The Welcome Office has hosted an information session for people who have moved or are relocating to Monaco as part of its quarterly service. It is an opportunity for guests to discover firsthand the different aspects of life in the Principality.
The information people receive is imperative – how to settle into life in Monaco, what the essential entities/organisations to know, what the administrative procedures of daily life are related to education and health for example, the various means of transport, the major projects of the Principality and many other valuable topics.
The meetings are held at the Club des Residents Etrangers de Monaco (CREM), a historic partner of the event, in a comfortable and elegant setting.
In addition, the Welcome Office, which has been in charge of welcoming newcomers, entrepreneurs and investors for nine years now, regularly receives people looking for key contacts, practical information on Monaco or on activity creation.
‘Flowers for the bees’ at the Princess Antoinette Park
As part of the ‘Flowers for Bees 2019’ campaign, the French Observatory of Apidology will be hosting a special event at the Princess Antoinette Park on Wednesday 19th June at 3.30pm.
Children are invited to head to the Zen section of the park, where there will be a presentation on nectar dispensing plants which are essential for the feeding of bees. The beekeeper will be offering his honey for sale.
The aim of the day is to raise awareness among children of the importance of bee conservation. Admission is free and the presentation will take around one hour.
The French Observatory of Apidology (OFA) is a non-profit association located in the Var at Sainte-Baume. It is charged with the safeguarding of bees and includes an experimental beekeeping herd, a research centre and a vocational training center.
The EU has encouraged the creation of up to 30,000 new beekeepers in Europe and the creation of 10 million new bee colonies by 2025.
New at the Princess Antoinette Park in 2019:
The park this year boasts a new barn made by the park’s gardeners from some of the decorations recovered from the 2018 Christmas Village; a new hutch for rabbits again thanks to the talent of handymen and gardeners; two brand new composters accessible to individuals during park opening hours; and a completely renovated mini-golf. The park is non-smoking.
More info: www.flowersforbees.com and www.ofapidologie.org
The awards ceremony season is officially underway, and it was a festive atmosphere on Wednesday 12th June in the Court of Honour of the Monaco City Hall for the traditional Sports Festival.
A host of delegates including David Tomatis, Counselor at the Prince’s Cabinet, Mayor Georges Marsan and Jacques Pastor, Deputy Mayor of the Sports and Associations, congratulated the presidents, leaders, coaches and sports men and women of the Principality’s sports associations and federations who had gathered for the occasion.
A total of 35 disciplines were represented and 777 medals were awarded during the ceremony – 89 gold, 114 silver, 173 bronze, and 401 medals of distinction.
Photo: courtesy Mairie de Monaco
Each year, the Sports Festival is a highly anticipated event for all sports members, young and old, whose excellent results during the past season are rewarded.
Three other awards ceremonies are scheduled in the City Hall’s Cour d’Honneur this month: the Monegasque Language Contest on Monday 17th June, the School of Fine Arts – Pavillon Bosio Wednesday 26th and the Rainier III Academy on Thursday 27th.
One of Monaco’s most exciting new organisations, the Latin American Association, is organising an evening of traditional food, entertainment, art and dancing. The gala is designed to introduce guests to Columbia through its music, cuisine and folklore.
The fun-filled night will be held on 22nd June at 8.30pm at the Monte Carlo Beach Hotel. Valet parking will be available for guests and the evening will include a welcome cocktail, buffet dinner with Colombian specialities, and dancers with a live band, representing five different regions. There will also be a tombola, art exhibition showcasing the work of Colombian artists and a DJ party. Dress code is tropical chic.
The evening hopes to raise awareness of Colombia as one of the world’s most diverse countries, with many biological ecosystems. It is the only South American country bordering the Caribbean and Pacific ocean, and it has five geographical regions – Caribbean, Pacific, Andean, Llanos Orientales and Amazonian – which make Colombia one of the most ethnically diverse countries in the world. This gives it a unique richness in culture, art, folklore and music.
The Latin American Association of Monaco (AMLA) is giving people the opportunity to discover a country full of wonders. AMLA’s charitable work focuses on children and families living under distressed situations in Latin America. Its partners include the ISM (volunteering charity work assignments), the Princess Grace Hospital, Richmond Global Health Alliance, Guatemala’s Volcano Explosion Aid and Somos Huellas in Chile.
Funds raised from the Colombian Gala will go towards helping Colombian children access “game libraries”, also referred to as “Ludoteques”, a project supported by Mission Enfance Monaco.
Monaco Life is giving away tickets to the first ever two-day wellness festival taking place in Monte Carlo this July, following the theme ‘In your element’.
The event will be Monte Carlo’s first ever two-day wellness festival and it will focus on the elements fire, earth, air and water. The aim is to achieve balance of mind, body and connection to the planet.
People are encouraged to take part from 6th to 7th July at the Colombus Hotel, World Glass Gym and in the outdoor classes and workshops.
The schedule is as follows:
Saturday Morning at the Monte-Carlo Bay Hotel
Start the day with Born to Move movement class with Kim Hartwell, a class that helps you move your body in the way we were born to as a baby, primal movements to strengthen your body and release tensions.
Followed by an energising breath work class to get you motivated for the weekend ahead. Richie Bostock will host his signature breath work workshops conscious breathing practices. Understanding and using the breath purposefully is a major skill if you want to become a healthy, happy, high-performing individual and enhance every aspect of your life.
Complimentary Reiki will be available at the Columbus Hotel with Bernice Robinson, a Holistic Reiki master and crystal healer from the Connaught Hotel in London. Get energised, feel refreshed and relaxed during a one-to-one natural healing session with crystals.
Naomi Buff will be hosting three workshops with recipes and food demonstrations at the Columbus Hotel on Saturday afternoon.
Weight Loss: will provide you with nutrient dense balanced recipes to reduce sugar cravings and promote faster fat burning.
Skin: by healing/improving your gut health and then reaping the benefits with your skin health to get that glow & younger looking skin.
Energy: Learn how to naturally restore and revive your adrenals through nurturing and nourishing foods that can energise and heal you giving you back a spring in your step!
There will also be a posture and alignment anti-ageing workshop with the osteopath to the Monaco Ballet. Peter Lewton-Brain will help improve your body’s movement and strength in this interactive session in the Pilates studio at World Class Gym.
A silent disco will be held with trained dancers on the terrace of Stars’n’Bars on Saturday night. Get sweaty and wild in this fun’ movement is medicine’ dance class. All the family is welcome.
And then there is a Kids Club on Saturday morning with coaches from FMC Academy and children’s yoga class with Careen Cassir. Drop off your kids for free 9am to 12pm if you have tickets for the event.
Sunday morning starts with Jasmine Hemsley hosting her Sound Bath Healing session, focused on immersing the body in a sound frequency meant to heal the soul at the Monte-Carlo Bay gardens. Jasmine’s talk will be about fusing the very best of Eastern wisdom and systems of health with the latest cutting-edge technology and developments in Western wellbeing.
on Sunday afternoon, join the professional cyclist panel with Dave Tanner and Calvin Watson to hear their advice on how to eat and train for this popular endurance sport, and an interview with Damian Fisher from Boost Monaco.
Win the latest fitness gadget Activ5 in an interactive healthy life hacks workshop in World Class Gym with coaches and experts.
Classes over the weekend include:
Ocean flow yoga
Flow your own way yoga
Yin / Yan yoga
Total Body Workout
Re-charge and re-energise
Boost Bootcamps
Tickets are 50 euros for the day / 80 euros for the weekend.
All attendees receive a luxury beauty goody bag worth 100 euros.
Turtle preservation in the Mediterranean is getting a major boost thanks to a new research facility at the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco. The addition of a turtle tank overlooking the sea is an opportunity for the public to meet real sea turtles, while serving as a rehabilitation centre before the marine animals are released back into the wild.
Sammy and Avril are two turtles living at the rehabilitation tank at the Oceanographic Museum. Born in captivity, they cannot be released into the wild so they were moved to their new home in Monaco in May. The two eight-year-old loggerhead sea turtles are part of a larger effort to rescue and rehabilitate injured turtles found in the area.
The tank, sitting outdoors on a terrace overlooking the sea, holds a variety of local fish and fauna, so injured turtles will feel at home as they recover. A locked door on the terrace leads to a section of the rehabilitation centre which is otherwise closed to the public. It is here where Olivier Brunel, the head of the Aquarium, oversees daily management of the institution. He explained how the centre, in coordination with other local turtle conservation organisations, works to ensure the health and safety of turtles in the seas surrounding Monaco.
The Oceanographic museum has also taken the initiative to educate local people who are frequently at sea on how to spot an injured turtle.
“We don’t have boats, they are our eyes on the sea,” said Brunel. “If they see turtles who need to be rescued, they can call us. We have arranged training on how to observe and know if a turtle is hurt, or just healthy and resting.”
Whether they are recreational fishermen, rowers or sailors, all sea-loving residents of Monaco play an important part in this new branch of the institution. An important centre for research since the 19th century, the Monaco Oceanographic Museum has focused efforts on turtle conservation globally, and they are making waves in sea turtle research.
Since March, the museum has hosted two training sessions to teach community members how to spot sea turtles and report back to the research and rehabilitation facility. If they are safe and happy, they should be accounted for and left alone. If they are injured, they should be brought into the centre in a safe way.
The first step is to see what kind of injuries the turtle has. Some receive injuries to their shell from boats, or they can become entangled in nets or ropes. A common culprit is plastics that turtles digest, then they and can no longer eat. A vet from the aquarium works with other professionals to solve the problems. For example, the turtles are given special food at the centre to facilitate good digestion and eliminate the plastic.
“If everything is fine and the turtle is well again, it goes to the rehabilitation tank where we will evaluate if it is well enough to go back to sea,” explained Brunel. “We put a tag giving its GPS position on the shell, which allows us to follow the turtle for a few months, to see its behaviour. It helps with scientific research and gathering general information from sea turtles.”
The Monaco Oceanographic Museum is an important link in French coastal research. Thanks to its partnerships with local sea goers and other French marine institutions, scientists in Monaco will contribute valuable information about these difficult to understand wild animals.
The rehabilitation centre will also be at the forefront of new ocean research. For example, a giant clam rescue project aims to repopulate a species that is quickly disappearing from the Mediterranean. They are setting up traps to collect larvae from these clams over the summer, to be inspected in September.
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