Cyprus and Monaco adventures: Part 2

As you are about to see, the fun did not end with Cyprus. Thanks to the RedBet.com team, I was treated to a long weekend in Monaco, four days that will never be replicated as long as I live. I have just participated in the lifestyle of the rich and famous, minus the designer clothes, fancy jewelry, $300,000 car and plastic surgery. Before sharing my highlights with you, I would like to thank Redbet.com's Jonas, Martin, Lena and Caroline for an amazing experience in a part of world that I never would have seen otherwise, and I would also like to thank Timo, Aleksi, Achmet, Karim and Neda for their company, good laughs, great chats, and some pretty ridiculous nights out.

If you want to be a millionaire, you have to act like one.
Timo, Aleksi and I flew from Cyprus to Nice together and had to figure out the best way to get to Monaco from the airport. I told the boys the bus is an option and a cab is reasonable if we split it three ways, so we should choose one of the two. Ya, I don't think so. Timo and Aleksi both looked at me and said in unison with a smile, "No, no, no, no, no. We are taking a helicopter". Clearly this seven-minute transportation option was slightly out of my travel budget, but the generous Finns hooked me up with a ticket and gave me the ride of a lifetime. It was nice to feel rich for seven minutes, let me tell you.

Achmet the Dead Terrorist lives!
I am sure many of you have met Ahmet from Carlos Poker and Maria Bingo, but there is something I have to tell you. His real name is Achmet. Yes, it is true. Well, at least it was true during the time RakeTheRake.com's Karim joined us in Monaco. For a 24 hour period I heard nothing but Achmet the Dead Terrorist impersonations from the entire group and it was honestly the funniest thing I have witnessed in my life. If you have yet to see Achmet the terrifying terrorist in action, do yourself a favor and set aside 10 minutes to watch this video. You will not regret it, and if you do, there is something wrong with you. So, what do you think? Be honest. SILENCE! I kill you.

I love the Scandinavians.
My love for the Swedes has just expanded to Scandinavians in general. Who knew these pokerisivut.com Finnish boys were so amazing? I'm sure you've seen them around the conferences...they've got the hair, they've got the sharp outfits, they've got the shoes, one of them is a Finnish movie star for Christ's sake, but they are also the nicest and most generous people you will ever meet. Well, I can only really speak for Timo and Aleki, but I'm sure the others are lovely too. Don't let these boys fool you though! They might appear to be soft spoken at first, somewhat tame and maybe even a bit shy, but that is CERTAINLY NOT THE CASE, especially with Aleksi. Don't tell anyone this, but I think he might be a closet porn star - not sure though - I'll find out.

Steve Madden is not allowed in Monaco.
Yea, my Steve Madden leopard print heels just didn't cut it in Monaco. Not even close. Throughout my four-day Monaco experience, I have never seen and heard about so many designer shoes, bags, clothing and jewelry. We are taking 1000 Euros for a pair of shoes!! I mean, are you kidding? I didn't even know it was possible for shoes to cost so much! Steve Maddens. So funny. Those babies cost me about 80 bucks and I thought that was expensive. You know what though? I didn't even care that my attire was completely subpar for Monaco standards. I decided to embrace it. It was secretly kind of fun to horrify the masses with my "regular people" outfits, complete with jewelry I purchased at the airport in Costa Rica.

Getting stuck in an elevator on the way to the Grand Prix is not cool.
Imagine this. Six hung over online poker guys plus two random Brits stuck in a "maximum 8 people" elevator. Everyone panics, and Karim hits the alarm button only to receive a response in French. Funny, huh? Not when the Grand Prix is starting in 30 minutes. Don't worry though, the boys managed to free themselves and ultimately made it to the Grand Prix on time, but they did have quite a scare. After speaking with those involved, I believe the dialogue within the elevator went something like this:
Karim: Au secours!!! Nous sommes bloqués dans l'ascenseur! (in broken schoolboy French)
Aleksi: Screw it, I'm taking a picture.
Martin: Alexi, why the F are you taking a picture?
Jonas: I give up.
Timo: Does anyone have a sandwich?
Achmet: This is it...I am going to die...but I am not ready to die...AllahDammit!

The Monaco Grand Prix is loud.
How is that for an American girl comment? I was pretty much the only one in the entire vicinity who didn't really care or know anything about the race. Lets be honest. When Redbet invited me to the Monaco Grand Prix, I was picturing a glorified NASCAR event- I had no idea the "track" involved the actual streets of Monaco. The fact that we could very clearly hear these racing cars going around the circuit from inside our apartment in Monaco was enough for me. However, thanks to the generosity of Achmet and Karim, I did have the opportunity to grab a pass and have a quick look at the race from the stands, and conveniently enough, take 10 years off of my hearing abilities.

Double cheese and salami pizza is worth missing a flight.
I missed my morning flight back to Boston. Can you believe this?? My family, close friends and Casino City colleagues know that I never miss a flight, like, ever. This was definitely the first time I've done such a thing, so it just goes to show you what a wild night we had after the Grand Prix. I should have known...that's what you get when Redbet treats the group to Amber Lounge passes, a fancy celebrity and F1 driver studded event complete with a banquet, open bar, DJ, and large dance floor. On the plus side, after missing my flight and coughing up 100 Euros for the cab ride back to Monaco, I was able to share a double cheese and salami pizza with Aleksi, Timo and our friend Neta. It was Aleski's idea. Without question, this was the definite high point of my trip.