The Summer I Went to Europe - Day 2

After a good night's sleep and FINALLY feeling more like myself and less like some traveling zombie, it was time to visit my first part of Europe.  Because the port is so small in Cannes, France, we had to "tender" back and forth to the ship.  What this means is that we got on a smaller boat that took us from our big ship to the port.  Here are a few pics from our tender:

A view of Cannes, France

Notice the mountains in the background - Beautiful!

Our Ship - Libery of the Seas!

One of the many uber-sweet yachts on cannes

After arriving in Cannes, we boarded a charter bus that took us on a tour of Monaco and Monte Carlo.  The cool thing about this tour is that it took us the scenic route through the cities of Cannes, Nice, and Villefranche.  I honestly couldn't believe how beautiful it was to travel the coast of France.  I really wish we had the time to get out and take some cool pictures.  However, I DID get some good pics from the bus!

Where the Cannes Film Festival is held!

It had just ended 2 days prior and they were still taking everything down.

This is a building of apartments...each one is VERY expensive and has it's own patio.

A view of the sea!

And another one...

and another one...



I think it's really neat how they build houses into the sides of buildings.

After the hour and a half drive to Monaco, we had to switch to a city bus because of the Grand Prix race that was taking place that weekend.  Apparently, no charter buses were allowed in the city limits and this caused a lot of drama...However, after a few snafus, we finally made it to Monaco.  It was a very interesting place with lots to see.


Me at the entrance to the Monaco Oceanographic Museum

Patrick in front of a submarine that was used by Jacques Cousteau!

The church where Princess Grace Kelly was married!

Prince Albert II's Palace

This flag means the Prince is in!

A guard watching over the palace!  We thought it was amazing how close you could get!

Patrick walking the streets of Monaco!

The little French Bistro where we had lunch!

My first Coke Light!

A Beautiful view of Monte Carlo!

After spending a few hours in Monaco, it was time to head to Monte Carlo, the home of the world's most famous casino.  It was amazing to see all of the rich, rich people getting out of their cars to gamble at this casino.

Cool sculpture outside the Monte Carlo Casino

Casino Monte Carlo

One of the coolest casinos I've been in!

Patrick's new car!  Ha!

After taking a quick nap on the way back to the ship, it was time to get all dressed up for the Captain's Dinner that night.  We also went to see Royal Caribbean's version of Saturday Night Fever, which was so awesome!  I even got to dance with one of the performer's out in the aisle toward the end of the show.  Patrick tried to capture this fabulous moment on camera, but apparently, it happened way too quickly...here are a few pics that we did capture that night:

All dressed up and headed to dinner!

Patrick being goofy!

And, no night on a cruise is complete without a towel animal!  =)

After the show, we decided to head to the casino.  I realized on this cruise that I am a BIG fan of Blackjack!  That's always been my game of choice, but this time, I really got hooked!  At the end of the night, we finally pulled ourselves away from gambling and headed to bed.  Afterall, we had another busy day in Pisa and Florence to look forward to!