Reflection from the airport lounge

The past three days and half days have been a blur of French hospitality, aesthetically pleasing surroundings, and a conference that was well-worth my while.  Now that I have copious time between two flights, I can spend some time thinking about my impressions of Monaco.

The country is a narrow stretch of land between the sea and the tail-end of the Alps.  High-rise apartment buildings are built up the steep mountains, and in general it is a very hilly city to walk, but the increase in exercise balances out the food excesses. Space is at a premium and creatively used.  The architecture in general reflects a Mediterranean influence, and local granite, marble, and terra cotta tiles are used.  Outside of Singapore, it is the cleanest city I have ever been in.
 
The few kilometers of country are roughly divided into several neighborhoods, and without traffic, it seems like it only takes fifteen minutes from one end to the other.  Every time we took the bus from our hotel in Fountvielle to the Grimaldi Forum, it felt like a tour.

There is no passport control.  Monaco is essentially a French protectorate, so there is also no immigration post at the border.  In fact, there is not even a "Bienvenue à Monaco" sign.  With the exception of the red and white flags of the Principality flying everywhere, there would be little difference between the two countries except that Monegasques seem to be fiercely proud of their tiny city state.  

Boutiques, galleries, and cafes dot the waterfront, and in this off-season the atmosphere was laidback, giving me the feeling that I had the place to myself.  The area I enjoyed the most was Le Rocher, the pedestrian-only part of the city, high on a hill.  The palace and cathedral look over the rest of the country from a walled fortress. Everything was tastefully done, almost to the point of understatement.  No garish displays, no flaunting of the enormous wealth it is famous for. There seems to be a Catholic church on every corner, and I think historically there are strong ties to the Vatican.

The French of course prefer to speak their language, so I tried really hard with my remedial phrases.  Most of the time, it seemed appreciated and they graciously switched over to English.  Predictably, the service was outstanding.  The food of course was too.  Even the so-called fast food places we saw look appealing.  Our food was served in small portions with robust and yet also complimentary flavors.  Naturally, the fruit also was smaller and tastier that what I am used to. Yes, the Monegasques know all about Joie de vivre.

There is a James Bond element here - the helicopter pad was located steps away from my hotel.  Women are well-dressed.   Cocktails in swank bars were upwards of thirty euros.  The three harbors were parking lots for the largest yachts I have ever seen.  On land, I saw Ferrari and Rolls Royce dealerships. It seemed like a faux pas to ask for a test drive though.

Of course real people live and work here too, and I enjoyed my time in Carrefour, a French store we also have in Kuwait similar to a Super Target in style and design.  Of course this store was nothing like in Kuwait.  The cheese aisle, pate selection, and wine offerings were immense.  I also saw cashmere sweaters in plastic wrap on sale for 39 euros and silk scarves.  Needless to say there was no acrylic in this place.  Next door was Decathlon, a sporting goods store, full of ski equipment and clothing.  Initially overwhelmed, I actually found a pair of ski pants that I'll need for a trip to Innsbruck in February, and remarkably it was cheaper than what I could buy in the US.  Our shuttle driver told us that is occasionally snows but it never stays.  It is rarely truly cold and people stay outside for most of the year.  To have that and skiing so close is truly the best of both worlds!

I was glad to attend the conference.  While the sessions were ok, the networking opportunities were outstanding.  Rarely did connections take six degrees of separation; common ground was instead found in one or two.  Schools were represented from all over the world - Mongolia to Argentina to Taiwan to Zimbabwe.  Many of the college reps who had visited our school in Kuwait were also there and I met many others.  There were four or five people that I hung out with during free time, and we had some really great conversations.

I felt good about my presentation and it was a boost to get so much positive feedback.  It was the only session of its kind dealing with psychosocial aspects, and there is a need to have more in the areas of dealing with parents, ethical issues with applications, and stress management for counselors.  I will need this boost as I return to Kuwait.

Now, as I sit in Germany, I also appreciate the common sense, good taste, and efficiency.  This has been a good mental break for me and I wish Russ could have joined me.