Apologies for yesterday, I didn't write my blog (I know some of you will be pleased about this). The reason for my poor show was that I was partying at a little bar called La Rascasse, more about this later. I'll warn you now, it's a bit of a lengthy one tonight...

So, yesterday I got up early in Nice and took the train over to Monaco-Monte Carlo. If I'm honest with myself, visiting Monaco was one the main reasons I booked the trip. I've always wanted to go and explore this city. I've raced around it hundreds, possibly thousands of times since being an F1 mad kid on his Playstation and now is the first time I've been able to properly afford to go.

The train from Nice to Monaco has to be the most picturesque train ride in the entire world, I was particularly taken by a little village called Villefranche-Sur-Mer and I'll be doing all I can to go back there in the future. Believe me.

The train then pulled into a big tunnel, this it seemed was Monaco. Straight out the exit, down some steps, past a little church called Saint Devote (F1 fans should recognise that) and wham bam, smacking you on the forehead, repeatedly, is Monaco harbour and the famous start/finish line. I was home.

Now I don't say this lightly but I've fallen in love. She's on the Cote d'Azur, got great curves, a great front and is absolutely wadded. That's right, I am going to marry Monaco. As I stood in the centre of the harbour I tried to drink the whole place in but it's impossible. There is so much to the 2 square kilometres of Monaco that it's insane. There are buildings on top of buildings on top of tunnels all on top of the most stunning harbour in the world. The only way to understand it is to visit.

Now, somewhere in this city I had a hotel reservation. Where it was I couldn't tell you but it was somewhere. I walked about 3 minutes from the Start Line into La Condamine, the downtown area and what do you know, there's my hotel. Easy this backpacking lark. I dropped my bag in my room (best yet) and decided on a lap of the track, Saint Devote, up the hill to Casino Square, down to Mirabeau hairpin, under the tunnel, into the swimming pool complex, round La Rasecasse and back to the start/finish straight. I knew this place like the back of my hand yet I've never been. It really is bizarre. Lunch was taken at a pavement cafe overlooking the swimming pool and harbour and I don't think I will ever have a Cheese and ham toastie that will beat that! After lunch I popped to the Prince's personal collection of cars, just round the corner from my hotel. Now THAT is a garage, some of the worlds rarest cars sat there in splendid silence. My kind of attraction, and I was only the 2nd customer they had all day, again, simply bizarre.

In the afternoon I decided to take a walk up to the Palace, standing proudly on a hill to the south-west of the harbour keeping watch over the principality. The views from up here are as spectacular as it gets.

Now, me and Martyn were having a discussion last week about our favourite places in the world. I said my favourite place was Albert Square in Manchester. It's a place I love, I go there to think, contemplate, people watch. Martyn disagreed saying its a good place but it's not an amazing place, to me it's my place, my safehouse. I argued the toss (not like me I know) but realised it's not breath-taking. Yesterday I found my favourite place in the world and I understand Martyn's sentiment.

Up past the palace, I walked out via the cathedral which is utterly beautiful (I lit three candles in here for Nan/Kip/Grandad) and wandered down to the far end of Monaco-Ville. Here there is a little set of steps leading upto a little bell tower, standing overlooking the entire city. This is my place. There wasn't another person in sight, I don't think anyone had been up there in months. To feel truly in your own space in this city is very difficult, I think I may have cracked it. Terrific. I sat up there for about 30 minutes, put my world straight and finally got to do what I set out to do on this Petit Grande Tour, get some thinking time done.

As I came down and started walking back to the hotel it was dusk and I knew this place comes alive at night. But first, the three S's and a change.

I had seen a bar called 'Stars and Bars' just down on the harbour front and it seemed popular. Imagine Hard Rock Cafe but for Sport. There was a 1999 Sauber F1 car hanging from the ceiling, different race leathers from Rossi to Herbert and signed motor racing memorabilia everywhere. My kind of bar. As I sat there I struck up a conversation with a guy called Hans. He was a deckhand on one of the Superyachts, moored in Monaco for the winter. He was from Belfast but half Dutch, which meant he was genuinely mental (Sorry Herre). After a few beers in Stars and Bars we both decided it was a good idea to go to La Rascasse. Big mistake.

This bar stands on arguably one of the most famous turns in Motorsport. Schumacher "stalled" his car here last year to stop Hamilton putting in a flying lap, Senna and Hill binned it here too. Because of its name, this bar is not cheap, it's one of the most popular bars in Monaco, think Rosso or Living Room in Manchester. All I remember is ordering two JD Cokes, from there it gets a bit hazy. Good fun but a bit of a soggy head this morning. Isn't that what Monaco is all about?

Today has been brilliantly chilled out, I needed a bit of a quiet day as I'm at my halfway stage and a lie-in was on the cards. This evening I took a walk around to Forum Grimaldi at the other end of Monaco and a had a few coffees on the way back round to my side of town, via Casino Square of course. Someone needs to tell Monaco that we are in a bit of a global meltdown. They simply are not affected. Every other car is a Bentley, no one bats an eyelid. I walked past a Ferrari California earlier and said (in my head of course) that it looked cheap. When a 170,000E supercar doesn't do it for you, you know you need to get out of Monaco and tomorrow that's what I will do.

Tomorrow it's a train to Lyon, overnight there then the early train to Milan on Sunday or is it Monday? I have no idea what day it is.

Anyway, go away. Don't you have anything better to do?

Si x