30 in Monte Carlo

I turned 30 in Monte Carlo.

Work has been crazy hectic, so I have not written much.

But here are some pictures from the day before my birthday.

Me in front of the famous Monte Carlo Casino.



Monte Carlo Casino



Monte Carlo Harbor



This is my ship. The colorful pattern in the foreground is a helipad. As if to accentuate the money in Monte Carlo, not even a helipad can be regular concrete.



Helicopters are a recurring them in Monte Carlo. In case you need to get anywhere, it is good to have your trusty helicopter on your yacht. (This is not as uncommon as you think. We see this frequently in warmer ports.) The arrow points to a helicopter on the back of a yacht.



So where do you take the helicopter on the yacht too? Well to lunch of course. Check out the restaurant valet in front of this outdoor cafe.



(Ok, actually it is just a display helicopter for sale. Kind of like cars you see at malls sometimes.)

This is a harbor shot of Monte Carlo from the ship.



The day after my birthday I went to the Leaning Tower of Pisa. I am a sucker for historical science and engineering. I don't really know why but I love this stuff. So the Leaning Tower of Pisa was a real highlight for me. It was built over a two hundred year process, and for the last 800 years everyone has been trying to fix the lean. I am very glad I got to go. There is also a Baptistery on the site. It, like the Leaning Tower and the adjacent cathedral, leans as well. The Baptistery is a round building with a dome ceiling. It is like the biggest and best shower in the world! The sound resonance strikes you dumb.

This woman walked into the center of the Baptistery and sang a single note. After she sang the note, the sound continued to resonate richly. She then harmonized with herself on another note. She did this for several notes. It sounded like a perfectly harmonized professional chorus of 140 people singing various pitches. It was if I was sitting in the best acoustical location in a major musical performance hall. I imagine a choir at the Sydney Opera House. Considering the extensive sophistication of acoustic architecture currently, this thirteenth century structure is a marvel.

Anyway, me at Pisa, to prove I was actually there....