The Crystal Symphony had many excellent shore excursions on this Barcelona to Dover itinerary, many of which had a food or wine connection. Cannes was certainly a good example. Passengers could take a private cooking lesson, visit interesting towns nearby such as Nice, Eze, St-Paul-de-Vence, or Monte Carlo, drive along the scenic Corniche, or even make their own perfume!
We strolled along Cannes' Boulevard de la Croisette to the famous Hotel Carlton. The twin gray cupolas seen in the picture above were modeled on the breasts of one of Cannes' most well-known courtesans, La Belle Otero. The grand Hotel Carlton was built in 1912 and is still one of Cannes' most famous landmarks.
On the way to the Hotel Carlton, we passed by the Palais des Festivals, site of the Cannes International Film Festival. Cannes is packed with film stars and paparazzi during the May festival, and thousands of interested tourists also visit Cannes at that time. We enjoyed looking at all of the hand prints of the stars embedded in the sidewalk at the Palais des Festivals.
While in Cannes, we also took a half-day excursion to St-Paul-de-Vence, about 17 miles from the city.
