As we were meeting in the atrium at 6:50, the alarm went at 5:25am giving us enough time to grab a bite, get our gear together and hope that the early start wouldn't put the digestive system too far out of kilter.
Cannes, like Monaco just up the coast, is another tender port, but the usual advantage is that you aren't one of three or four large ships vying for facilities.
With Ros having organised things with Princess's ever helpful Customer Services staff, even though it was a tender port, we were allowed to follow the first Princess tour group onto the first tender of the day once clearance had been given.
Sylvie arrived a few minutes later (she'd been stuck behind the slow moving street sweeper trucks…) and after hugs all round, she confirmed the day's schedule, but our original arrival time gave us an extra hour in port, so St Tropez was scratched from the day's plans.
We'd only been on the road about ten minutes and after a quick drive through Cannes itself, Sylvie stopped outside the flash 'Carlton Hotel' where the room cost for a night makes your eyes water. The others piled inside to check out the plumbing whilst I checked out the snack menu outside - and the cars.
If the cost of a night makes your eyes water, just think of the €23+ for a simple sandwich.
The Ferrari I had spied outside (along with a surprising number of Mini Cooper S cabriolets) paled into insignificance, when Paula beckoned me to come and look at what was parked between the hedge and the front of the hotel, hidden from the street.
I am not sure, but this may be the first Bugatti Veyron I have seen.
On then through a place remembered from the Donovan song (Juan-les-Pins) and onto Antibes, where the biggest problem was parking, then Cagnes-sur-Mere, Le Haut de Cagnes and inland to Vence. By now, you will know that I do not absorb history and will let the pics tell the story.
Antibes harbour was notable not so much for the pleasant beach around the corner, but for the amazing boats (small ships really…) with their own Dawn Princess like tender boats, (colour matched of course) and the harbour berth fees of €7,000 – a DAY!
A pleasant short stroll to town and the inevitable, impressive food market. Lots of well laid out fruit, veg and speciality foods such as cheeses, cooked meats, spices, jellied fruits etc. As is usual with Sylvie, a café/coffee/bakery stop. We grabbed food from the bakery and ate it at a local café! Sylvie once again gave us a piece of her favourite local delicacy. A sweet pie, filled with Swiss chard (silverbeet to Kiwis and Australians), pine nuts and probably honey.
On then to Le Haut de Cagnes for our next stop. I think (the memory fades) this was effectively 'the place where time stood still'. Another small village with burrows of small streets and tiny houses – some of which were built into the wall. They all look interesting from a tourist perspective, but not the sort of place we'd ever want to live.
Our last stop was Vence. Just a few yards in, was the bible seat – which was a bit warm to the posterior, but we had to have a tour pic. Just behind was a free running tap of fresh water, said to be very good for you, so locals rock up with their own containers rather like the Speight's Brewery in Dunedin. Legend has it that drinking the water will knock ten years off your age. For those that know us, tell us what you think when we return.
Just a few steps further on was a wine shop and we gambled on two bottles of untasted rosé for €3.80 each. Time will tell whether or not this was a good buy. We dumped our purchases back in the van as the shop was closing for lunch in about ten minutes. In several of our Mediterranean ports, traditionally, shops close from 1pm to 3 or 4pm, which can make it difficult for tourists, used to shops remaining open all day, though they close earlier at night.
A steady trundle back to the pier by 2:30pm, well in time for the last tender at 3pm. Hugs all round and as Sylvie said during the tour, with our group, it is like travelling with friends rather than clients. Sadly, camboy (Garry) didn't make it and rested for the day, which is a shame, so hopefully, his apprentice (Arnold) will have captured enough for Garry to use in his excellent DVD(s).
We headed straight for the buffet and as the general consensus was that we wouldn't be going to the dining room, I managed a large helping (maybe 2?) of the chicken curry. Paula, Meg and I liked it, but at the table, Alex pronounced it tasteless (he likes his with extra chillies)…
Then six of the others decided that maybe they would go to the dining room after all! Too late for us. We were still full from dinner, so just made do with a decent coffee in the atrium about 8:30pm (so a good sleep ahead?), before heading for the cabin where the film was 'Identity Theft'.
My diary's quote of the day, which I quite like – "Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves." – J M Barrie
Barcelona tomorrow which is effectively our turn around point, as from then on, we are really heading towards home, but once again, we are doing our own thing, so no alarm clock. Almost two thirds of the way through now and ironically, looking forward to home, though we still have a lot to look forward to on the way.
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