Mediterranean - Cannes and Portofino

Our first port of call was in Cannes, France. We tendered in and spent some time walking around town. We took our shoes off, rolled up our pants, and walked along the beach, dipping our feet in the Mediterranean Sea. It didn't take us long to remember that European beaches are well-known for being topless, but it wasn't a big deal. We walked along the Rue du Croisette to the Palais des Festivals, which is where the Cannes Film Festival is held every year. We enjoyed seeing the handprints of several movie stars such as Angelina Jolie, Chuck Norris, and Jamie Lee Curtis.

Finishing up in Cannes, we headed back to the ship and relaxed the rest of the day.

Portofino was probably our most relaxing port. We really enjoyed it here. We tendered in again and the seas were a bit rough, so we were lucky to get ashore. Others who waited longer didn't get in because of the dangerous conditions. This little city was very walkable and made us feel like we were right in the middle of the real Italy, not the touristy one. All of the roads and walkways are cobblestone and very narrow. The water comes right up to the where the city is and they say the water level never rises more than a couple of inches, so it doesn't flood.

After a nice, leisurely walk around the city, we decided to head back to the tender and go to the ship. Well, the water had another plan. The tenders weren't running people back and forth because of the rough seas, and there were probably about 100 people standing in line. Rather than wait in line for hours, we decided to go wander around some more. We took about a 1/4 mile hike to the lighthouse and enjoyed the scenery, as well as visiting an old church and cemetery. We then visited an Italian bakery where we bought a bunch of tasty treats, found a little cafe, and sat and enjoyed the sun and the people walking by. We visited with 2 of our friends from Celebrity Cruises - Heather and Ivette -National Marketing Reps.

The seas never let up, so we all boarded a large ferry and they took us over to Saint Marguerite, about a 15 minute ride, where the water was much calmer. Then we took the tender to the ship. Some people were complaining of the long day and not being able to get back to the ship, but we actually enjoyed the day and felt that our stay in Portofino was better than we thought it would have been otherwise.