 |
| Monaco Copyright Andy Richards 2022 - All Rights Reserved |
WHEN I hear Cannes, the only thought I have is that there is a somewhat famous film festival held there, annually. I cannot really think of anything else the place is notable for. So, I had myself asking, why in the world would a cruise ship stop there? The only thing I could see to do in Cannes would be to stroll along the ritzy Boulevard de la Croisette, and "ooh and ahh" at the mansions and the fancy shops, and/or maybe visit the Convention Center ("The Palace of Festivals and Congresses of Cannes"), where the famed Cannes Film Festival is held. We didn't do any of that and I didn't take even a single picture of Cannes.
The true destination on this part of the Riviera? We all know its Monaco
IN MY opinion, Nice is a much more desirable location for a cruise ship to stop. The "Old City" of Nice (Vieille Ville) is a really nice destination, with its 4-block Zone Pietonne (pedestrian zone), lined with small shops and restaurants on both sides and a wonderful open market down the middle of the street, and the incredible beach, with its La Promenade des Anglais (English Walk). Nice has a much more desirable cruise port: Villefranche-sur-mer, with a deepwater terminal. We docked in Villefranche on the Emerald Princess in 2015.
We never had any plan other than to go to Monaco
THE REAL reason we stopped at Cannes? I personally think the answer is obvious. It is about "port logistics" (fees, availability, and timing). The true destination on this part of the Riviera is Monaco. If you look on Viator, TripAdvisor, or any of the cruise lines' excursion offerings, you see that the vast majority of them include excursions that, while they may stop in the Old City of Nice, or in the Medieval town of Eze along the way, have Monaco as their primary destination. On our "Italian Riviera" Cruise in 2019, we actually stopped in Monaco. Of course, the tiny port cannot accommodate most of the large cruise ships, and we had to anchor out and tender in. Generally, no big deal. We also had to do that in Cannes. 😏 The only real negative (to passengers) in tendering is that if the sea is rough, it may be necessary to skip a cruise stop (we had that experience on the 2019 cruise). For the cruise line, it also may include the added expense of operating (or contracting) the tender boats, and the logistics of getting everyone safely to shore and back on board. What I call "first world" problems.
 |
| Monaco Copyright Andy Richards 2019 - All Rights Reserved |
WE KNEW these things when we booked the cruise. We never had any plan other than to go to Monaco. It was a pretty easy thing to take a cab or Uber to the train station about 5 minutes from the cruise dock. A train round-trip ticket was right around $20 (American). Our only regret was that on the ride back to Cannes, the train was overfull, and after a long day on our feet, we had to ride the 30-45 minutes mainly standing. My wife and I had done an excursion on our Monaco stop in 2019, and had seen Eze, and the Old City of Nice. For this day and our group of 4, it seemed like more that anyone wanted to do. We actually had a nice, relaxing day in Monaco.
 |
| Monaco Copyright Andy Richards 2022 - All Rights Reserved |
IF ANYWHERE in the world "speaks" wealth, it is Monaco. We have seen a lot of evidence of wealth over the years, both in the Mediterranean and in the Caribbean. But nowhere does it seem to ooze from every direction like it does in Monaco. From the Prince's Palace, all the way down to the harbor, there are gorgeous buildings and boats. And there are expensive and exotic automobiles everywhere to be seen.
 |
| Monaco Marina Shortly after we visited Monaco, I posted this photo on Facebook and remarked that my "next" boat would also have a hot tub in the back deck. 😀 Copyright Andy Richards 2022 - All Rights Reserved |
THERE IS, of course, another thing Monaco is famous for. It is the home of the world's most famous casino: Monte Carlo. We have been inside the casino a couple of times. It seems surprisingly small compared to some of the mega-casinos we have seen in places like Las Vegas. But it is opulent. And there are rules and a dress code. Not being a gambler, I have been contented to simply walk in and look around. I personally am more impressed by the exterior of the building than the interior.
 |
| Approach to The Monte Carlo Casino - Monaco Copyright Andy Richards 2022 - All Rights Reserved |
THE MONACO train station is up a hill behind and to the west of the casino, so as you exit, you walk down to it. That walk is pretty spectacular, as there is a kind of a park, with terraced levels and multiple fountains, from the top of the hill, all the way down to the large plaza in front of the casino entrance. I made a few photographs.
 |
| Approach to The Monte Carlo Casino - Monaco Copyright Andy Richards 2022 - All Rights Reserved |
AT THE casino, the plaza is flanked on both sides by very ritzy restaurants. We walked into one of them and had a drink, before heading further down the hill toward the marina. But before doing that, I made some more pictures of the iconic mirror right in front of the casino entrance. It is pretty cool.
 |
| Fountain just above The Monte Carlo Casino - Monaco Copyright Andy Richards 2022 - All Rights Reserved |
AFTER WALKING around a bit and taking in the sights, we went on a mission: find a nice spot for a nice lunch. As we walked down the hill toward the marina, we found a restaurant that overlooked the water and, with its white linen tablecloths, we had a pretty good idea that this one was fancy. Fortunately for us, the food was also excellent. We had a very nice lunch of soup and seafood and bread, and a couple glasses of nice wine. It's kind of funny, because I doubt that any of the 4 of us "normally" dine this way - especially for lunch. But we were in Monaco. It was fun and relaxing. Good food, good atmosphere, and good company.
 |
| Monte Carlo Casino - Monaco Copyright Andy Richards 2022 - All Rights Reserved |
No comments:
Post a Comment