Ryder Cup golfer Nicolas Colsaerts married Rachel Smith on December 14 at the town hall in Monaco. Photo: Monaco Life
Newlyweds Nicolas Colsaerts, a Belgian pro golfer and Ryder Cup player, and Australian Rachel Smith welcomed a healthy baby boy, Jackson, born in Monaco on Saturday, February 10.
Mr Colsaerts, a Monaco resident, married the Australian entrepreneur at a ceremony at Monaco town hall on the morning of December 14.
They couple was joined on the Rock by a small group of family and friends who afterwards headed to the Hotel de Paris for a celebratory lunch at the Michelin-starred The Grill, recently named by CNN as one of the world’s “49 most stunning rooftop bars and restaurants”.
The 35-year-old, who closed the 2017 season at the AfrAsia Mauritius Open, was the first Belgian to represent Team Europe at the Ryder Cup when he played in 2012.
The Energy Observer has completed more than 4,000 nautical miles before completing its Tour de France in Monaco, arriving on Wednesday, December 13 at Quai Antoine 1er.
This, the first self-sustaining hydrogen ship without the emission of greenhouse gases or fine particles, will welcome the general public at its village until December 21, 2017.
The choice of Monaco for a port visit echoes the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation’s commitment to innovative projects such as Planet Solar, the Formula E and Solar Impulse championships.
For a week, the crew of Energy Observer will take advantage of this last stop to meet local players whose initiatives are remarkable, while preparing the continuation of the Odyssey for the Future in the Mediterranean and working on the first technological optimisations of the ship.
The exhibition village dedicated to the project is open and free until Thursday, December 21, from 10 am to 6 pm.
Photo: Facebook Energy Observer
The links between the Albert II Foundation of Monaco, the Principality of Monaco and Energy Observer go back to the beginnings of the project, through several meetings during which the Sovereign has always taken a great interest in the project and declared his willingness to welcome the ship for a stage of its World Tour.
This is now done, and this support is in line with the Principality’s commitment to encourage major technological innovation projects, in the service of the fight against global warming.
Claude Cottalorda, Ambassador of Monaco in France, and Miss Mouna Lekhnati. Photo: DR
His Excellency Claude Cottalorda, Ambassador of Monaco to France, attended the 58th Award Ceremony of the Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet Foundation for Vocation on Monday, December 11, where he presented one of the prizes.
This Foundation, chaired by Elisabeth Badinter, offers financial awards young men and women who are particularly deserving in different fields of activity, from literature to sport, science, research and the environment.
During the Ceremony held at the Edouard VII Theatre in Paris, the Ambassador of Monaco presented the HSH Prince Albert II Prize to Miss Mouna Lekhnati, a young 22-year-old planner, who plans to build a Smart City, thanks to her studies in technology and sustainable development.
The vocational prize will allow this young woman to finance part of her tuition fees and help her in the beginning of her future career.
Christmas swim in Monaco December 24, 2016. Photo: Facebook Association Les Amis du Bain de Noël de Monaco
Today is November 15. This morning I roused a few Christmas decorations from hibernation and placed them enthusiastically on the mantle as Holiday Radio played non-stop Christmas Classics on my internet radio.
My Joy to the World spirit wasn’t always so. As a child, Christmas was a happy time, a household full of friends and family, music and Grandma Gray’s shortbread. I was in the church junior choir, and my mom, a classically trained contralto who turned mezzo-then-soprano, accompanied us on the piano.
But I have never been at ease with the commercial side of the holiday – it still strikes me odd that we have to buy something for someone – and for as long as I can remember, would volunteer at a home for the elderly, a soup kitchen, or a suicide hot line on December 25. As I got older, I moved around a lot, within Canada and France and eventually Christmas was a day far removed from carols and eggnog with loved ones.
That all changed in November 2008 when I was invited to visit Santa Claus at the opening of Santa’s Village in Lapland, on the border of the Arctic Circle, courtesy of Finnair and Rovaniemi Tourism.
Like any other interview, I did my research. Since 1985, Santa had been greeting some 300,000 visitors each day of the year in his “office” – a welcoming room with a fireplace, sacks of gifts, bookshelves and a photo-taking elf and dominated by a 10 metre cogwheel, known as the earth’s rotation device.
It wasn’t just children who waited for their turn to sit on Santa’s knee. As I made way along the winding corridor, thousands of photos, from international celebrities to public figures with St Nick, lined the walls.
I wrote at the time, “It is here in this room where the untainted faith of our youth, when anything was possible, resurfaces; as though the confession of an innermost wish to a gigantic man in a red suit puts you in good graces with higher powers. It is, quite simply, magic.”
And that’s when it happened. Santa asked me what I wanted for Christmas, and I felt childlike and wide-eyed, I believed anything was possible.
The jadedness that had slowly blinded my vision over all the years melted away and was replaced by hope.
I flew back to Nice and booked a flight to Toronto on December 25 to surprise my family. On Christmas Day, I showed up at my sister’s doorstep and had a truly memorable visit.
I went into the New Year chiming “in 2009, dreams will be mine”. Nine months later, I reconnected with the love of my life, who had proposed to me in 1993 after we met on a French immersion program in Quebec. He moved to France and we married on December 24 in 2010. Yup, he too loves Christmas.
Photo: Facebook Association Les Amis du Bain de Noël de Monaco
Photo: Facebook Association Les Amis du Bain de Noël de Monaco
Photo: Facebook Association Les Amis du Bain de Noël de Monaco
Photo: Facebook Association Les Amis du Bain de Noël de Monaco
Photo: Facebook Association Les Amis du Bain de Noël de Monaco
So when I heard last year about the annual Christmas swim in Monaco on December 24, organised by the Association les Amis du Bain de Noël de Monaco, I was ecstatic. My favourite holiday combined with my favourite sport and for charity.
Some 150 people turned out – families with kids, couples on bikes, friends and colleagues – sporting Santa hats, red t-shirts and even costumes to spend a convivial morning on the beach and enjoying the music and entertainment.
This year’s Bain de Noel, 10 am at Larvotto’s Rose des Vents beach, will be the very first time in the event’s thirteen years that the swim will take place on Saturday, December 16, instead of the day before Christmas due to a schedule conflict (no, not with Santa).
Money raised, as always, will be donated to a Monaco-based charitable organisation. This year les Amis du Bain have chosen an association that supports children of the Monaco Police force who are in difficulty – L’Amicale d’Entraide et de Prévoyance des Fonctionnaires de la Sûreté Publique.
On-site registration, €10, includes a raffle ticket, croissants and coffee.
I’m giving a month’s notice in sending out a Monaco Life challenge to all of you – sports groups and clubs (COCC, AS Monaco rugby and friends, BOOST, Club 39), social and non-profit associations (Outward Bound Monaco, Child CARE Monaco, Monaco Air League, TEDx), restaurants and entrepreneurs (Stars’nBars, Blue Coast Brewing Company, MonacoTech, l’Orangerie, Les Femmes Chefs d’Entreprises de Monaco, JCEM), my fellow journalists at Riviera Radio, Monaco-Matin, Monaco Info, and, of course, students at ISM and IUM – whether you live in Monaco or not, to come out and smash last year’s number of 150 participants for the annual Christmas swim.
Before you moan about the cold sea temperature, think about it this way. I’m asking you to stand or dip into the 15°C water for a group photo. Yes, it’s going to be uncomfortable, but facing that challenge for five minutes is nothing compared to what these kids face for an entire lifetime.
Ho, ho, hope … see you December 16.
For more see the Association Les Amis du Bain de Noël de Monaco’s Facebook page @baindenoelmonaco. Article first published November 15, 2017.
Party season is in full swing and your social calendar is probably packed with parties, dinners and gatherings, not to mention the most festive event of the season – the Christmas tree auction happening tonight at Hotel de Paris.
These gatherings often call for drinks, nibbles and not the healthiest food – even after the carol service at St Paul’s on December 17 (7 pm) you’ll be tempted with goodies – which is why this is often the season when we pile on weight even though we eat only bite-size portions.
Take Maddywell’s free 10-day Happy Healthy Monaco Challenge
If, like me, you want to take advantage of all the joy of the season without feeling like the stuffed turkey you’re about to cook, start by asking yourself the following three questions:
Christmas past: How has overindulging in the lead up to Christmas benefited you?
Christmas present: How important is it to keep doing what you do versus start taking responsibility for what you eat?
Christmas future: How will your life change when you break your habits and make better food choices?
I know Bah Humbug, right? But most of our habits at this time of the year are deeply engrained in family traditions and breaking free from what is familiar is possible.
Even though you may think that eating junk at this time of the year is unavoidable, you have the ability to make empowered decisions about the food you put in your body. You have choices. For example, you don’t have to eat all the Christmas food on offer.
Maddywell’s favourite party tips:
Fill up at least half your plate with vegetables (no, fois gras does not count as a vegetable).
Ditch the potatoes, the pasta, the rice and – gasp! – the bread. There’s nothing special or Christmassy about these foods and they contain very little nutrients.
Aim for 80 percent healthy food and save 20 percent for your holiday treats.
If possible, add your dessert to your main plate – this drastically cuts down on the portion, as opposed to having an entirely new plate for dessert after your main course.
If at all possible, try to sit down when you eat and to truly savor your meal. Take the time to chew and enjoy the flavors and the texture of each and every bite! Eat slowly!
Want to avoid overeating at a Christmas party?
Don’t turn up at a party starving. Always eat breakfast and lunch if you are going out for dinner. Include protein and healthy fats to stabilise the blood sugar and reduce cravings.
Make sure that you are getting a balance of protein, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fats at every meal and/or snack.
Get enough sleep! Our hunger cues are thrown off track when we aren’t sleeping enough (or hungover!). Sleep balances leptin and ghrelin, the hormones that tell us when to start and stop eating (and yes, we all have them!).
Maddy is the Founder of Nutrition For Naughty People, aimed at helping individuals find a better balance between the things that keep them healthy and the things that make them happy! Any questions? mk@nutritionfornaughtypeople.com. Article first published December 14, 2017.
ML: Can you tell me about your background and how you ended up in the Principality? IR: I am Russian, born in the USSR. After I graduated from the Musical Institute, where I majored as a Choir Music Conductor, I married and left for Stockholm, Sweden. I ended up working there as a fashion model and a buyer, and then was a fashion producer organising showrooms for Russian Designers abroad, in Paris, London and NY.
ML: What were your first impressions of Monaco? IR: I have now been living in Monaco for the past four years after moving here from Paris and Berlin, but I used to come here for holidays with my family every summer so it felt very familiar.
ML: Name a place you like to meet friends for a coffee in Monaco? Where do you shop? IR: My favourite place to meet up with friends is at the Metropole shopping centre. For shopping, I’m a huge fan of big brands such as Dior, Dolce & Gabbana, Chanel, Celine etc…
ML: How did you begin as a clothes designer? IR: I’ve always worked in fashion and therefore I can confidently say that I know what a woman needs in her wardrobe. That’s how I came up with designing leather goods for women – women always need leggings, jackets, biker jackets – signature items in a women’s closet .
ML: How did it feel when you sold you first piece of clothing? IR: I have been selling clothes since forever, and in fact I get more satisfaction from selling then from buying.
ML: How would you describe fashion in Monaco? IR: In fact, the Monaco style I find to be rather specific: very exclusive high heels, huge diamond stone jewellery, poofy skirts , décolleté … and more diamonds.
ML: What inspires you when creating clothing? IR: Inspired by this Monegasque look, I’ve have created a collection with Swarovski diamonds on my biker jackets.
ML: Where can people find your clothes? IR: You can find some of my collection at the LULL boutique in La Condamine (29 Rue de Millo), otherwise the entire collection is available on my website EVAROJE.com.
ML: What’s the hardest part of running your own business? IR: I’m very passionate about everything I do as I find my job to be a type of art where I can express myself. Being a woman in business in the fashion world is a blessing to be creative and recognised.
ML: What is a typical day for you? What’s the most important part of your day? IR: My work consists of 4 parts: Production, Organisation of my showrooms, Work with private clients and Checking up on my online aspect of the business, which my daughter is in charge of.
ML: What is the one device you cannot live without? IR: I definitively can’t live without my iPhone.
ML: What is the best part of ageing as a woman? IR: Between fitness and today’s cosmetology being so up-to-date, you can stay young and healthy for a very long time. Your mind matures and becomes more complex in a good way. For example, every year I get more inspired and can back it up with stability and experience, whereas when I was younger, I also had a lot of inspiration but was often distracted thinking there is not enough time. As I got older, I realised there is always enough time if you’re truly passionate enough.
ML: What’s the best piece of advice another woman gave you? IR: Don’t take advice from other women.
ML: What makes a woman beautiful? IR: Her style and keeping her self in shape.
