October 25 - Cannes

St. Paul de Vence from the road leading to the town

A glass blower in Biot

Not many photos today. It was dark, gloomy and very wet so we tried to spare our cameras.

This morning we arrived at 7 AM at our station for the port of Cannes. It was dark (sunrise was at 8:00 AM), raining and windy. Because we were sheltered from the wind the ship was able to commence tender operations and we were on the first one to go. With our friends we had booked a private tour with Sylvie di Cristo. Once she arrived we set out for our rainy day visit to Provence and the Cote D’Azur.

On the drive through Cannes we passed the classic hotels which have been settings for many movies and the designer shops lining the street. As we made our way to Antibes along the coast road we could see the waves crashing on the beach and blowing over the seawall. We were hopeful that the wind wouldn’t pick up too much where the ship was anchored. If it did, the captain might suspend tender operations and we’d find ourselves ashore for longer than expected.

In Antibes we had planned to visit the market in the old town and do a little walking around there. It was raining quite hard and few vendors had set up in the market so we just drove through. Sylvie took us on the road that runs on top of the old city wall so we had a rather nice view of both the sea and the old church.

Next stop was in Biot. We went to La Verrerie de Biot, a glassblowing place and museum of glass artworks. There were a number of glassblowers working and we watched for a few minutes. It’s always so interesting to see these craftsmen at work. There were lots of things for sale and we bought a couple of hand-blown glasses which were different from anything we already have.

Next we made the short ride to St. Paul de Vence, one of my favorite places. Because of the weather the view of the town as we approached was not nearly as dramatic as when we’ve been there on a sunny day. As we arrived at the gates, the sky opened and it began raining cats and dogs. Additionally there was quite a bit of wind. Intrepid travelers that we are, we pulled up the hoods on our jackets and broke out the umbrellas and began our walk through this beautiful medieval town. It is such a lovely place filled with art galleries and lovely artisan jewelry stores. Unfortunately since we were quite drenched we really didn’t want to go in and drip all over the places. After a walk of the entire length of the main street we headed outside the walls to a nice, dry lunch. A guide from another tour provided some entertainment for everyone in the restaurant. She had a voice reminiscent of Edith Piaf and she sang some of her classic French songs. It was all very nice.

Sylvie had planned for us to visit Les Hauts de Cagnes, another of the stone medieval villages which is less visited by tourists. Because the weather was so bad we opted not to walk there. Instead she drove us through what streets she could and we had a taste of what we missed. Les Hauts sits perched atop a hill. At the very top is the 14^th century castle built by the founder of the Grimaldi family. The Grimaldis are the rulers of Monaco (Princess Grace was married to a Grimaldi). The streets of the old part of the village are like being transported back to the middle ages. I see that we shall have to go back there again one day.

Then it was back to the ship which was waiting for us. Sadly as we sailed we began to see glimpses of blue sky. Oh, well, as the French say “Such is life.”