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Toulon FranceJun 3, 2012
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Breakfast on balcony
Pano
| Day 2 With the aid of a Tylenol PM and an extremely long and tiring day, we actually managed to get more or less a good night's sleep. Granted we only just went to bed close to midnight and woke up at 6 AM, but seeing as usually I would be waking up every hour on the hour, all things considered it was a good night. We ordered room service which arrived around 7:00, and we enjoyed a nice breakfast out on the balcony. The weather was beautiful, about 75 degrees or so and sunny, though there was a bit of a haze that hung around for most of the day. After breakfast, we met up with our tour group in the theater before we boarded the bus to visit Toulan. Our your started off in Sanary Sur Mer, which was maybe a 20 minute drive form the port. There, we got a chance to walk through one of the famous French markets that are so prevelent in France. As it was mostly food, we didn't make any purchases there, but you could see that all the food was fresh. There was even fresh seafood mixed in. I'm sure Mike would have been happy to make a purchase there, but yeah, that wasn't happening. After wandering around the area a bit, we got back onto the bus and went on our way. Our next stop was in Cassis, which is a beautiful resort area next to the water. Tons and tons of shops, and an equally huge array of restaurants and bistros that you can choose from lunch. We checked out one place, but it looked like everything on the menu was seafood, which didn't work for me. We probably wouldn't have made the mistake of sitting down if either of us could actually read French, but I didn't get the opportunity to study much before we left. We opted for a "safer" option, which was a panini restaurant a couple door down. The food was excellent, but we are kicking ourselves now, since we didn't think to get some authentic French wine. Oh well, we'll have another opportunity in Nice tomorrow. We also checked out some local shops and bought some treats to take home. After lunch, we boarded the bus again and made our way to Marsailles. We got to see a lot of the city, though much of it is currently under construction for a major rennovation project scheduled for completion in 2013. A lot of the buildings are beautiful, with detailed carvings and wrought iron balustrades. Our stop was to visit Cathedral Notre Dame de la Garde Basillica. I am embarassed to admit I was dozing a bit when she was explaining, but I believe the tour guide mentioned that there is some connection between the Cathedral and Mary Magdelene. Really impressive building... and an even more impressive climb up to visit. A LOT of stairs! But once you get up there, the view is spectacular, with Marsailles at your feet in all directions. The Cathedral is still in use, and you could light a candle when you go in, if you chose. Managed to grab one really nice shot of the interior ceiling. Gorgeous mosaic work. After some times taking pictures, we made our way back to the bus to start heading back to the ship. Once we got back aboard, we decided to go take a swim to cool off a bit. "Cool" being the operative word. Even though it had been sunny pretty much all day, the clouds moved in and cooled things off quickly. The pool was freezing, but not too bad once you get used to it. We met up with our 4 new friends from Rhode Island at the pool. After a swim, it was time for a little snack, since it was only just after 5 PM, and our dinner tonight isn't until 9:30. Tonight is formal attire. So far, seems like we might have a good table again. Table for 10, and though there were 4 women who sat at the far end last night that didn't seem very interested in anyone but their own group, we had a good chat with another couple who, it turns out, are also from Rhode Island, and are traveling with friends that are from RI as well. Talk about a small world! Dinner was great. We had some sort of beef with fresh sides, and Mike had Shrimp Cocktail. We had a chance to talk with the five women at our table, from the UK. (a mother and daughters from Newcastle upon Tyne). Another guest joined us, and he was from Manchester UK. We had an 11:15pm reservation in the Platinum Theatre to see the "In the Air" production show. Signing off for now. Breakfast is coming at 6:30am and we have to be off the ship at 7:15 in the morning, for Nice France. Andy & Mike |
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