Monaco was our country for Monarchy day, and our 47th country. When I was in 6th grade I had to pick a country for a big project, and Monaco was my country. (I liked the small ones, in 5th grade for our state project, I picked Rhode Island). For the record, Monaco is the 2nd smallest country in the world, just after Vatican City.
But before we got to our Monaco lesson, we had to talk about Monarchies.
I mean most people know about Monarchies, if you have a King, or a Queen (or an Emperor or Czar or Sultan), and you inherited your status, then you have a monarchy. Sort of. I mean, there can be elected monarchs, the most famous of those being the Pope.
But we have two types: Absolute, and Constitutional.
An Absolute Monarch has complete control, and is pretty much the only source of all the laws. Whatever they want goes. Checks and Balances is out the window (which accounts for how some Monarchies are Dictatorships). You might say their power is absolute. Examples: King Mswati III of Swaziland, and Sultan Qaboos bin Said of Oman.
Then you have your Constitutional Monarchies. Those that are more a ceremonial figure. They are a Democracy/Republic. They have a constitution, and a have a parliament, or something as a Seperation of Powers. They don't insert themselves into politics. They don't choose sides. Of course the most famous of these is Queen Elizabeth II, but for today's lesson we talked about Prince Albert Grimaldi II.
The Grimaldi family has ruled Monaco for centuries, in fact, it's a law that all leaders of Monaco must have the last name of Grimaldi.
Prince Albert is one of the richest royals in the world. The son of Prince Rainier and Grace Kelly, he's estimated to be worth about a billion dollars. His official residence, Palais Du Prince, with over 200 rooms is one of the most luxurious places in the world. The guy has fathered a few kids here and there (and was eventually forced to accept paternity), but he did settle down with Princess Charlene, and in 2004 they had twins: a boy and a girl. Good thing too, apparently there is a law that if at any point there is no heir to the thrown, and the monarch dies, France would basically absorb Monaco.
It really is this tiny little area of French Riveria that is it's own tiny country. It isn't even 500 acres, it's less than one square mile. That's smaller than Central Park. It's population of around 37,000 isn't that much more than Land O Lakes. (Although to be clear, with the small area, it is really a densely populated area). But, it also has the oldest life expectancy in the whole world, at 89.57.
It's divided into four districts, with the most famous being the Monte Carlo district. There tourists can gamble the night away in their best formal attire at the Casino de Monte-Carlo. But, to be clear, only the tourists. The locals are not allowed into the casino. (Fun fact: in 1913 during a game of roulette, the ball landed on black 26 times in a row!)
Monaco is also known for it's Yachts on the French Rivera, the Formula One Monaco Grand Prix (one of the most dangerous and prestigious races), and luxury. Our landmark was the resturant, Le Louis XV. The restaurant is in one of the finest hotels in the world, and run by one of the finest chefs in the world. It even has the world's largest wine cellar (with more than 250,000 bottles of wine stored in a rock cave).
If it's not clear by now, Monaco is a country for the rich and famous. It is exclusive and expensive, and I'm pretty sure I lack the proper clothing to go into any establishment in the city (ok, not ANY establishment, but any fancy restaurant or casino at least). I also probably lack the bank account.
But if I ever did visit, I'd be in one of the safest countries in the world. There is virtually no-crime, but a very large police presence. There is one police officer for every 68 people. If you're looking on a per capita of per area basis, Moncao has both the largest police force/presence.
The boys made their postcards for Monaco.
Calib's Monaco is built on 'the rock', as people often say.
Peyton noted that France is just over the other side of 'the rock'.
And Hayden denoted that the guy in the casino was American, since if you are from Monaco, you can't gamble in the casinos.
Allison and Asa made the Pan Bagnats for dinner. It's a famous street food, and basically a Nicoise Tuna Sandwich.
Since Monaco is basically France, that was my go to for our side dishes and dessert. Along with our sandwiches, we had pineapple, and asparagus with what amounted to a hollandaise sauce with orange rind, and pommes frites (yay for an excuse to have homemade french fries)
I also had picked up some Macarons at Trader Joes. I actually forgot about these, but happened to open the chest freezer because I had picked up some BOGO Flatbreads and was going to freeze them. So, yay for not forgetting.
Also, Allison said that they aren't MacaROONS (that's the coconut cookie thingies), but actually MacaRONs.
Dinner earned three official spoons up (from the adults).
Apparently Calib HATES tuna, even more than raisins. He held his nose the whole time Asa and Allison made the Pan Bagnats. He did take a bite, but that was it.
Peyton took a few bites, and Hayden ate about half of his.
But the side dishes and the dessert were popular!
We made a little dot for Monaco.
47 countries down, 146 to go!
Next Up: Theocracy and Saudi Arabia
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