Our colossal monstrosity of a ship couldn’t even fit in the port at Cannes, France. So they lowered a few of the lifeboats (each of which holds 275 people) and ferried us in to the port.
The seas were rough. Like, really rough. Like, wave blows the lifeboat into the side of the ship and leaves a dent in the fiberglass rough. After a hair-raising ride, we disembarked and walked to yet another black Mercedes van.
Our tour guide, Cecilia, drove us to the beach. The water was so clear it made glass jealous.
Speaking of glass, the beach was strewn with seaglass, glass that fell into the sea and was eroded and smoothed by the ocean’s waves. And looks awesome.
The pier had rows upon rows of multi-million dollar yachts like this one:
This yacht, the Lady Moura, cost $400,000,000 just to buy and holds 70 crew. It’s owned by a Middle Eastern prince’s ex-wife.
After touring the “Billionaires’ Pier” in Antibes, we visited the town of St. Paul-de-Vence.
St. Paul-de-Vence was built in the Middle Ages and people still live there today. It’s a beautiful town, filled with winding paths and houses that date back to the 1500s.
This church, the Chapelle Saint-Michel, was first mentioned (probably in a book) in…wait for it…1356.
The outside of the chapel.
After St. Paul-de-Vence, we visited a great family-owned restaurant, where I ate possibly the best cheese panini I will ever taste. Then we got a crepe (with Nutella!) which was delicious.
Then we got back in the van and drove to Tourrettes-sur-Loup, a beautiful hilltop village known for its (wait for it) violets.
They had violet candies, violet perfume, violet-based oils and lotions and whatnot, violet jam, and even violet ice cream (which, surprisingly, tasted amazing!)
After an even more hair-rising ride back to the boat on the tender, we ate dinner and saw a Cirque de Soleil show in the Epic Theatre. Which was awesome.
Tomorrow…stunning seaside Palma, on the amazing Spanish isle of Mallorca.
Auf wiedersehen, au revoir, ciao, sayonara, and goodbye.
- Hayden
P. S. Any help identifying this mysterious French bird would be appreciated. And no, it’s not a starling!