The Monaco Town Hall has organised a number of “Covid safe” events to ensure a merry and bright Christmas for all this festive season.
Despite the current restrictions due to the health situation, the spirit of Christmas will be on full display this year in the Principality, though not in the usual way.
Since 20th November, residents and visitors have been able to enjoy the seasonal lights that illuminate each district after nightfall, giving a cheerful air to the chilly nights.
In addition, the esplanade of Quai Albert I is set to celebrate the magic of Christmas with nearly 250 fir trees and four attractions. There will be a carousel, duck pond fishing, a ride in the shape of a tree and another named the Caribou Ride-Santa’s Sleigh. The fun fair area will be open from 10am to 7:30pm from Friday 4th December to Sunday 3rd January.
The ice rink – a Monegasque winter staple – will also be open on 4th December at the Rainier III Nautical Stadium. With 1,000m2 of space, the ice rink takes five weeks to set up, but it is always worth the effort. Last year 28,674 skaters enjoyed the rink.
This year, the rules will be a little different, given the need to adapt to the health protocols, but fun can still be had. The rink can accommodate 200 people at a time and traffic must flow in a certain way as established by ground markers. Mask wearing is obligatory, and lockers and public areas will be disinfected regularly.
The rink will also host model-making mornings from 8am to 12pm on Sunday 13th December, 10th January, 24th January, 17th February and 21st February. It will also be the site of the Monaco skating championship on 6th March 2021.
For the smallest skaters, a 60m2 structure is being erected just for them. The ice rink will be open until 7th March 2021.
Princess Antoinette Park is also decked out in the spirit of the season for the first time. Christmas lights will be up until Thursday 3rd January and include a light trail and illuminated scenes, which can be enjoyed every day from 4pm until the park closes at 6pm.
New for this year, the Monaco Media Library is setting up workshops at the Metropole on the first three Wednesdays of December from 2pm to 6pm. The 2nd will feature a Christmas card workshop, the 9th is the Christmas Ball, and Christmas stockings feature on the 16th. The workshops are free, but space is limited so reservations are required. These can be made by emailing contact@metropoleshoppingmontecarlo.com or calling +377 92 16 77 01.
Fresh off their exciting win against number one seeded Paris, Sunday’s 3-0 victory against Nîmes Olympique gives AS Monaco their longest winning streak since the 2016-17 season and puts them firmly in the Top 5 of Ligue 1.
The Red and Whites celebrated their fourth win in a row on Sunday at a home game against Nîmes Olympique where they dominated play and set themselves up as real contenders for this season.
With three goals, one in the first half and two in the second, it seemed nothing could slow them down.
Even the normally reticent Coach Niko Kovac was mostly positive saying, “I am very happy with this 3-0 victory, which in my eyes is totally deserved, because we had a lot of chances in both halves. I was very satisfied after the first half. The start of the second half was a bit tough, but after the red card, we played a lot better. In the future, I would like us to control the match for 90 minutes.”
He went on to note how hard the team has worked to gel, declaring, “It’s true that we have found a real balance in our play. We have been working here for four and a half months, the players adhere to the strategy and integrate the principles as is requested of them. We are also happy with a clean sheet, it’s something important for the defence, the goalkeeper and the team as a whole. I really appreciated the fact that we are getting so many chances. We are really on the right track.”
Sofiane Diop made the opening goal in a nice volley about 19 minutes in that landed the ball at the edge of the nets. In fact, Monaco dominated the ball most of the first half, and though they only converted the once, they were playing well as a team.
After halftime, they came out a bit slower but still strong, and when a red card on Nîmes’s Lucas Deaux for tackling Diop from behind occurred, the Red and Whites also had a one man advantage which they took absolute advantage of.
In a one-two, Gelson Martins made a gorgeous header in the 75th minute followed by Kevin Volland putting it between the posts in the 77th. This sealed the deal and the final score of 3-0 was set in stone.
After the match, team captain Axel Disani said, “We started the match very well, with the goal coming quite early. The coach had told us we had to attack them from the start in the final third of the pitch, and that’s what we did. In the second half, I think we came back less well, Nîmes were pressing more. But when we got down to 11 against 10, we were able to break forward and score the two goals that gave us the victory.”
The Red and Whites next play in an away game in Lille on Sunday, 6th December.
Photo source: AS Monaco
Roca Team dominates local rivals in friendly match
AS Monaco Basketball has taken the Antibes Sharks to the cleaners in a friendly match, dominating the game in a 95-64 win.
Despite missing some key players, the Roca Team ran roughshod over Antibes last Friday in a friendly meetup between the two local teams. Captain Dee Bost was out playing for the Bulgarian national team, Mathias Lessort was doing the same for France and JJ O’Brien was resting after a slight injury, though their absences were barely felt by a Monaco team that was in it to win it.
The friendly at Gaston-Médecin gave some of the young players a chance to get off the bench and get some court time, as well as give the team good practice between scheduled games.
“My players put in good energy, with a lot of races,” said coach Zvezdan Mitrovic after the game. “A friendly match is a good thing in this crazy calendar: we play three matches, we find rhythm, and then there is nothing left for two weeks. Our young people have potential. I told them in the locker room: if they work hard, no problem, they will have a chance to play.”
Up and comer Yohan Choupas, for one, was delighted to get some time on the court, saying: “The fact of training alongside players like Dee Bost, Rob Gray, Marcos Knight and all the others, it allows you to learn a lot and to progress. The goal is to grab some playing time and therefore always give your maximum.”
Monaco made 38 shots out of 80 on the night, with 13 for 32 on three-pointers. The team had a whopping 47 rebounds, with Darral Willis making 12 on his own. There were 17 steals and 20 assists. Rob Gray was high scorer with 20 points, followed by Willis who has 17, Abdoulaye Ndoye with 13 and Marcus Knight with 11.
The Roca team next plays on 6th December in a Jeep Elite away match against Elan Bearnais.
Covid restrictions will not change in the Principality until at least mid-December, when Prince Albert is due to reveal new rules for Christmas and the New Year.
“We are maintaining the current system until 18th December, inclusive,” Minister of State Pierre Dartout announced on Friday at a press conference.
Until then, all the measures currently imposed in Monaco will remain in place.
Wearing a mask is still compulsory at all times in public spaces, except for children aged under five years and people practicing outdoor sports.
The night curfew remains in place from 8pm to 6am, with exceptions for restaurants, theatres and casinos, which have a 9:30pm closing time and must provide proof to its patrons.
Bars, sports halls, nightclubs, swimming pools and spas remain closed until at least 18th December.
Retail stores and businesses remain open.
“The Sovereign Prince will take stock of the end-of-year celebrations in mid-December, to enlighten you on what will be decided in view of the Christmas holidays and the start of the month of January 2021,” added the minister of state.
If France lifts its lockdown on 15th December as planned, then trips to and from the country will likely be possible without restrictions.
Until then, Monaco residents traveling to France will have to stay within a 20-kilometre radius of their home for up to three hours only at a time. Travel certificates are also required.
In order to calculate this 20-kilometre radius, the Monaco government has suggested a useful digital tool called CalcMaps, which can be used on a desktop computer or downloaded on mobile devices.
Photo by Cassandra Tanti for Monaco Life, all rights reserved
Restaurants will be closing at 9.30pm despite an 8pm curfew announced on Thursday under a new round of restrictions. But the government has warned the measures will evolve if the situation worsens.
During a press conference on Friday, Minister of State Pierre Dartout provided details about the new restrictions that will be applied in the Principality to combat the rising number of Covid cases.
“These measures follow a double evolution of the situation: France’s decision to lock down its national territory which impacts on the Principality, and the worsening of the health situation even though it remains less worrying than our neighbours,” said the minister of state.
Under the new measures, there will be no lockdown “because the health situation does not justify it”, said Mr Dartout. However, a curfew will be in place from 8pm until 6am, as announced by Prince Albert on Thursday evening, to “maintain freedom of movement and therefore economic activity”.
In a surprising move, the minister of state announced that restaurants, casinos and theatres will be allowed to stay open until 9.30pm. Patrons will need to produce an attestation provided by the establishment or an entry ticket if stopped by authorities on the way home.
Table reservations are mandatory as is a limit of six people per table.
Schools, construction sites and businesses will remain open, although the government strongly recommends remote working, both in the private and public sectors.
Professional sporting events can take place but behind closed doors without spectators.
Meanwhile, bars, snack bars, gyms, swimming pools, and spas will be forced to close.
“These new measures could evolve if the situation worsens,” concluded the minister of state.
Volume two of the only manga to be produced out of Monaco, Blitz, hit book stores last week. We caught up with its creator and co-author Cedric Biscay to learn more about the groundbreaking series and how Monaco fits into this new and exciting world.
On 22nd October, Cedric Biscay and his team launched the second edition of Blitz, the latest in a manga series about a group of young chess players competing in a tournament that takes its hero to the legendary Monte-Carlo Casino. The manga was created in collaboration with the greatest chess player in history – Garry Kasparov.
Cedric Biscay is the CEO and Founder of Monaco-based Shibuya Productions, responsible also for the triumphant comeback of the Shenmue saga in 2019 on PS4 and PC, winner of three world records in the Guinness book, producer of the multi-award-winning documentary Sad Hill Unearthed on Netflix, and the upcoming Astroboy Reboot series. This year, he is the recipient of the Japanese Foreign Minister’s Certificate of Honour. Monaco Life: How long did it take to complete Blitz volume two? Was much of it done during lockdown and did this affect the story in any way?
Cedric Biscay: It took six months to complete. Unfortunately, we lost valuable time due to the quarantine regarding the release date. Ideally, we want to make a volume every four months.
The lockdown did not affect the story, however it did enable me to progress faster on volumes three and four. How successful was volume one?
To date, we have sold more than 7,000 copies in France, which is very good for a volume one of a new series, especially considering the quarantine has affected volume one in two aspects.
Firstly, there were transport and logistics problems. Secondly, a Monegasque company is currently not allowed to sell directly on Amazon. As a result, there were no Blitz sales for almost three months. However, I believe the situation with Amazon is evolving favourably, according to my information. How does volume two differ from the first edition?
The main aim of the first volume was to set up the characters and the story.
In this second volume, we enter deeper into the chess games. I wanted to make them punchier and more fun, so I asked artist Daitaro Nishihara to imagine the characters on a battlefield during the most striking games.
The characters imagine themselves as real chess warriors and it brings a lot of fun and intensity to the games.
It is important to mention that Blitz can be read by everyone. It is not necessary to know anything about chess, so we’ve added in the bonus section some explanations about chess games and a glossary. The first book was revolutionary because you collaborated with Japanese artists, and this one has gone one step further, with collaborations between Monaco, Japan, France and the United States. Do you feel you are breaking ground in the world of manga?
As a matter of fact, yes. We are innovative in the sense that even if Blitz follows the manga’s codes, the way it is made differs a lot from the usual standards.
And we must be very careful to avoid mistakes in our exchanges between French, Japanese and English.
I am convinced that Blitz can bring a breath of fresh air into the world of manga, not only through the subject matter, which is truly original, but also through the unique multi-cultural vision it brings.
The fact that Garry Kasparov is involved also gives it a lot of credibility, and not forgetting the contribution of Alexis Champion who, at the end of each volume, gives the keys to develop personal intuition. I don’t think I can say it enough, but Blitz is also a manga about intuition.
I enjoy proposing several levels of reading whether it is for children, teens or adults.
By the way, when I participate in autograph sessions, I can see that the profile of readers is incredibly varied, and it makes me very proud. Do you touch on any social issues in the book?
It’s a big word to say that we are actually addressing social problems, but our characters are not flat.
The hero, for example, does not ‘fit the mold’. In Japan, where there are strict codes of conduct, we can see that he is not particularly appreciated by the teachers and some classmates at the beginning.
The same goes for the main female character – she is tough and not a girl who stands by the hero or is a ‘trophy’.
It is important that everyone can identify with the characters they want and show that whether you are a girl or a boy, you can be a badass.
Also, while it is too early to talk about it specifically, there will be a disabled character who also appears in the story. We are all anxiously awaiting Astroboy Reboot. Do you have any idea of when it will be released?
I get so many messages from fans about this project. Obviously, I understand their frustration since we can not communicate on it due to various NDA’s signed with a major US company.
But I can say that the situation is evolving and I hope to be able to make some announcements by the end of the year.
The most important thing to remember is that we have been working on it since day one, even though it is very long and external factors sometimes simply prevent us from communicating fully with the fans in a way that keeps them informed in a concrete way. Astroboy is an iconic manga and I absolutely respect its author Osamu Tezuka. It is unthinkable for me not to provide the best for Astroboy Reboot. My mission remains the same – to deliver a beautiful series and broadcast it as widely as possible around the world. Can you reveal what is next in the Blitz series? Do you envisage it being a large series?
I do not want to reveal too much of course. But I can say that qualifying for the tournament will continue and although the main plot is in Japan, the Principality of Monaco will continue to be shown.
The Monte-Carlo Casino has been drawn for the first time in volume two, thanks to our partnership with the Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer (SBM). It will also be featured on the back cover of volume three.
It is very important for me to have part of the story here in Monaco. I think it is great to see the Principality of Monaco in a manga and I think it brings additional value to Blitz.
I am also happy that the Monegasque authorities appreciate it and find it fun to see Monaco in a totally different universe than usual.
Shibuya Productions is a Monegasque company and we are totally committed to the “Monaco team”. The more we talk about the Principality of Monaco in general, the more beneficial I think it is for local companies and institutions.
Ideally, I would like Blitz to reach a little more than 20 volumes, which is what I think is needed to tell the story properly. Do you plan to release this manga in other countries?
Yes, I think it is of major importance for Blitz IP.
We have already had an online publication on Shonen Jump Plus in Japan. We are also targeting China, USA and all countries that have a developed manga market in general.
We are currently looking for publishing partners abroad to allow us to make Blitz known to as many people as possible. I receive a lot of messages from manga fans or chess enthusiasts overseas who are waiting for a translation in their country. We are working on it! Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers?
Well, I want to say thank you for taking the time to read this article!
I hope all Monaco Life readers will be able to read Blitz and enjoy it. See you on 26th February for volume 3!
