The Italian and French Riveras
We cruised all night and arrived at Livorno at 7 am. Livorno is the gateway for shore excursions to San Gimignano, Siena, Florence, and Pisa. Since we had been to these places last year, we planned to take the train to Lucca, a picturesque Tuscan fortress town, but this didn't work time-wise. Instead, we took the shuttle bus into Livorno and meandered around the very colorful Mercato Nuovo, an outdoor market. We also got acquainted with our floating hotel. We left Livorno at 8 pm and arrived at Cannes, France at 7 am the next day.
Here we are in one of the most glamorous places on the French Riviera. This is the home of the International Film Festival where all the stars "shine." So what do we do? Get out of town, of course. We split up here as Phyllis wanted to go to Monaco and Monte Carlo because of the drive along the Cote d'Azur with its seaside cliffs plunging into an impossibly blue sea. She went on a walking tour in Monaco's old town where she saw the Palais de Prince (yep, Prince Rainier's residence), walked through the beautiful gardens,and strolled along the narrow and picturesque streets -- a labyrinth of covered passages, tiny squares, fountains, and old portico homes. In Monte Carlo, there was time to see the architecture of the buidings surrounding Casino Square, but no gambling as the casinos all opened later in the day.
Nice, France
I was off to Nice. There are many glitzy places on the Cote d'Azur, but Nice is like the old grand dame -- maybe a bit worn around the edges, but still majestic. I enjoyed the Promenade des Anglais with its grand palms and resplendent flower beds. Nice's old town is quite colorful with its tall red and ocher houses, narrow shaded streets, and flowers everywhere.
A quiet street in old Nice
It was here that I went into a wonderful boulangerie just to inhale that wonderful aroma of baking bread. After that, I made it a point to step inside every bakery I found in all the countries we visited,but none smelled as wonderful as that little boulangerie in the old town of Nice. Queen Victoria used to stay in Nice, and I could too. But now it was time to head back to the Marco Polo, as we sail at 8 pm for Marseilles.
The port of Marseilles
Marseilles is the oldest city in France with 26 centuries of eventful history, and the gateway to Aix-en-Provence, the old Provencal capital. In the morning, we took a walking tour of old Aix (pronounced ex). The town center is Cours Mirabeau, a wide and shady avenue built in the 17th century. Its handsome facades are decorated with finely carved doorways and wrought iron balconies. Aix has many tourists, but it doesn't seem crowded. It's a bright, colorful place with much to see and do, but always with time to sip a drink at a sidewalk cafe and just watch. There is a wonderful tapestry museum with work from the 17th and 18th centuries. Then it was time to head back to Marseilles for a look at the historical center along the old harbor. Phyllis was checking out the postcard stands and happened to find "The Little Train of Marseilles." What luck! This little "engine" hauled six open-top cars all around old Marseilles. We bought our tickets, hopped aboard, and away we went for a delightful tour through the narrow streets. It was almost like going back in time a couple of hundred years or so. We saw wonderful little churches and houses, and above the old town, we saw l'estaque range, called the painters' mountains as they were a model so often for George Braque, Paul Cezanne, and Andre Derain. Do you remember the film "The French Connection?" Some of it was filmed in the old town. Too soon our tour was over, and we took the shuttle bus back to the ship for the 7 pm departure to Spain.
That night, after dinner in the Seven Seas Restaurant, we went to a concert in the Ambassador Lounge. Normally we don't go in for the night-time shipboard entertainment, but this promised to be different. The Concerto Strings Trio (piano, double bass, and violin) played music by Mozart, Schubert, Lehar, Offenbach, Monti, and Strauss. They were good and we were glad we attended.
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We cruised all night and arrived at Livorno at 7 am. Livorno is the gateway for shore excursions to San Gimignano, Siena, Florence, and Pisa. Since we had been to these places last year, we planned to take the train to Lucca, a picturesque Tuscan fortress town, but this didn't work time-wise. Instead, we took the shuttle bus into Livorno and meandered around the very colorful Mercato Nuovo, an outdoor market. We also got acquainted with our floating hotel. We left Livorno at 8 pm and arrived at Cannes, France at 7 am the next day.
Here we are in one of the most glamorous places on the French Riviera. This is the home of the International Film Festival where all the stars "shine." So what do we do? Get out of town, of course. We split up here as Phyllis wanted to go to Monaco and Monte Carlo because of the drive along the Cote d'Azur with its seaside cliffs plunging into an impossibly blue sea. She went on a walking tour in Monaco's old town where she saw the Palais de Prince (yep, Prince Rainier's residence), walked through the beautiful gardens,and strolled along the narrow and picturesque streets -- a labyrinth of covered passages, tiny squares, fountains, and old portico homes. In Monte Carlo, there was time to see the architecture of the buidings surrounding Casino Square, but no gambling as the casinos all opened later in the day.
Nice, France
I was off to Nice. There are many glitzy places on the Cote d'Azur, but Nice is like the old grand dame -- maybe a bit worn around the edges, but still majestic. I enjoyed the Promenade des Anglais with its grand palms and resplendent flower beds. Nice's old town is quite colorful with its tall red and ocher houses, narrow shaded streets, and flowers everywhere.
A quiet street in old Nice
It was here that I went into a wonderful boulangerie just to inhale that wonderful aroma of baking bread. After that, I made it a point to step inside every bakery I found in all the countries we visited,but none smelled as wonderful as that little boulangerie in the old town of Nice. Queen Victoria used to stay in Nice, and I could too. But now it was time to head back to the Marco Polo, as we sail at 8 pm for Marseilles.
The port of Marseilles
Marseilles is the oldest city in France with 26 centuries of eventful history, and the gateway to Aix-en-Provence, the old Provencal capital. In the morning, we took a walking tour of old Aix (pronounced ex). The town center is Cours Mirabeau, a wide and shady avenue built in the 17th century. Its handsome facades are decorated with finely carved doorways and wrought iron balconies. Aix has many tourists, but it doesn't seem crowded. It's a bright, colorful place with much to see and do, but always with time to sip a drink at a sidewalk cafe and just watch. There is a wonderful tapestry museum with work from the 17th and 18th centuries. Then it was time to head back to Marseilles for a look at the historical center along the old harbor. Phyllis was checking out the postcard stands and happened to find "The Little Train of Marseilles." What luck! This little "engine" hauled six open-top cars all around old Marseilles. We bought our tickets, hopped aboard, and away we went for a delightful tour through the narrow streets. It was almost like going back in time a couple of hundred years or so. We saw wonderful little churches and houses, and above the old town, we saw l'estaque range, called the painters' mountains as they were a model so often for George Braque, Paul Cezanne, and Andre Derain. Do you remember the film "The French Connection?" Some of it was filmed in the old town. Too soon our tour was over, and we took the shuttle bus back to the ship for the 7 pm departure to Spain.
That night, after dinner in the Seven Seas Restaurant, we went to a concert in the Ambassador Lounge. Normally we don't go in for the night-time shipboard entertainment, but this promised to be different. The Concerto Strings Trio (piano, double bass, and violin) played music by Mozart, Schubert, Lehar, Offenbach, Monti, and Strauss. They were good and we were glad we attended.
Return To The Index
I was off to Nice. There are many glitzy places on the Cote d'Azur, but Nice is like the old grand dame -- maybe a bit worn around the edges, but still majestic. I enjoyed the Promenade des Anglais with its grand palms and resplendent flower beds. Nice's old town is quite colorful with its tall red and ocher houses, narrow shaded streets, and flowers everywhere.
A quiet street in old Nice
It was here that I went into a wonderful boulangerie just to inhale that wonderful aroma of baking bread. After that, I made it a point to step inside every bakery I found in all the countries we visited,but none smelled as wonderful as that little boulangerie in the old town of Nice. Queen Victoria used to stay in Nice, and I could too. But now it was time to head back to the Marco Polo, as we sail at 8 pm for Marseilles.
The port of Marseilles
Marseilles is the oldest city in France with 26 centuries of eventful history, and the gateway to Aix-en-Provence, the old Provencal capital. In the morning, we took a walking tour of old Aix (pronounced ex). The town center is Cours Mirabeau, a wide and shady avenue built in the 17th century. Its handsome facades are decorated with finely carved doorways and wrought iron balconies. Aix has many tourists, but it doesn't seem crowded. It's a bright, colorful place with much to see and do, but always with time to sip a drink at a sidewalk cafe and just watch. There is a wonderful tapestry museum with work from the 17th and 18th centuries. Then it was time to head back to Marseilles for a look at the historical center along the old harbor. Phyllis was checking out the postcard stands and happened to find "The Little Train of Marseilles." What luck! This little "engine" hauled six open-top cars all around old Marseilles. We bought our tickets, hopped aboard, and away we went for a delightful tour through the narrow streets. It was almost like going back in time a couple of hundred years or so. We saw wonderful little churches and houses, and above the old town, we saw l'estaque range, called the painters' mountains as they were a model so often for George Braque, Paul Cezanne, and Andre Derain. Do you remember the film "The French Connection?" Some of it was filmed in the old town. Too soon our tour was over, and we took the shuttle bus back to the ship for the 7 pm departure to Spain.
That night, after dinner in the Seven Seas Restaurant, we went to a concert in the Ambassador Lounge. Normally we don't go in for the night-time shipboard entertainment, but this promised to be different. The Concerto Strings Trio (piano, double bass, and violin) played music by Mozart, Schubert, Lehar, Offenbach, Monti, and Strauss. They were good and we were glad we attended.
Return To The Index
Marseilles is the oldest city in France with 26 centuries of eventful history, and the gateway to Aix-en-Provence, the old Provencal capital. In the morning, we took a walking tour of old Aix (pronounced ex). The town center is Cours Mirabeau, a wide and shady avenue built in the 17th century. Its handsome facades are decorated with finely carved doorways and wrought iron balconies. Aix has many tourists, but it doesn't seem crowded. It's a bright, colorful place with much to see and do, but always with time to sip a drink at a sidewalk cafe and just watch. There is a wonderful tapestry museum with work from the 17th and 18th centuries. Then it was time to head back to Marseilles for a look at the historical center along the old harbor. Phyllis was checking out the postcard stands and happened to find "The Little Train of Marseilles." What luck! This little "engine" hauled six open-top cars all around old Marseilles. We bought our tickets, hopped aboard, and away we went for a delightful tour through the narrow streets. It was almost like going back in time a couple of hundred years or so. We saw wonderful little churches and houses, and above the old town, we saw l'estaque range, called the painters' mountains as they were a model so often for George Braque, Paul Cezanne, and Andre Derain. Do you remember the film "The French Connection?" Some of it was filmed in the old town. Too soon our tour was over, and we took the shuttle bus back to the ship for the 7 pm departure to Spain.
That night, after dinner in the Seven Seas Restaurant, we went to a concert in the Ambassador Lounge. Normally we don't go in for the night-time shipboard entertainment, but this promised to be different. The Concerto Strings Trio (piano, double bass, and violin) played music by Mozart, Schubert, Lehar, Offenbach, Monti, and Strauss. They were good and we were glad we attended.
Return To The Index