Day: 30 October 2016

Prince Albert has told the American press that the views of presidential candidate Donald Trump on the topic of climate change are “dangerous.”
The Sovereign reportedly said: “I was pretty shocked when I heard climate change denial. It’s dangerous to have someone like this running for office, someone who can have people believing it’s all a conspiracy.”
As previously reported by Monaco Life, Prince Albert last week met UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon (pictured above) and presented him in person with the documents ratifying the Paris agreements made at last year’s COP21.
There were also discussions about the upcoming COP22, which will be held November 7-18 in Marrakesh, where the Foundation Prince Albert II of Monaco is reportedly hosting a “select dinner”.
In addition to his visit to the UN, Prince Albert attended the annual Princess Grace Foundation (US) dinner and awards, together with Princess Charlene. He also made a quick visit to the childhood home of his mother, Princess Grace, in Philadelphia’s East Falls district. The Princely family has recently acquired the building.

In an interview with People magazine, Prince Albert has said that he is accepting fewer invitations to events due to the demands of his young children. In particular, the phrases learned and repeated by daughter Princess Gabriella make leaving his home each morning more and more difficult.
The phrases “have only intensified the constant battle I’m having with my staff,” he said. “They keep insisting I accept this invitation or go to this event or travel here … I’m resisting and accepting only the essential ones,” the Sovereign said.
Among the little Princess’s favourites are: “I love you” and “I’ll miss you,” alongside “C’est pas possible.” Prince Jacques, on the other hand, is described as “a little boy of very few words.”
The twins will celebrate their second birthday on December 2, and Prince Albert and Princess Charlene are planning a quiet party at the Palace with friends the twins have made at their daycare centre.

Here’s a truly scary statistic. The National Retail Federation (NRF) estimates that Americans will be spending an all-time high of $8.4 billion (€7.65b) on Halloween this year, that’s an average expenditure of $82.93 (€75.49) per person, up from $74.34 (€67) in 2015.
According to the NRF survey, consumers will shell out $3.1 billion (€2.82b) for costumes (16% dress up their pets on Halloween), $2.5 billion (€2.28b) for candy, $2.4 billion (€2.18b) for decorations while $390 million (€355m) will be spent on greeting cards.
In France, the holiday has never caught on commercially, although the French never shy away from a chance to dress up in costume or do strange things. Last year, Airbnb offered the chance to win a two-night’s stay at Halloween in the “world’s largest grave”, the Paris Catacombs.
The national holiday on November 1, All Saints’ Day (Toussaint), is more deeply rooted in France’s custom with the chrysanthemum, the emblematic flower of the dead. In the 7th century, the Catholic Church united with a Pagan holiday and the first of November was designated Toussaint, “to honour martyrs and the deceased faithful”. At the time, Toussaint was called Hallow (Holy or Saint) Mass, or Mass of the Saints, and October 31 was All Hallows’ Eve, which later became known as Halloween.
The tradition of Halloween arrived in the US in the 1840s during the potato famine with the Irish immigrants, who would play practical “tricks” on their neighbours, sometimes wearing a disguise. However, by the 1930s those pranks turned into vandalism and trick-or-treating equalled, as Halloween historian David Skal describes, “extortion – give us candy or we’ll trash your house”.
Stores and neighbourhood homes began offering candy (“treats) as a way to bribe hooligans to stop the “tricks” and by the end of the decade, the new ritual was under way.
While there may not be much trick-or-treating here in Monaco, there are a number of events for mini-monsters and not-so-mini to get into the Halloween spirit on the actual day of October 31, and you won’t have to reach far into your pockets.
For kids
Grubers, the Giraudi family’s newest restaurant, a burger joint at 16-18 rue Princess Caroline, hosts “Halloween for Kids” from 11 am to 3 pm, which includes free face painting, gifts and candy. Info: +377 93 30 15 30
The 6th edition of “Halloween at Parc Princesse Antoinette” is organised by the Mairie and promises a range of fun activities and a chance to win candy. Costumes welcome. Free and open to all school children in Monaco, register at the park from 2-4 pm. Tel: +377 93 15 06 02
At Monaco’s Museum of Prehistoric Anthropology (56 bis boulevard du Jardin exotique), “Halloween for children” runs from  9 am to 6 pm for kids ages 6 and up. Tickets (3.80/child and €7.20/adult) include entry to the Exotic Garden and the Observatory Cave. Tel: +377 98 98 80 06
The festivities as Stars’n’Bars kick off at 6 pm Monday, with a children’s theme party involving a bouncy labyrinth, wandering robot, laser show, snake girl and candyfloss. Entry is €20 for kids (free for adults) and there’s a buffet (tickets €3-€5) although the restaurant opens at 9 pm for dinner. Get your tickets in advance.
For big kids
At La Rascasse (Quai Antoine 1er), adults won’t know whether to laugh or scream with their zombie-themed Halloween: “screaming pumpkins, prisoners facing the death penalty and zombies will make this a night that you will never forget”. Starts at 10 pm. Wear your scariest costume and win a bottle of champagne. Reservations +377 98 06 16 16
Zombie and vampire dress code is also in effect at Pacific Monte-Carlo (Metropole, 17 Avenue des Spélugues), where “a disturbing party” with live DJ music and Karaoke takes place Monday night. Finger food menu €35. Reservations: +377 93 25 20 30
The “Halloween Ball and Demolition Party” marks the official closing of the Black Legend club (L’Eto, 18 route de la Piscine), from 9:30 pm. Costumes mandatory (entry €50, includes a drink). Music by resident DJ Karl ZEN-K. Prizes and a chance to buy items from the Black Legend club. Reservations +377 93 30 09 09
Also on route de la Piscine (number 32) “Asylum Jack” Halloween clubbing at Jack Monaco. From 6 pm to 3 am with music by DJ Pete Kassidy. Dress code “Welcome to hell”. Reservations +377 97 98 34 56
Photo: Above, New Brunswick Tourism; Feature: Hanna Horwarth.
Article first published October 30, 2016. Copyright Monaco Life. 

Monaco’s beautiful south-facing cemetery is a place of peace and repose, and a new initiative by the Town Hall will make the last resting place more user-friendly for those who wish to visit, perhaps on November 1, All Saints’ Day.
Three new information points will tell the visitor where a particular tomb is situated, together with directions. All that’s needed is a name. A QR code will allow the visitor to upload the information on his or her Smartphone, in any one of four languages: French, English, Italian and Spanish.
The interface is also accessible at the town hall’s website. The cemetery already houses 2,500 burial plots, and has enough room for new arrivals for the next 20 years.

UPDATE: Seven people were indicted in Nice on Sunday, October 30, in the abduction case of Jacqueline Veyrac.
According to Nice-Matin, the inquiry is focussing on S. Giuseppe, the tenant-manager of La Reserve restaurant in Nice in 2008 and 2009, before its judicial liquidation, at which time the Veyrac family took over management.
Le Figaro and Nice Matin reported Wednesday October 26 around 3 pm that Jacqueline Veyrac, the wealthy owner of the luxury Grand Hotel in Cannes who was abducted in Nice Monday, October 24, by several men, was found unharmed Wednesday at midday.
The details of her release remain unclear. According to the BBC, she was “tied up and locked in the trunk of a car” while Nice Matin claimed she managed to get free before “taking refuge in a nearby house”.
“She was found on the western hills of Nice, where a local resident called the police,” said a source close to the case initially, without further details.
“A person who lives in the area noticed a peculiar car registration, which caught his attention,” said the public prosecutor, Jean-Michel Prêtre.”The person approached the car and realised someone was constrained inside the vehicle. The person freed her before taking her home to call the police.”
Mme Veyrac had “minor injuries” after being held captive inside the car for 48 hours, but is in good health overall.
At a press conference, the prosecutor added, “We could not have hoped for a better ending” to this story.
RTL reported two men arrested in the case but the prosecutor would not confirm the number. “This is not the end of the case, it’s the end of her confinement. There’s still an ongoing investigation,” said the prosecutor, who refused to comment on a possible motive.
Jacqueline Veyrac was kidnapped in broad daylight in the centre of Nice on Monday.
The 76-year-old owner of several large buildings along the Riviera had been targeted three years ago, almost exactly at the same spot, which is close to her home, but on that occasion was able to flee from her captors.
At least three men, with their faces hidden, bundled the victim from her 4×4 into a white van at about 12:20 on avenue Emilia, near boulevards Gambetta and Victor Hugo, eye-witnesses said. No weapons were used in the kidnapping, investigators have said.
The van left the scene at high speed, and despite an immediate police response the authorities have been unable to find either the vehicle or its occupants.
The newspaper “20 Minutes” cited Me Sophie Jonquet, counsel for Mme Veyrac: “The kidnappers made contact with Gerard (son) early Monday afternoon. The family is particularly affected and does not intend to make any statements at this stage. Too many comments have already been made and I do not want to put my client in danger,” she told AFP.
The high-profile property portfolio of Mme Veyrac, a woman described by neighbours as “modest” and very “nice with everyone”, includes the Grand Hotel in Cannes and La Reserve in Nice. (Feature photo: Nice public prosecutor, Jean-Michel Prêtre)
Article first published October 26, 2016.