The Rich...and the Old in Cannes (Oct. 29, 2010)

Cannes is the crown jewel of the French Riviera. It was just a small fishing village until 1834, when Lord Brougham, the British Lord Chancellor, visited. He could not get to Nice because of a cholera epidemic, but found Cannes so pleasant that he built a house there and returned for the next 34 years. Other wealthy visitors followed, and in the late 1940s, it was the site of the International Film Festival.

The flag of France...

We took an early tender to meet our guide, Sylvie, who was a few minutes late, so we stood around admiring the view.

Looking back at the Ocean Princess…

Just hanging around and waiting…there are 7 of us on this tour…

Sylvie arrived in a flurry of apologies and we were off on our tour. She gave us maps so we could picture our route. We are going to go through Cannes to Antibes, and then leave the seaside to go through some medieval villages. Sounds like a good day!

We pass by this chocolatier in Cannes…yum!

City Hall…

We drove through town on La Croisette Boulevard which runs along the shore, separating the luxury hotels and shops from the beach. We passed by the site of the Film Festival which was under construction. Sylvie said it is normally full of flowers…

Advertising the 2010-2011 festival…

This is a neat sculpture—a camera wrapped in film…

So many hotels and shops...the prices in the hotels can run from 200€ a night in the off-season for a small room with no view to a suite at 12,000€ a night. We decided we won’t be booking that suite! 

We thought of our Stephanie!

Ooh la la…the Carleton…

We stopped at this picturesque site for a photo stop. This monument was erected this year to replace the small cross that used to be on the headland. It was meant to safeguard sailors as they set out to sea and is also how La Croisette Boulevard got its name.

Jim and Kim in Cannes…

And now we’re off to Antibes…

The beautiful French and Italian alps…

The pyramid hotel…took 20 years to build. Each of the four wings has 400 condos and a marina in the center.

Sylvie getting into the photography mode...

She was quite enthusiastic and told us she is a very good photographer. Too cute...maybe we shouldn't be able to see her shadow?

Our van for the day. I realized after I never did get a picture of Sylvie…

All of a sudden this scuba diver appeared dragging his pack behind him. The water was probably warmer than the air!

Sylvie backed the van into the tiniest spot. We all told her she couldn’t make it, but she did. There was a concrete barrier and a railing on the other side. But she did it! Kudos to her! She said the first time she tried that, she brought the van back all scratched.

The harbour with some strange sculpture on it.

It is Nomade, a man made of letters looking out to sea...hmmmm

Port Vauban is the largest yachting harbour in Europe and can accommodate yachts and boats in excess of 100 m in length!

Look at the large yacht in the middle of all these “little” boats.

We noticed these door knockers on several houses…very old and unique. I think I remember Sylvie mentioning something about the Hand of Faustina, but don't know anything more about it.

Beautiful flowers…

Here we are at the market. Oooohhh…the cheese samples! We bought the yummiest goat cheese and a bottle of mashed black olives, with olive oil, garlic and anchovies. Sylvie couldn’t believe we were buying food. She said she thought on the ship we had so much we wouldn’t be interested. Ummm…this is different food!

Yummy vegetables! She said it is an expensive place to shop. It would be much like our farmers’ market--expensive, but good.

This lady is sitting outside a shop advertising Absinthe…or maybe that's how you dress after you have consumed enough!

We walked around the streets…

And jumped back in the van. Here are the pyramid condos up close. The architect built them to resemble the terraces of the land. He was so far ahead of his time that no one wanted to buy them at first, which is why it took so long to complete them.

Each condo on the end has its own terrace.

And we’re off inland to visit the medieval walled town of St. Paul…

The town of St. Paul…this well preserved town’s 16th and 17th century buildings are mostly occupied by artisan workshops, art shops, and elegant boutiques.Tourist town...yay!

We parked the car (in a no parking zone…Sylvie said it was fine!) and started walking to the old part of town. Look at this magnificent hedge!

Adorable little restaurant…

Getting ready to enter the old walled part of the town…Joe is waiting for us.

Map of the old town…

It’s adorable with the most beautiful tiny shops…

It’s hard to see this, but the head and upper body of this sculpture were not attached to the legs. It was so unique. I bet it cost a few Euros!

Ahhh…the bears…I thought of my Sissy…

The steps going up to the church…

And the narrow shortcut for when you were late…

The fountain in the center of town…

The old cobble stoned streets…

We were looking for a washroom and walked up and down this hill a few times. Now it was getting hot! We were following the sign, but couldn’t find the darn thing!

A wine store…

Beautiful view…

People love to hang out their clothes. We think this was the area for communal washing of clothes…

The fall leaves…

At last! The freaking washroom…and we just found it by mistake. Nope, there is no sign. The arched doorway on the right was the spot, but you really had to be nosy to find it!

Once again, a strategic point for defending the town…

Olives trees and grape wines…

Lovely geraniums…we’re feeling--a hunger pang! Can you imagine?

A inlay of the town on the walkway…

What a glorious place!

Back in the van as we left St. Paul...

And headed to our next town of Tourrettes-sur-Loup…

Remnants of the old medieval castle…

Jim and Kim in Tourrettes-sur-Loup…

This was so neat. They would build a room over the walkway by bridging the two buildings to gain more space. 

Tiny alleys and crooked steps…

Everything in this town is based on violets. You can buy violet soap, embroidered violet everything…and violet ice cream! We gave it a try…

Not too bad!!

Jim next to the teeny, tiny door…

Can you imagine going up and down these steps. People live here mostly on the weekends. It’s so funny to think that people come here from Cannes and Antibes to get away. It certainly would be quiet, compared to those towns, but it's still a tourist town.

Hmmm…this tree has an interesting home…

I thought of the Blue Door restaurant at home…

The Grand Rue…but no bikes or motorcycles, just for walking...

Gorgeous view…

The doctor is not in…

This is Tourrettes-sur-Loup from the outside. It certainly looks a lot larger than what we saw!

There is a tiny town at the top of the hill that people hike to. Sylvie was going to do it on the weekend. She said it takes two hours to get up there. They do it for fun….OK!

We were all medievalled out…it was a great day! We’re off to Barcelona next!