Western Mediterranean - Cannes Page

It was about 9 when we anchored outside Cannes & lifeboats, acting as tenders are needed to get ashore. We got up late, as our tour did not muster until 12:30. It took some time to get us off the ship & out of Cannes on the coach.

Struggling on to the tender

Tourette

Gourdon on its hill

Up into the hills, the first call was at Pont Du Loup, where there was a sweet factory we went round.

The Florian sweet factory

Inside the sweet factory

Arty photo of wrapped sweets

There is also the stumps of a railway viaduct, otherwise demolished. I think in time, they will regret that & have to restore it, being on the line from Nice via Entrevaux we used 30 years ago.

The Pont at Pont du Loup

Valley wall & railway viaduct stump

Down the Loup from the Pont

Then, we drove up the Gorge du Loup on a narrow road built in the early 20thC for tourist traffic. This goes to Gourdon on the top above the gorge. There is a perfectly rood road up from Grasse, which Queen Victoria used to use & down which we were to go after having a look round Gourdon & the tremendous views from there. (We tried to get coffee but they were so slow, I told them to forget it, as we had to get back to the coach). Gourdon has that look of having once been derelict or very poor & now, well restored.

Walking into Gourdon	Gourdon main street	Across the valley of the Loup
Straight down to Pont du Loup	Out to sea, left...	...and right

Down at Grasse, we went round the Fragonard Perfume Works.

They use steam distillation on some plants but used to use animal fat to absorb perfume from delicate flowers. Now, health & safety will not let them, so they use hexane, rather more dangerous, I would have thought. (One spark & the place would blow up).

The perfume laboratory

Antique perfume steam stills

Finished product

The trip back through Cannes was in clotted traffic jams, as they had closed some roads for the Film Festival but real life has to go on. Then, we just missed the tender back to the ship & had to wait again. We were not on the ship until about 19:30, way too late for a normal dinner. I rescued our wine from last night & we ate in the Secret Garden self-service restaurant.