We could have driven through Monaco in 15 minutes, but Padma and I decided to park the car and explore the city-state. At 2.1 square kilometres Monaco is the second smallest sovereign state after Vatican City.

We drove through the heart of the city, and I found a patch of very good bitumen which beckoned me to put the pedal to the metal. I remembered the Monaco Gran Prix was just weeks away and workers were busy erecting the spectator stands and setting up barricades.

As usual we had no idea where to go or what to see so we just started walking and followed other tourists. We ended up climbing up to The Rock area in the ward of Monaco City. From there we got sweeping views of Monaco’s principal harbour. We meandered through a beautifully maintained park featuring Aleppo Pines and heritage trees, passed the world-famous oceanographic museum (but regrettably did not enter) and visited the Monaco Cathedral. We paid our respects to the late Prince Rainier III and Princess Grace Kelly at the Cathedral.

As we departed the Principality, we left the coastal road to get a view from the hillside roads, made famous in several Hollywood movies. I pulled the car over at one tight hairpin turn and got out to have a closer look. In September 1982, Princess Grace Kelly was driving with her daughter Stephanie from her country home back to the palace in Monaco. Grace suffered a stroke and lost control of her car and couldn’t make the hairpin turn where I now stood. She plunged down the hillside. Stephanie survived but the Princess died the following day.

I got back in the car and starting driving up further in the hill and even without having a stroke I struggled to keep the car on the road on that treacherous and now fatal stretch of road.