CANNES

[Our first view of Cannes, famed locale of the international film festival.]

[Our second view of Cannes.  As near as I can tell, it is pronounced “can,” as in we kicked the “can” down the road.]

[Our first daylight view of Cannes.]

[Our second daylight view of Cannes.]

[Looks nice,  but not a movie star in sight?]

[We did not port here.  This was our only use of tenders on the trip.  These are the ship’s lifeboats that would ferry us to shore.  You may have heard about the kerfuffle in Venice where locals protested being overrun by giant cruise ships (yup, such as ours).  I can certainly see their point.  It seems likely that giant cruise ships will no longer be allowed in many ports – that they will have to anchor offshore and use tenders. Hey, it’s kinda fun!  😉 ]

[Our breakfast area.  Still had it almost all to ourselves.  Unbelievable.]

[I think we were scheduled off in the second hour, so we just sat and enjoyed the comings and goings.]

[Oh, there’s our lady photographer again.  The other usual guest in our breakfast “nook.”  😉 ]

[I could do this on a regular basis!]

[Anchors away!  Our turn to board a tender.]

[Our tender rooftop view of our destination.]

[Two tenders at a time were loaded.]

[We heard a shout from above.  The Joaquins were staying onboard – they’d been to Cannes before.]

[Bye, guys!]

[Cannes, here we come!]

[Au revoir, Royal Princess.]

[Our pilot looks like whack-a-mole.]

[Don’t leave without us.]

[A tender returning for another load.]

[Kim Kardashian?]

[Entering the harbor.]

[Couldn’t find the “sine” or “cosign” though?]

[Auto tires have universal use as rubber-baby-buggy-bumpers.]

[Houston, the tender has landed.]

[What you report when the bathroom lights go out.  😉 ]

[I think this is what Venice has in mind – just don’t land here!]

[Why, yes, we are indeed on the French Riviera.]

[Or are we in Miami or LA?  Remember, the French Riviera is on the same north latitude as Minnesota!]

[A sign to set an older person’s mind at ease.  😉 ]

[We were on our own in Cannes, no tour group.  Armed with maps, the supervisor, Anne, Bill, and I mmediately hiked through old town (Le Suquet) and up to the watch tower, Notre-Dame De L’Esperance (this), and Lerins Castle.]

[A view of the city from our aerie vantage point.]

[The supervisor checks for a route out.]

[The city harbor]

[Mary and Jesus statue overlooking the city.]

[Here Bill offers perspective.]

[Where we were (OK, we may have to check with Anne Riggs).]

[It was 9:25 am.  😉 ]

[I can’t see!  Did that photo take?]

[Walking down from on high.]

[The harbor from halfway down?]

[And looking back up as we head down.]

[Mary and Jesus, again.]

[Oy, the stairs, the stairs!]

[What?  More stairs?]

[Ahhh, back on flat land, in the commercial area.]

[The permanent flea market.  Didn’t buy a single flea.]

[The Importance of Being . . .]

[Leaving the flea market behind.]

[Love the quaint narrow streets of the old countries.]

[Nope, didn’t buy a tee shirt either.]

[Now it gets tempting as we head into the food area!  😉  ]

[And all I had to do was follow my nose.  😉 ]

[Marilyn!!]

[Downtown Cannes]

[No, I didn’t stop to buy a tie . . .]

[The ocean front hotels. La Croisette Boulevard separates the hotels and shops from the water front.]

[The Palais des Festivals plaza area]

[Both our ship and Kim Kardashian’s (?) are still here.]

[I guess the nude beaches were outside the range of our walking tour?  😉 ]

[Still morning, not a lot of activity.]

[The plaza and beach area.]

[The Palais des Festivals, host of the Cannes Film Festival.]

[This was the best vacation ever!   🙂  ]

[Home of the Fighting Irish?]

[Not the slightest urge to enter, likely way out of our league anyway, nor did we ever visit the casino on the ship.]

[Bill shoots another luxury hotel across La Croisette Boulevard.]

[The bus to Palm Beach. 😉  ]

[Somewhere along here we stopped at an outdoor café for a snack and a beverage just to sit and watch the world go by.]

[Gives you an idea that we’re in a place that’s all about movies.]

[We’re heading back to the ship now.]

[And now we’re back on our balcony.  Some yachters came by to say bonjour.]

[The tenders are still going.  We came back to the ship about an hour early – it was not a deadline we wanted to miss.   😉 ]

[I didn’t have the opportunity to use a telephoto lens much on the trip.  But here’s a few from the balcony shooting back at the city.]

[Our last day (and night) on the ship, so let’s sit out by the pool and watch a movie.]

[And comes the final March of the Baked Alaska!]

[The supervisor approves!  🙂 ]

[Mmmmmm!!!!]

BARCELONA

[The next morning we arrived in Barcelona.]

[Our last Mediterranean sunrise.]

[Shooting hillside from the top of the ship.]

[So long, Old Paint.]

[We tried to figure a way to spend some time in Barcelona . . .]

[A morning tour of the city we were advised would be cutting it too close to make our plane connection . . .]

[And trying to arrange an extra day or two in Barcelona seemed to almost double to cost of the entire trip?  So, some other time . . .]

[Our last photo in Europe, such as it is, through a bus window.]

For those of you who suffer withdrawal symptoms when someone else’s vacation slide show comes to end . . . not to worry.  The supervisor is whisking me away to San Diego this winter and to France for a river cruise next June.  Good will offerings are appreciated.

By the time we got home, I’d gone through so many scanners I’d taken on a glow.  The supervisor uses me as a night light now.  Advice for those planning similar cruises – wear comfortable shoes.

Up next:  Volleyball sections, as we return to full-time local coverage.