By Pasquale Gianni
For a weekend, I was James Bond. Well, kind of.
I did not catch any bad guys or go on a top secret mission. I just played the part.
That is, I went to the micro city-state of Monaco located in the French Riviera where I put on my best suit, drank a martini (shaken, not stirred) and tried my luck at the world famous Monte-Carlo Casino. For many years, it has been a destination for the rich and famous (as well as a film location and setting for a few of the 007 films). I had to see what all the hype was about and, indeed, it was worth the excursion.
Some quick facts: Citizens of Monaco, natural born or not, are called Monegasque, and they are not allowed to gamble in the casinos (you should not feel bad for them, tough). With a population of just over 36,000 and about 500 acres of landmass, Monaco is the second smallest and most densely populated country in the world. The country also has the world’s highest life expectancy at nearly 90 years.
Monaco boasts the highest GDP per capita at $153,177 per year and the lowest rate of poverty. It has the highest Human Development Index (HDI) in the world and the only HDI above 1, at 1.074. Over 30 percent of the population is made up of millionaires, who benefit from no income tax. Also, to be clear, Monaco is the name of the country, Monte-Carlo is the name of the city and they can be used almost interchangeably.
On paper it truly does sound like the greatest place in the world, but would I ever want to live there? In the same way I could never live in Las Vegas, the answer is no. I would certainly return one day, though.
Calling Monte-Carlo the “Vegas of Europe” would be wildly unfair. For starters, there are beaches, harbors and a picturesque mountain-scape that surround the country, not just empty desert. And while Las Vegas has come to be known for its extravagances as well as for its crime, drugs and seedy activity, Monaco is only extravagance. Much of that has to do with the astronomical real-estate values and their ability to keep out undesirables fairly easily. That being said, the country has come under scrutiny as of late for being deemed as a ‘tax-haven’ for the uber-wealthy.
The obvious drawback of a destination that prides itself on its glamour and decadence is that it is barely affordable for most of us. Even with my attempt to do Monaco “on a budget” for two and a half days, it was more than twice as expensive as my other trips. An average cocktail, for example, runs around $21 and there is no such thing as a budget hotel.
Once in a while, we all deserve to treat ourselves, but quite honestly, Monaco leans a bit more towards over-indulgence but I am okay with that. I am here, studying halfway around the world and traveling through Europe in order to see and learn as much as I can, and have a blast while doing it. My trip to Monaco helped check off all three of those boxes. It also helped serve as a reminder and motivation for how hard I am going to have to work in order to return one day in the future and be able to afford a room at The Fairmont Monte-Carlo Hotel and Casino overlooking the beautiful Mediterranean and breathtaking French Riviera. Until then, I will hang on to my postcard as a memento of what was yet another unforgettable experience abroad.
