Cannes is about more than just an annual film festival

 Cannes, France April 28, 2023

Yes, this is the city that hosts the annual Cannes film festival.

Many people take tours from here to Monaco/Monte Carlo, Nice, Eze, Grasse, and other cities along the French Riviera.

Because this is a tender port, I have decided to wait until all the “tender boat chaos” has subsided and quietly take a tender boat into town. I might decide to use my priority to tender option.

My sinusitis is bothering me and I overindulged with walking in Barcelona yesterday AFTER my ship shore excursion. It’s also possible I have the C-word——a Cold. 

So….Instead of taking the 40 minute train ride into Nice, as I did in 2019, the last time I was here, I decided to stroll around Cannes.

Fortunately, I brought my Cannes map from before and I googled some walking tours and will follow the routes. I added notes to my map so I won’t have to open my smart phone constantly to review the sites from the guide.

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Here are some places I visited on my independent walking tour of both the old town and the new cosmopolitan section, a playground for the chic and famous. I also took the little train tour around Cannes for

€14.

Le Suguet, the old town with a labyrinth of narrow, centuries-old streets is filled with a charm. The streets were lined Louis restaurants, cafés, shops, and other points of interest. I could spend an entire day here!!

I had one of my favorite treats: a quiche Lorraine,  well heated from a Bakery.

• Vieux Port (Old Port). Our ship docks here. 
• La Sequet. The old part of the city built on the site of the former Canois Castrum, a Roman town dominated by a castle, on the slopes of Mont Chevalier.
• Cannes City Hall
• Marche Forville (Forville Market) Forville Market is Cannes' favorite market and offers organic vegetables, local wine, fresh fish, and fresh flowers and more. It's only open in the morning, so stop by before lunch. The market is pedestrian-only, so it is a safe and easy place to walk through and focus on the goods instead of being distracted by traffic. Locals love to come here and buy up their daily produce.——-One of my favorite travel activities is visiting local markets such as this one. I visited the famous one off La Rambla in Barcelona yesterday.
• Les Murs Peints (Painted Walls) The Painted Walls of Cannes offers visitors a unique way to see depictions of their favorite movie stars and movie scenes. Since Cannes began hosting the Cannes Film Festival in 1949, Cannes has been synonymous with movie star glamour. Since 2002, artists have painted various murals to celebrate Cannes' cinema connection. Today, there are 15 different mural frescoes to view. These inspired murals encourage visitors to stroll through Cannes, searching for the next mural.
• Notre Dame d'Esperance (Our Lady of Hope Church)
• Musée des Explorations du Monde (Museum of World Explorations)
• Rue Meynadier (Meynadier Street). A very charming shop and restaurant lined street.
• Tour du Masque (Mask Tower) this is where the mysterious Man in the iron mask was held. No one is certain of his identity. The Man in the Iron Mask was a prisoner during King Louis XIV region. He was confined to various French prisons--including the infamous Bastille. The man wore a black velvet mask covering his face, and his identity has never been discovered. It is unknown when the man was born. He was arrested around 1670 and died in 1703. The Man in the Iron Mask escaped from Sainte-Marguerite Island and found sanctuary in this 12th century "Mask Tower" for the last years of his life. The story was made famous by writers Alexandre Dumas and Voltaire. In Voltaire's retelling, the man wore an iron mask. Historical records show that the man wore a velvet mask, but Voltaire's version has proved popular. Historians have many guesses over the man's identity, but none of these theories have been definitively proven. Some stories claim that the man was a relative of the King--an older brother, a twin, or his illegitimate father. Documents from the man's jailer, Saint-Mars, were discovered in 2015. A leading theory supposes that the man was Eustache Dauge, who was involved in political scandals. One legend says that the unnamed man's host haunts the tower. Whether or not this is true, the legends and speculations concerning the man's identity continue.Today, a plaque on the 12th-century tower and a nearby dummy mark the location. The plaque reads, “Passer-by, stop to meditate on the sufferings of this torture.
• Palais des Festivals et des Congrès (Palace of Festivals and Congresses) (must see) The Palace of Festivals and Congresses was built to host the Cannes Film Festival. This first building was constructed in 1949. However, the Film Festival continued to grow, and businesses sought a larger meeting center to hold conventions, so a new Palace was built. The new Palace of Festivals and Congresses opened in 1982 and was further expanded in 1999. The palace continues to host the Cannes Film Festival, which draws celebrities, movie stars, producers, and fans from all over the world.

I have a renewed sense of appreciation for the old part of this world renowned city known for its glamour and luxury.

Magical Mallorca!

 Mallorca, (Majorca) a Balearic island of Spain. April 26, 2023

Port time 3 PM till 10 PM. We were able to sleep in and have a leisurely morning and lunch on the cruise ship.

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Have you heard of the Balearic Islands of Spain?

They are an archipelago of main 5 islands and an autonomous region of Spain, located in the Western Mediterranean.

Mallorca, the largest Balearic island, is famous for its breathtaking coastline, luxurious resorts, man-made Mallorca pearls, imposing gothic cathedral, palatial medieval structures, Roman and Moorish remains, lively nightlife, and high-end shopping.

Today’s Tour will include visits to Palma de Mallorca and cities outside of the capital such as Soller and  Valldemossa —3 PM until 8 PM.

Here is a brief tour description:

Discover Mallorca's wealth of treasures that is a must-see for every visit to the island, and which will take your breath away. You will have designated stops at: • Bellver Castle • La Escollera & Cathedral • Valldemossa • Na Foradada/Son Marroig • Port De Soller.

I hung out with Norey, Toni, Yolanda, and Eric from the solo travelers gatherings.

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Mallorca is the largest of the Spanish Balearic Islands In the Mediterranean and is located just off the east coast of Spain. The island is approximately 50 miles wide and 60 miles long and boasts over 250 miles of coastline, marked by a series via of small caves and beautiful beaches. 

Like the other Balearic Islands of Menorca, Ibiza, and Formentera, the island is an extremely popular holiday destination, particularly for tourists from the Netherlands, Germany and the United Kingdom. 

80% of the economy is attributable to tourism. As a result, they suffered devastating financial losses during the COVID pandemic. 

The island has been the home of some famous people including;

George Sand and Frederick Chopin, Archduke Luis Salvador of Austria and more recently, Michael Douglas.

Today, along with the active tourism trade and the port activity, agriculture Is the principal occupation and is based mainly on the cultivation of olive trees, carob trees and almonds. Although some of the beaches have become residential complexes, Mallorca still has several quiet spots waiting to be discovered.

You might know that Mallorca is famous for its stunning man-made Majorca pearls.

Palma de Mallorca is the capital city of the autonomous Balearic Islands and nearly two thirds of the total population live in Palma. This number is increases significantly in the spring and summer by tourists and cruise ship passengers as the Island is a favorite European resort.

The city lies on the bay and those lucky enough to arrive by water will enjoy an impressive first view with the white circular battlements of Bellver Castle sitting on a raised hill, over-looking the bay and the famed gothic cathedral standing out against the horizon with the ancient Almudaina Palace beneath.

The old quarter of the city is full of palatial medieval structures dating from the 17th century. One of the most interesting areas to visit for both history and architecture is the Pottelle Quarter situated directly behind the cathedral. Modern Palma also offers everything you are likely to want, from big city shopping to sightseeing and amusements.

Modern Palma also offers everything you are likely to want, from big city shopping to sightseeing and amusements.

Cathedral

The CATHEDRAL is the main religious building of the island of Mallorca and is known as La Seu. It consists of a Gothic-Levantine stucture constructed on the banks of the Bay of Palma, overlooking the sea above the Arabic walls that protected the city. In 1931 the Cathedral was declared a Historic-Artistic Monument. It has the largest rosette from the Gothic world and one of the tallest naves among those of the European Gothic style.

Over the main altar (consecrated in 1346) is the almost surrealistic bal-doquí by Antoni Gaudi: an enormous canopy, lamps suspended from it like elements of a mobile, rising to a Crucifixion scene at the top.

This is Gaudi's most remarkable contribution to the remodeling of he Royal Chapel- a project he worked on for six years and completed in 1912. To the right of it, in the Chapel of the Santísima, is an qually remarkable work by the modern sculptor Miquel Barceló: a I painted

Painted ceramic tableau that covers the walls of the chapel like a skin.

Inveiled in 2007, the tableau is based on the New Testament account the miracle of the loaves and fishes.

What a spectacular day!!!