LIFESTYLE38 TUESDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2013 FEATURES

A view of Monaco, which is set on a narrow strip of land bordered by France on three sides and the Mediterranean 5 on the other. —AP photos Monacofree things to do in

ust before noon on a brilliant Riviera day, two columns of guards line up smartly in Jfront of the Prince’s Palace, gold braid glint- ing on their full dress uniforms, vivid blue hel- mets rivaling the azure sky. A bell tolls as the Another must-see is the Monte Carlo ornate, Belle Epoque building. Check out the Avenue Saint Martin. guards put on what may be the world’s most Casino. (Monte Carlo is one of 10 districts sculpture, “Sky Mirror,” facing the casino, a http://www.visitmonaco.com/en/Places- glamorous shift change, marching and present- within Monaco.) Going into the gaming large, circular mirror that reflects the build- to-visit/Gardens/St-Martin-Gardens . Come ing arms with practiced precision as a crowd of room will cost you 10 euros and, incidentally, ing and nearby CafÈ de Paris. here for views of the Mediterranean and tourists standing just feet away Instagram the you’ll need to be well-dressed and carrying a check out the statuary, including a larger- moment. passport to show you’re not a Monaco resi- Stroll than-life rendition of Albert I as a navigator The best part? Watching this piece of royal dent since they are banned. But it costs noth- Home to about 32,000 people, Monaco is looking out to sea. pageantry won’t cost you a sou. Sure, Monaco’s ing to walk around the lobby, with its marble largely urban. But there are a number of Another good place to find respite is the known as the “millionaire’s playground,” and it’s flooring, columns, sculptures and pictures; parks that provide green oases where you Japanese Garden not far from the Monte easy to see why, from the multimillion-dollar http://www.montecarlocasinos.com , open can stop to smell the flowers or rest up on a Carlo Casino. Inspired by Zen Buddhism, the penthouses and high-roller casinos to the fleets from 2 pm daily. convenient bench. The St Martin Gardens, garden includes a waterfall and stream; of Bentleys and Ferraris roaming the narrow Also free, taking a picture beside one of just below the Monaco Cathedral, are nice to Avenue Princesse Grace, open 9 am -sunset, the posh cars to be found parked outside the walk in after you’ve visited that building; 2 http://www.visitmonaco.com/en/Places-to- visit/Gardens/JapaneseGarden2 Pace You’re going to need a rather expensive car, along with a few other requirements, to compete in the Grand Prix de Monaco held in May. But walking the course the rest of the year? That’s not going to cost you a dime. Stop by the Monaco tourism center, 2a Boulevard des Moulins, to pick up a free map Tourists checking out a larger-than-life statue of the route, a circuit of approximately 2 of Albert I, an oceanographer who served as miles (3.2 kilometers). The route passes the prince of Monaco from 1889 until his death in Monte Carlo Casino, the famous hairpin turn 1922. in front of the Fairmont, formerly the Loews Hotel Monte-Carlo, and the bottom half of road), the Moyenne Corniche (middle coast road) the circuit hugs the coast with views of and the Grande Corniche (great coast road). Fans yacht-studded harbors. of the Hitchcock classic “To Catch a Thief” may recognize the Grande Corniche as one of the Stamp roads Grace Kelly and Cary Grant drive along. There’s no border checkpoint to pass Tragically, Kelly, who famously married Monaco’s through when visiting Monaco. But if you Prince Rainier and became Princess Grace of want an official memento of your visit, you Monaco, died in a car crash near the Grande can get your passport stamped at the Corniche in 1982. tourism office, a short walk from the Monte Carlo casino. A cut above the bland insignias See of many countries, the stamp is of the A key stop on your Monaco visit is the Prince’s Monaco coat of arms which features two This May 13, 2013 photo shows the route for Palace in Monaco-ville, the old city perched on a sword-wielding monks in honor of the wily the Grand Prix race in Monaco. rocky promontory known, logically, as Rocher de Francesco Grimaldi. Monaco or “the Rock.” At 11:55 am each day you Maybe you’ll go home feeling as cunning streets. But you don’t have to break the bank at can see the changing of the guard on the square as old Francesco. After all, you’ve sampled Monte Carlo to have fun in Monaco. Here are in front of the palace; http://www.palais.mc. Line This May 13, 2013 photo shows the sculpture “Sky Mirror,” which faces the Monte Carlo the gilded streets of Monaco without parting some things to do that will cost you as much as up early if you want a good view; this is popular. Casino in Monaco. with a copper. — AP Monegasques (as the locals are called) pay in In winter, the guards wear dark uniforms, in sum- income tax. Which is to say, zero. mer, white. As you walk into the square, look for the statue of Francesco Grimaldi, who dressed as Drive a monk to lead a surprise raid on the castle in the Monaco is a principality covering less than 1 13th century. Chemmanur Intenational Jewelers square mile (2.6 square kilometers) on the After you’re done with the guards, follow the French Riviera, near Nice. (If you’re car-less, you signs to the Monaco Cathedral nearby. Here can get here by the No. 100 bus from Nice for you’ll find the tombs of past members of the rul- opens renovated showroom in Fahaheel under $2.) Set on a narrow strip of land bordered ing Grimaldi family including those of Prince by France on three sides and the Mediterranean Rainier and Princess Grace (4 rue Colonel on the other, Monaco can be reached by three Bellando de Castro; free admission outside of he renovated Chemmanur International scenic roads, the Basse Corniche (low coast religious services 8:30 am-7 pm, 6 pm in winter). Jewelers Fahaheel showroom was inau- Tgurated on 12 December, 2013 by renowned Kuwait play-back singer Fuad Al- Shati. Officials of the company, including the group director and other department heads, Joyalukkas: The world’s favorite along with the dignitaries and a large crowd of Chemmanur customers were on hand at the re-inauguration ceremony. jeweler, ventures into Kolkata As a special offering during the first week, there will be no making charges on 22kt gold ornaments and a 50 percent discount, plus a gold coin gift, will be offered on purchase of diamonds. Among the attendees at the func- tion were sponsor Abu Naif Al-Mai, Group Director Jisso CB, Hisham Hassan, Jijo VL, Shabu Antony, Suresh Babu and Shaikh Badusha. Giorgio Armani collaborates with Scorsese and DiCaprio for ‘the wolf of wall street’ n his latest film collaboration, Giorgio idea of elegance that was, and still is, a per- tures since he pioneered the movement by Armani’s signature style is featured in fect fit with the times. Giorgio and I have col- dressing Richard Gere in “American Gigolo” in IAcademy Award winning director Martin laborated together many times over the 1980. Since then, hundreds of films have Scorsese’s much-anticipated film, “The Wolf years, and it was a joy to do so once again, to incorporated designs by Giorgio Armani, of Wall Street,” about Wall Street stockbroker go back in time to tell a story that authenti- including “The Dark Knight Rises,” “The Dark ubai based, world’s No1 jeweler, and is home to over one million designs across Jordan Belfort. For the production, Armani cally showcases the style of the early 90s.” Knight,” “The Untouchables,” “Gattaca,” Joyalukkas opened their first showroom a range of jewelry forms such as gold, dia- worked with acclaimed costume designer Sandy Powell said , “The Armani look of “Stealing Beauty,” “Shaft,” “The Tuxedo,” “De- Din Kolkata on 11 December, 2013. To mond, precious stones, polki platinum and Sandy Powell, who has won Academy the 90s was among the most widely influen- Lovely,” “Ocean’s Thirteen,” “Fair Game,” “The mark its entry, the world’s favorite jeweler, pearl jewelry. The showrooms offer the same Awards in costume design for “The Young tial menswear styles of that era and we Social Network,” and “Mission Impossible: opened its first showroom on Kolkata’s busy service excellence that the Joyalukkas name Victoria,” “The Aviator,” and “Shakespeare in endeavoured to capture that same iconic Ghost Protocol.” Camac Street. has become renowned for globally, along with Love,” and has been nominated in the presti- look through our partnership with Armani Paramount Pictures and Red Granite The inauguration was done by best prices, superior quality of finished product gious category ten times. As Wall Street and his team. I was thrilled to be allowed Pictures present “The Wolf Of Wall Street” Satchidananda Banerjee, Chairman, The and the popular CPT (clear price tag), allowing tycoon Belfort, the film’s star Leonardo access to his archives, which enabled us to from director and producers Kolkata Municipal Corporation and Prof Maria customers to fully understand the value and DiCaprio is featured in Giorgio Armani’s peri- capture the true to life spirit of men’s fashion Scorsese, Leonardo DiCaprio, , Joey Fernandes, Vice Chairperson, West Bengal details of the jewelry they are purchasing. od style, circa 1993. from that decade.” McFarland and Emma Tillinger Koskoff. The Minorities Commission; while Susmitha Joyalukkas Jewellery ‘s over one million choic- Armani will also present the Paris pre- Armani has been on the forefront of creat- film is based on the book by Jordan Belfort, Bhattacharya (Chatterjee), Chairperson, es features a range of exquisite designs from miere of the movie on December 9th and the ing wardrobe looks for major motion pic- with a screenplay by Terence Winter. Borough VII, Councilor, Ward 63, lighted the every nook and corner of the world created by world premiere in New York on December lamp, in the presence of special guest, Joy expert award winning craftsmen. 17th. The movie opens December 25th in the Alukkas, Chairman & MD, Joy Alukkas Group “Joyalukkas is a brand that stands for United States and globally throughout and several other dignitaries. choice, service, best price, convenience and December and January. The renowned global jewelry retail chain best practices and I am sure their refreshing Armani said, “The era of power dressing recently announced a grand celebration to international quality in jewelry shopping will on Wall Street projected tremendous commemorate their opening in Kolkata. “We win the heart of Kolkata,” commented amounts of resolute strength. I remember are excited to expand our presence to the Bollywood icon Hrithik Roshan the Joyalukkas the period well, when my deconstructed great ‘city of joy’. We are a global jeweler that Brand Ambassador on the opening. suiting emerged as an emblem of success. strongly understands and is sensitive to local With over 90 stores across 10 countries, The complex character of Jordan Belfort culture and traditions. The designs and quality Joyalukkas Group is today a multi-billion dollar required a look with the same unmatched of Joyalukkas Jewelry will pay homage to the global conglomerate that has rapidly expand- nerve and sense of self. It was an honour to rich cultural heritage of Kolkata, and we look ed its footprint all over the globe since its collaborate with the revered Sandy Powell forward to welcoming the people of Kolkata inception 25 years ago. Known for its intricate and again with my long- time friends, into our modern and international quality jewelry designs that attract a multitude of cus- Scorsese and DiCaprio. As a devotee of film, showrooms,” said Joy Alukkas, Chairman & MD, tomers across its retail stores in 10 countries, it was a privilege to be in the company of Joyalukkas Group during the launch. the Group plans to further expand to a 100 geniuses of cinema like Marty and Leo.” The Joyalukkas Kolkata, showroom follows jewelry showroom chain by the end the year Scorsese said, “Giorgio Armani revolution- the signature Joyalukkas large format designs 2014. ized male fashion design - he gave us a new Martin Scorsese, Giorgio Armani and Leonardo DiCaprio