DAY 6 CANNES
Was in Cannes a few years ago and it was lovely to return – we knew exactly where we wanted to go – the main shopping street.
The place was gearing up for the Festival and the place is just as glitzy as I remember. We spent a lovely afternoon shopping and eating gateaux.
Russell headed for the mountains while Indu and Brian hit off along the coast to Monte Carlo so we had great exchange of stories over dinner.
Did some ship shopping tonight only to have it forgotten with a jacket in the bar!!!! Hoping that we’ll be as lucky as last night and someone will hand in the lost items!!! Our dinner crowd will never believe this!
DAY 7 PALMA DE MALLORCA
Hard to believe that after 43 years I return to the site of my honeymoon. We landed in Palma before hitting off into the wilds of the island to a very under-developed ‘resort’ called Alcudia. Alcudia now is like Palma – row upon row of hotels and shops along the beach front and stretching back into the slopes of the mountains. There was a promise of good weather for the day and departure from Palma was late, we decided to spend the morning by the pool. Times like this when you return to a place from your past, you have to wonder where time goes?????
By the time we went ashore for the shuttle bus to city centre / Cathedral there was a deluge. We just got back on the shuttle and returned to port.
But what a story for dinner – as we tried to explain how someone, thinking they were in Barcelona. decided against visiting the great gothic cathedral as “ they had already seen it”! At least my reason of “weather, climb, distance, mobility” were understandable!
Some fond/nostalgic memories of my only previous trip here: my honeymoon. Weddings now are so different and the expectations are so high. We were married in my Parish church in Walkinstown, our reception was the Sports Hotel, Enniskerry- within easy driving distance for all guests- early departure from reception for bride and groom: it was almost “mandatory” to leave to allow guests to go home!!!! Now weddings are two and three day affairs. We had scraped together the money to go “abroad” and got a special in Alcudia, Mallorca. NO WONDER – it was like a building site: our apartment block was the only completed building in the resort! But the beach was great, the weather wonderful, food different, we hired a car and went to the Caves, life was good – we were young and in love!!!
DAY 8 BACK TO BARCELONA
Bags had to be outside cabin at midnight to be brought ashore. We had our last “hearty” breakfast at the buffet before disembarkation at 9.30. As flight was not till late we decided to send bags ahead to airport and spend the day in Barcelona. We had both been here before and opted for a ramble on Las Ramblas with some retail and refreshments rather than sightseeing. Cities now are so alike re shops; I think they call cosmopolitan!!! Yet it’s amazing that “foreign” branches of home stores still hold an attraction – probably stocking different goods to the ones at home and purchasing will be done?
Great to see the mime artists, the local craftspeople, flower stalls, street-side bars and the new pavement mosaic in the centre of Las Ramblas designed by Barcelona-born artist Joan Miro – the spot where 2017 tragedy occurred, a poignant reminder of how quickly tragedy can strike.
It took us the day to walk the 1.2 km of La Rambla from the Christopher Columbus statue to the Placa de Cataluya where we discovered a gorgeous Spanish restaurant. Taxi back to airport for return flight; a
