Sometimes when you visit a place that you have heard a lot about, you get this image in your head of what it would be like to visit there. Often times, it turns out to be a bit different from your preconceived notion. That sort of happened to me when I visited Monte Carlo, Monaco. Everything I ever heard about it was that it was the playground of the rich and that opulence was everywhere you looked. You know what I mean -- shiny new buildings, streets and yachts. Yes, there is money to be seen throughout the city (the streets are not lined in gold) but what was unexpected was the old time feel of some of the alley ways and the architecture there.
As we walked around town, what impressed me the most were not the riches to be seen but rather the alleys like the one in this image. I felt like I was transported somewhere to a different time and the architecture was far from opulent. Quite the contrast of what I expected to like the most.