Category Archives: monaco

flirty fun in France & Monaco

lolafication

if you follow my blog you know that lola has a certain je ne sais quoi. let me be clear, my time in France and Monaco proved they too were willing to be influenced by the lola factor. those along the Riviera were quite eager to be lolafied. i guess it was really the low-season 😉

lola served up on a silver platter

lola requested that difficult pink beret – a request more than sufficiently met! then i proceeded to wear the beret everywhere, which the French folk seemed to enjoy.

look at petit lola being a little saucy tart

one evening, lola brought out petit lola (aka my little mascot Barbie) to dinner and after dinner drinks only to be flirted with by many a cute man.

birthday buddies - max & lola

AND real-life lola wore out my boa on my birthday. by that evening’s end, i had many, oh so many, a man donning a boa feather here and there (ears, lapels, pocket feathers.) it was really quite a surprise, to be honest, how much those men adored the boa!

oh yeah...he WAS lolafied!

either France and Monaco have a spirit about them that totally identifies with lola or people really just needed to get outside of their usual routines. whatever it was, the embracing of lola and her silly sassiness made this trip and birthday extra EXTRA special.

i love the idea of lolafying a place – wouldn’t you?! my feathers floated all around Monaco for a good 24 hours at least. AND it’s been reported that i was missed once i was gone. locals lola met have confessed they are missing lola’s je ne sais quoi!

my lovely bartender crush in provence

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Monaco DO & Monaco DON’T

when i think of Monaco, i think glitz, glam, royalty and James Bond

gentlemen, start your engines!

while i found the little city-state clean & pretty, i also found it feeling quite manufactured & fake. february is low-season and i am sure Monaco is more exciting when it’s high-season BUT, even still, Monaco was a disappointment. don’t get me wrong, lola had fun…i have fun wherever i go. AND i feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to discover first-hand that Monaco isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

casino NOT royale!

let’s start with the vision of James Bond and the casino. of course, the building is beautiful and who couldn’t appreciate that?! BUT when you imagine a casino in Monaco, you think of something grand. it was tiny and most games were electronic – bleck. it was practically deserted and like walking into a nursing home. i was the only one wearing sequins – all else had on hoodies and sneakers. sorry Monaco…Vegas has you beat by a long-shot, a thousand times over!

built into the mountainside - Monaco has slowly 'reclaimed' land from the sea to increase its territory

i did take a little bus tour to see the tiny principality. Monaco is the second smallest independent state in the world next to the Vatican.

beautiful little orange trees line the streets

Monaco's castle

i’m glad i had the chance to see Monaco but don’t feel the need to ever go back UNLESS it’s for the Monaco Grand Prix! OMG the cars & that race would be worth the trip. this is the glitz and glam that does exist in Monaco!

ooo lala - fast cars

yummy ferrari

this is how i "rolls-royce"

bottom-line, Monaco is at least double the cost of France. my advice: go visit for the day but cross the country line back to France for dinner, drinks & dessert. unless, of course, you have a sugar daddy (or mama) 😉

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bon anniversaire ala France et Monaco

birthday fun – vive la lola!

happy birthday

lola got birthday treats all trip long. from a macaroon cake & wine at the Four Seasons Provence to champagne at Villa Gallici! i was treated like quite the b-day gal.

yummy cake!

sante - birthday girl!

on my actual birthday in Monaco i was brought a cake with a sparkler type of candle at dinner and yet another at the bar where i was having after dinner drinks. apparently they DO like flashy things in Monaco! AND of course i had some of both…it would have been rude not to.

lola loves sparkly things!

and cake number deux

sometimes turning a year older can be a drag but i truly had the best birthday this year. i mean, who couldn’t love 2 cakes? i was made to feel magnifique everywhere i went & why not?! i am kinda special because i’m lola after all!

ps – i highly recommend spending your birthday in France/Monaco but no matter where you are, do it up BIG. it is YOUR DAY!!

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why i heart to pack

the boa is going international this week! look out France & Monaco!!

Française de Barbie

even though these destinations sound glitzy (and they are) i love to pack even if it’s just to go overnight to New Hampshire. a getaway is often an excuse to wear a fun outfit that isn’t a part of my everyday life. when i start to pack for my escape it affords me the opportunity to daydream about what i’ll be seeing, learning, eating, drinking, meeting, buying – you get the idea. to me, it’s a big part of the process of the actual vacation. i truly enjoy it!

i’m not quite sure what all i’ll be up to this getaway. there will be delicious meals and fantastic wines consumed, that’s for sure! AND lola definitely needs her own beret! do we think France & Monaco are ready for my cowboy boots, bikini, beret & boa?! i will be reporting back to let you know how lola was received & what was discovered.  in the meantime, back to packing…

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