Melsea's belated short cruise adventures E304 in Cannes

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melsea
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Melsea's belated short cruise adventures E304 in Cannes

#1

Post by melsea »

Melsea's short adventure report of E304..

So folks I started with good intentions to do a report while I was away but wifi at ports were not always available, hence why it stopped mid sail.

21 March Cannes
So where was I ah yes we had set sail from Barcelona and the next port was Cannes which was a tender port. Not a bad run to shore and the two tenders they used had seating on the top part of the tender for about 12 persons. It was a little rocky getting on but once we were off it settled and the ride was good. The sun was shinning which was nice and welcoming.
I made my way around the coastal prom area of Cannes and its where locals walk along in their finery and walk their dogs. I saw one man who had two small dogs in a pram! My first thought was that the dogs were being spoilt and I thought he was with another lady who was dressed very smartly, he however wasn't. It was not when he came towards my direction that I got a shock, he was in fact a beggar as he proceeded to start asking people for money using a paper cup for his collection. Well he certainly does it in style that's for sure. I hadn't been on shore for long when the need to use a toilet came upon me, it wasn't urgent so I started my walk towards where the hotels and restaurants are and where the stars arrive for the Cannes Film Festival. I noticed out the corner of my eye that there was a McDonald's which is where I went in search of a toilet but unbelievably I could not find one, so had to hang in there as you do. It's here where there is in general free wifi and there was but although I could access emails and check in on Facebook I could not access this site, it froze on me and I could not send a report. Which is why it being done now. So I continued my walk along the front stopping & sitting in the one of the many blue metal chairs that seem to be scattered and what the locals seem to make use of by sitting in the sun looking out to sea. What they would see in the distance is our very own Oceana basking in the sun on the horizon, I want to shout at them and say I'm from that ship!! I didn't of course. At the beginning of this stretch of pavement there is an open to the public beach which wasn't very big in area, as the rest of the coast was lined with purpose built melamine 'huts' for want of a better word that housed very expensive places to eat and quite literally menus that made your mouth water from both its content and its prices. I gave that a miss as the need for a toilet was becoming a little more urgent. I would like to point out that unlike the UK there are more places to visit of spending penny than here, in fact it seems anywhere so far has a very sparse availability of spending than much needed penny. Not wanting to venture in the very expensive hotels or want to spend a fortune to buy a drink to access a WC I decided to try my luck and the many less glorious of hotel down the side streets of which I found one and went into the lobby and spoke with a very sympathetic reception in my barely learnt French at school, I did Spanish at instead, I explained that as there were a lack of these amenities may I pretty please use theirs, she smiled and said Wei madam, not the best choice of words but very apt. I like to say there has to be a moral of this story surely and that's go before you leave the ship, well I did but somehow I was not expecting to have to go in search of one. So with all this done I started to make my way back. I went pass the famous the Cinema where the festival show is held and where there is a big casino next door. Sandwich between these two is the tourist information office which has outside on the pavement a series of hand impressions that are from film stars, a bit like the ones that are in Hollywood. The ones I saw were of Sophia Loren’s, Jack Nicholson, Sylvester Stallone, Jodie Foster and Vanessa Redgrave to name but a few. While making my way back I came across a number of men playing the french game of Boules. I stopped and watched a bit when one of them noticed me and gestured for me to play. As the time was moving on I declined and they smiled. I stood and took photos and watched a little a bit more before I continued onwards back to the tender point. There was one on its way out and another one waiting to be boarded. I was the first person on and I took the opportunity to sit on the top. It wasn’t long before others were getting on and the area where I was, as filling up quickly, very soon we were on our way back. Have to say the trip back was very good and the view, well just great. Never thought I would say that of a tender operation.

Next report will be for when we had our stay in Civitavecchia the gateway to Rome..

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melsea
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Re: Melsea's belated short cruise adventures E304 in Cannes

#2

Post by melsea »

There doesn't seem to be an edit button anymore, so I shall add what I missed out here, I hadn't noticed it until yesterday.

One of the ways you can tour Cannes is on one of those little trolley bus/ trains which from what I saw do two routes, the one I came across was on a walk up to the Castle Museum, it stops there for you to walk up onto a narrow wall that gives a really great view of Cannes below and to see in the distance the Alps which at this time of year still had snow on top, it was hard not to miss. As I said I walked up to this point and the view is quite something. There is a Cathedral which is in the process of being renovated and it was very dark inside. The route to this area goes through the old town of Cannes and it does seem like the same place with nothing to suggest that it has the rich and famous living nearby or that it is subjected to hordes of people arriving during the various festivals that come and go through out the year.
You can catch the trolly train just outside the port gate and it was 10€ for 50 minutes I think it said but I am sure someone will correct me if I am wrong.

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Re: Melsea's belated short cruise adventures E304 in Cannes

#3

Post by Manoverboard »

melsea wrote:
There doesn't seem to be an edit button anymore ...
It is there but only for about 15 mins.

ps ... if I had written a review of Cannes it would have been about three lines :lol: :thumbup:
Keep smiling, it's good for your well being

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melsea
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Re: Melsea's belated short cruise adventures E304 in Cannes

#4

Post by melsea »

MOB

Not sure if you are complimenting or insulting me?

How are you anyway?

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Manoverboard
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Re: Melsea's belated short cruise adventures E304 in Cannes

#5

Post by Manoverboard »

melsea wrote:
MOB

Not sure if you are complimenting or insulting me?

How are you anyway?
Hello Mel,

It was a compliment of course, I was actually trying to say that my own opinion of Cannes would only run to three lines .... ditto Nice as it happens. :) :wave:
Keep smiling, it's good for your well being

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melsea
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Re: Melsea's belated short cruise adventures E304 in Cannes

#6

Post by melsea »

Pleased to be able to oblige with just a few word of my ramblings.

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