored at the Monaco Harbor, the next best recommendation was Le Brasserie de Monaco, situated right at the end of Port Hercule, just a short eight minute walk to the yacht. Being so close, Marshall reached François by phone, inviting the staff and crew to join us, if they wanted to. Luckily, we arrived prior to the 11pm cutoff for ordering some pizzas as snacks to go along with our beer, ale or cocktails, so Marshall ordered half a dozen different pizzas, along with some tapas plates for us.

Releasing our driver for the night, Marshall asked him to plan on picking us up at the yacht around 10:30 to 11am the next morning. I ordered the ambrée de Monaco, a nice full-bodied amber ale I really enjoyed, which Bill tried a sip of, and ordered for himself. Marshall and Richard went for a more traditional pale ale, and the others ordered cocktails. Shortly after our drinks were served, Jean-Pierre, Míchel, François and the first mate showed up, and we added another table. Just before the pizzas were brought out, their drink orders were taken, all of them going for ale, with François getting the same ale Bill and I were drinking.

Given the time of year, it wasn't too crowded with tourists, and there were a fair amount of locals there to share a fun night of dancing, with not too many other places to go. Even though there was a DJ delivering pounding beats, it wasn't deafening to the point where we couldn't hear each other speak. François was amazed at how Marie was dressed, and she shared her experience with François, Míchel and Jean-Pierre. Marshall raised his glass for a toast to the first night of our quick French Riviera cruise. We ended being among the last people there, leaving when they closed at 2am, then walking to the yacht to get some rest before the morning.

Chapter 56 - A Dual Honeymoon Boat Trip | Chapter 58 - Our Stops in Nice and Cannes