Great news for tennis fans in Monaco as Novak Djokovic has confirmed he will compete in his “home” tournament, the Monte-Carle Masters, this year.
The 17-time Grand Slam winner had previously announced he would compete in the Madrid Open and Italian Open as part of his Roland Garros preparation, but with the addition of Monte Carlo Djokovic’s 2020 clay-court schedule is now complete.
Djokovic is the defending champion in the Spanish capital after he beat Stefanos Tsitsipas from Greece in the 2019 final while he finished runner-up to Rafael Nadal in Rome last year.
The Monaco-resident has now added a third clay-court tournament ahead of the French Open as he will also compete in the Monte-Carlo Masters, an event that he won in 2013 and 2014, with the news confirmed on his official website.
Djokovic exited the ATP Masters 1000 tournament at the quarter-final stage last year as he lost in three sets against Daniil Medvedev from Russia.
This year’s Monte-Carlo Masters runs from 13th to 17th April in the Principality.
Monaco is set to undergo intense storms and blistering heat once again this year, according to Focus Météo. The weather trends for 2019 have just been revealed and the experts say last year’s extreme conditions will likely be repeated in 2020 and beyond.
Since 2012, Focus Météo has been gathering weather data for Monaco from its weather station located at the Jardin Exotique. This year’s reports show that the temperatures were uncommonly warm in the Principality.
There has been a steady increase in average temperature in the region since the 1970s. Where from 1971-1980, the average high was 18.67º and the low 12.79º, 2019 saw average high temperatures of 20.4º and lows of 15.4º.
In addition, not a single day in 2019 went below freezing, compared to the prior three decades when this occurrence was rather common in winter.
The year 2019 was “particularly hot” and punctuated by two extended periods of scorching temperatures. The summer heat waves in June and July were marked by record highs, respectively 34.6º on 27th June and 33.8º on 24th July. Autumn was warmer than usual, as well.
The Principality saw more hours of sun in 2019 than the preceding year – a total of 2,616 hours of sunlight versus 2,342 in 2018, though the number of hours in 2019 was roughly on par with 2017, and therefore in the normal range.
Last year was also punctuated by two intense Mediterranean winter storms at the end of November and early December. High winds and rain did significant damage causing waves in excess of eight metres. During these two months, 20 days had winds in excess of 60km/h, with the worst day being 22nd December, which had gusts measuring 104.4km/h.
Rainfall totals show a more positive story, especially as the region tends toward drought conditions. The average normal rainfall for Monaco is 735.4 mm per year, with 63 days of rain. The past five years have seen higher than average rain with 2019 coming in at a whopping 1,092mm. This is partly due to the two massive end of year storms which saw 132.7mm of rain in a 48 hour period at the end of November and 84.8mm in a 48 period during the December tempest.
The conclusions drawn by Focus Météo are that Monaco is in for more of the same in 2020. It appears that intense storms and blistering heat will be the norm, so prepare for extreme conditions and hope for the best in the coming year and beyond.
Marco Mascari, a 17-year-old Princess Grace Academy student, has taken out the prestigious Prix de Lausanne 2020 for best overall dancer, as well as the top spot for contemporary interpretation.
Eight dancers were deemed the best of the best last Saturday at the Prix de Lausanne dance competition in Montreaux. Each will be receiving scholarships to allow them to continue their studies in some of the world’s most prestigious schools or ballet companies.
A total of 77 dancers from 25 different countries were selected to take part. The 47 girls and 30 boys were kept under the watchful eyes of world-class teachers and coaches. They spent a full week preparing, working on both classic and contemporary variations before going in front of the judges.
Twenty-one were finally chosen to move onto the next level. The finalists were from 10 countries, with China having six candidates, the most for any nation, followed by three each from Australia and the United States.
The event was streamed live for six hours each day, and the semi-finalist selection and grand finals were broadcast in their entirety on the Prix de Lausanne website and Arte Concert. The viewership nearly doubled from the previous year, with 1.1 million views compared to 560,000 the previous year.
In the end, it was Monaco’s Marco Masciari who won the day. The seven other winners hailed from the USA, Brazil, China, South Korea, Romania and Portugal.
Buhurt Prime, the final tournament of the Historical Medieval Battle season, comes to the Big Top in Fontvieille to determine which team is the best of the best.
In order to get a clear understanding of what a major event this is, think of Buhurt Prime as the Champion’s League for Medieval fighting teams. Twelve teams meet on the battlefield using completely authentic and historically accurate replicas of medieval armour and weapons in a fight to the “death” to determine the ultimate winners.
Monaco’s local team, the Grimaldi Milites, will be joined by top teams from the United Kingdom, Denmark, Poland, Ukraine, and Czech Republic for all out action on 15th February.
In addition to the competition, there will be a medieval fair offering replicas of knight’s actual weapons, jewellery, toys and leather accessories, a photozone where aspiring knights, princesses and jesters can get a picture of themselves in period garb, and an interactive zone where experts teach visitors how to shoot a bow and arrow. There will be special kid-friendly armour and weapons made just for the younger guests to give it a go, as well.
Scarpa wines, who is partnering in the event, offers a glass of wine to visitors as they meander around the scene, as well as wine tastings where their special edition wines will be on sale.
In this entry, Monaco’s Irina Peterson learns more about the plastic pollution on the Galapagos and dives below the surface.
February 7th: The lesser known side of Galapagos
This wasn’t the usual “tourist request” for a visit. I went today to see the recycling centre in Santa Cruz, Galapagos, and met Jorge, an everyday hero, who together with his team are recycling the plastic and trash of the island.
After the beautiful images I shared with you these last days, it may be hard to look at this but it’s important to know it exists. These paradise islands are becoming more and more victims of plastic and garbage arriving from the ocean and landing on the pristine beaches.
We need to do something about it at the source, any careless action in our day to day consumption behaviour will certainly end up here and other places. The nature miracle called Galapagos belongs to all of us, and to our children, we are all responsible for its protection.
Another everyday hero I met here is Carolina, a dedicated marine biologist who – together with her husband – is working hard to save one of the endangered birds of Galapagos. In addition to working on this amazing scientific project and being a busy young mother, Carolina found the time and passion to bring the “precious plastic” project to the island.
It is a movement created to help recycle plastic in remote areas using an easy to assemble machine and various metal moulds to re-shape the recycled plastic in beautiful objects: key holders, trays, cups and even jewellery. Her idea in creating these beautiful pieces is to have tourists buy them as souvenirs and take some of the plastic away from the island in the process.
Also, these recycled pieces (which could be recycled over and over again) can be a reminder for all of us, when we go back to our lives, to be more responsible about our plastic usage. I received this beautiful tortoise, which will be my token from today onwards to make myself more accountable about my day-to-day behaviour affecting the environment!
I am truly hopeful that collectively we can do so much good and that every little action counts.
February 10th: In Cousteau’s footsteps
Ever since watching Jacques-Yves Cousteau’s underwater documentaries every Sunday as a child, I wanted to be able to see for myself these mesmerising worlds. The legendary explorer helped me escape into a world of wonder, and despite the tiny black and white TV I was watching it on at home, in my mind these amazing marine creatures were vividly coloured.
At 18, I got my diving license even before my driving license, and along the years I had the chance to dive in some of the most incredible places: Great Barrier Reef, Red Sea, Indonesia, Mexico. What I started to notice though, over the space of 10 years, is the increasing impact that humans had in the destruction of corals and marine life, and pollution. Galapagos is still one of the places where nature is winning, where animal wildlife and marine species have a fair chance. Although, talking with the diving master and his crew, they are seeing more and more plastic debris arriving from all sorts of places.
The two dives I did today were special – one was a wall dive allowing us to explore the rich marine life, and the second dive in North Seymour had a deep sandy bottom and some current, bringing large school of fish to our attention.
Diving is not something which comes natural to me. I have to push my boundaries every time I go down, there is always a little panic and self questioning whether I can follow this through. It is not in the absence of fear that I am l doing it, but overcoming it with each calming breath I take underwater, acknowledging my intrusion in this sacred space and respecting its rules.
Javier, our diving master, was not only very knowledgeable but also a sunny personality which helped create a relaxing ambiance on the boat.
Cousteau’s documentaries gave me an incredible gift, to see through eyes of wonder the beautiful underwater world and for this, I will be eternally grateful. And it is now time to pay it forward. With my Ocean Amazon documentary, I hope to contribute in giving more generations the gift of dreaming of adventures in exploring the oceans and discovering its beauty. Just like that little girl, on a Sunday morning. Yours, Irina aka Ocean Amazon
Ambassador presents credentials to King of the Belgians
Isabelle Berro-Amadeï has presented His Majesty the King of the Belgians with her credentials accrediting her as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Monaco.
The official ceremony took place on 6th February at the Royal Palace of Brussels and was followed by a private meeting, during which His Majesty the King underlined the excellent relations between Belgium and the Principality of Monaco and wished that they continue to develop in the same spirit.
The Principality’s proactive policy in favour of a sustainable city and the progress of the urbanisation project at sea were notably mentioned.
The Ambassador assured His Majesty the King of her commitment to continue and deepen the ties that have united the two countries for many years.
Galapagos is still one of the places where nature is winning, where animal wildlife and marine species have a fair chance. Although, talking with the diving master and his crew, they are seeing more and more plastic debris arriving from all sorts of places.
