Looooong trip report of our Mediterranean extravaganza and the Celebrity Edge

[cricketgirl]

06/27/19 – Nice, France (cont.)

 

I believe we had an hour or two to explore the area; just a block away was an outdoor market which had almost anything imaginable.  We bought quite a few things here – some present for friends/family and some truffles for me!

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 19, 2019 by cricketgirl

[cricketgirl]

06/27/19 – Nice, France (cont.)

 

Another block south was Promenade des Anglais, a gorgeous scenic walkway dotted with palm trees extending for 7km along the Mediterranean Sea and Nice’s pebble beaches.  We walked along here for a while and dipped our toes in the sea.  This area was so beautiful we could have stayed here all day – I loved the relaxed vibe.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After a bit more shopping we made our way back to the square to meet our bus.  I snapped one more photo before we left Nice and I’m so disappointed it didn’t turn out because the building was so interesting.  It’s always difficult to get a good picture through a glass window on a moving bus.  I’ll include the awful photo with a link to see a good picture by a professional with the backstory of this sculpture/building.

https://www.tripzilla.com/photo-square-head/5306

 

 

 

[cricketgirl]

06/27/19 – Eze, France

 

After Nice we headed to Eze, a village on top of what seemed like a mountain but may have just been a huge hill/cliff.  I wonder what differentiates a huge hill from a mountain anyway?  I digress once again.  The views along the way were amazing.

 

 

 

Eze is simply STUNNING.  But you may not want to visit during the worst heatwave to hit southern Europe in over 10 years.  I believe it was 96 degrees by the time we arrived, and once the bus drops you off let me tell you it is quite a climb to the top.  It might be one thing in cooler weather or when you’re stopping to shop along the way, but trying to follow our guide on a non-stop trek to the top was no easy feat.  To be honest I barely cared what she was saying it was just so darn hot.  It was hard to even truly appreciate the views.  But we made the best of it.  By no means should this discourage anyone from going there, my gosh its beautiful, just beware there’s a lot of steps and that plus 96 degrees in the beating down sun is not the best combination.

 

 

 

 

[cricketgirl]

06/27/19 – Eze, France (cont.)

 

The walk up was steep cobblestone steps lined with charming stores, mainly filled with art and jewelry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[cricketgirl]

06/27/19 – Eze, France (cont.)

 

The views you really just can’t put into words, and my amateur pictures definitely do not do it justice, but I will share anyway.  No laughing.

 

 

 

 

By the time we made it back down I looked like a drowned rat.  We had stopped halfway down for a cold drink but with 20 minutes before our bus came back we figured we’d get another one.  We spotted a grocery store with air conditioning and happily went inside.  Funny because we saw QUITE a few others from our tour in here as well.  I suspect we were all craving the a/c!  I thought their fresh squeezed oj machine was pretty neat.

 

 

When our bus arrived there may have been a record for getting that many people into a bus so quick – thank goodness for air conditioning!  At this point we made our way down the mountain to Monaco.

 

 

 

[tutuwahineLV]

On 8/13/2019 at 6:46 AM, cricketgirl said:

This will be my trip review from our Celebrity Edge cruise from 6/22/19 to 6/29/19.  I have never posted any kind of review before, so please be easy on me as I may skip around too much or skip over other items unintentionally.  I took over 2,500 pictures on this trip so it’s taken quite a while for me to sort through them.  I’m also a little later starting this than I hoped because I’ve been sick.  I think I picked up some kind of virus on the plane home so I got sick 4 days after getting back and spent close to 4 weeks fighting an upper respiratory viral infection.  Does anyone else get sick every time they fly?  It seems to happen to me almost every time over the last few years, I guess my immune system is not what it used to be – just another joy of getting older I suppose.  Anyway I digress.

 

Hi Cricketgirl,  

first, thank you for sharing your journey with us. I'm looking forward to reading along, but, I wanted to share what works for us.  

I travel with my Mother, who is sneaking into her upper 70's, and she would always end up with that travel crud after any trip that included flights, Always.  We've managed to overcome that however with a few things we do religiously when we travel now.  First, get you a diffuser locket/necklace for essential oil, and a bottle of THIEVES oil .  Don't leave home with out it when air travel is involved.   Place 5-8 drops of Thieves in the locket, and make sure you wear it against your skin so the warmth helps with the diffusion.   Second, use some sort of disinfectant wipe on the plane, as soon as you get seated.  While everyone else is boarding, wipe down those arm rests, tray table, seatbelt buckle and air vent.  

Since we've started doing this.....she hasn't been sick once.  And before, it was every trip.....   

just my 2cents, hope the info helps some. Now, I'm off to read the rest of your review. 

[cricketgirl]

2 hours ago, tutuwahineLV said:

Hi Cricketgirl,  

first, thank you for sharing your journey with us. I'm looking forward to reading along, but, I wanted to share what works for us.  

I travel with my Mother, who is sneaking into her upper 70's, and she would always end up with that travel crud after any trip that included flights, Always.  We've managed to overcome that however with a few things we do religiously when we travel now.  First, get you a diffuser locket/necklace for essential oil, and a bottle of THIEVES oil .  Don't leave home with out it when air travel is involved.   Place 5-8 drops of Thieves in the locket, and make sure you wear it against your skin so the warmth helps with the diffusion.   Second, use some sort of disinfectant wipe on the plane, as soon as you get seated.  While everyone else is boarding, wipe down those arm rests, tray table, seatbelt buckle and air vent.  

Since we've started doing this.....she hasn't been sick once.  And before, it was every trip.....   

just my 2cents, hope the info helps some. Now, I'm off to read the rest of your review. 

 

Excellent suggestions, I've never thought of the essential oil before.  I seriously learned my lesson this past flight and will never fly again without disinfecting.  I appreciate your advice!

[cricketgirl]

06/27/19 – Monaco

 

After Eze we headed down the mountain towards Monaco.  It was a beautiful drive!

 

 

[cricketgirl]

06/27/19 – Monaco (cont.)

 

 

Monaco is the second smallest country in the world (only the Vatican is smaller), at 0.78 square miles.  It’s known for being a tax haven and our guide told us 32% of the population is made up of millionaires.  What struck me is that it’s very clean and felt very safe (we saw guards everywhere).  It was also very crowded when we were there, not sure if that’s the norm or not.  Everything exudes wealth, and you are quickly reminded that you are not even close to the top 1%. 

 

Our bus parked in an underground lot and we took a series of escalators and elevators up into Old Town Monaco.  This area is located on a high hill and surrounded on three sides by the Mediterranean.  The royal palace is found here along with many government buildings and a ton of shops, restaurants, and tourists.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[cricketgirl]

06/27/19 – Monaco (cont.)

 

We found a restaurant and had a leisurely lunch with some cold drinks.  Even sitting in the shade we were both pouring with sweat – it really was hot!

 

 

 

[cricketgirl]

06/27/19 – Monaco (cont.)

 

After lunch we wandered around a bit more and admired the unbelievable gorgeous views on the way back to our meeting spot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[cricketgirl]

06/27/19 – Monaco (cont.)

 

Our next stop in this lovely country was Monte Carlo, the site of the famous Grand Casino and the annual Formula 1 Grand Prix.  Our bus dropped us off in an underground tunnel where a hallway led us to set of elevators.  It was very hot, crowded, and hectic, and our guide was fighting to have only those from our tour get into the elevators.  They were too small for our entire group (remember ship excursion with tons of people), so she was sending us all up without her and said to wait at the top for her and she would be on the last one.  About 12 of us were crammed into an elevator that probably should have only held 10, and it must have been 100 degrees in there.  We were all sweaty and touching and it was extremely uncomfortable.  After what seemed like hours the elevator finally opened and we all scrambled out in record time.  We were discombobulated and didn’t know where it was supposed to spit us out, but there was a hallway so we all just kind of started walking.  After a bit we slowly came to the realization that we were in the same place we started – our elevator had never even moved!  Too freaking funny!  At this point there was almost no crowd for the elevators and our guide was nowhere in sight so she must have gone up with the last group.  We climbed back on and endured the uncomfortable ride once again, but this time the doors opened and we were outside.  Unfortunately our guide and tour group was nowhere in sight!  After some rushing around, we finally found them thank goodness! 

 

I believe it was 98 degrees at this point, and we were hot and frazzled.  I really didn’t even care what our guide was saying, I just wanted to wander around a bit and get a cold drink.  Once she told us our meeting point and time, we quickly split from the group.  The Grand Casino was only a block away. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[cricketgirl]

06/27/19 – Monaco (cont.)

 

You are only allowed in the lobby of the casino unless you pay a fee and pass a dress code, but we only cared about the lobby anyway.  I imagine the cover charge and dress code keeps out the riff raff (aka us lol).  At this point I looked worse than a drowned rat after Eze and the elevator debacle so they probably wouldn’t have let us in even for a fee – ha!  Once again a disclaimer that I am not even a good amateur photographer so please don’t poke fun.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[SharonK]

Enjoying your review and all the pictures!  I’ve read in several reviews that in the martini bar and cafe al bacio the music was playing so loudly that it was difficult to carry on a conversation.  Did you find this to be true?

[poffles]

Loving your review (still) AND your pictures are what brings it to life so stop selling yourself short on your photos.  You have captured memories of you trip and that is what it's about.  I am no professional either (far from it)  but I have another job to pay bills hahahahaha

 

I sailed week ago for two weeks in the Caribbean and the heat there was unbearable (I know it is to be expected) so I can appreciate what you are saying about being out and about in the heat, wow you 'lucked' out.  It definitely slows one down and felt more out of shape than I normally do LOL.

 

 

 🙂

[cricketgirl]

12 hours ago, SharonK said:

Enjoying your review and all the pictures!  I’ve read in several reviews that in the martini bar and cafe al bacio the music was playing so loudly that it was difficult to carry on a conversation.  Did you find this to be true?

 

Thanks Sharon!  I had read reviews regarding the noise level in the martini bar as well, and as someone who really dislikes loud music when I'm trying to have a conversation I was a bit nervous about this.  The only time we noticed too much noise in the grand plaza was during the light show, when the huge chandelier above the bar lights up to the beat of the music.  The music was turned up during this, but it only lasts about 5 minutes if that.  And I believe that is only once or twice a night.  All other times the music was not too loud - for us at least.

[cricketgirl]

2 hours ago, poffles said:

Loving your review (still) AND your pictures are what brings it to life so stop selling yourself short on your photos.  You have captured memories of you trip and that is what it's about.  I am no professional either (far from it)  but I have another job to pay bills hahahahaha

 

I sailed week ago for two weeks in the Caribbean and the heat there was unbearable (I know it is to be expected) so I can appreciate what you are saying about being out and about in the heat, wow you 'lucked' out.  It definitely slows one down and felt more out of shape than I normally do LOL.

 

🙂

 

Thanks for the kind words, and yes you're right the photos do capture our experience and will bring back many memories for years to come. 🙂

[cricketgirl]

06/27/19 – Monaco (cont.)

 

The casino square outside was quite crowded.  We wandered around a bit, went into a couple of shops, and admired the sights.  The amount of money here is staggering.  We saw cars here every couple of minutes that you never see in our city.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[cricketgirl]

06/27/19 – Monaco (cont.)

 

On the way back to our meeting spot we found a small garden full of cactus and views of some amazing yachts…

 

 

 

 

 

We met our guide and our tour group headed back down the infamous elevators to the underground hallway that led to the underground street tunnel.  Little did we know, that there was a major traffic jam and cars were barely inching by on the street.  This meant our bus was stuck trying to get to us, along with all of the other tours busses.  So there were who knows how many tour groups stuck here in this tiny area along the street waiting for our bus.  Thank goodness we were underground and not in the sun, but it was still extremely hot with no very little air flow.  There weren’t many places to sit and it would be an understatement to say everyone was pretty miserable and cranky. I spotted this car while waiting in the tunnel.

 

 

We waited for out bus about 30 minutes which not the least bit fun, but rumor had it another group ended up waiting for an hour and a half so perhaps we were the lucky ones.  Either way, the air-conditioned bus was such a welcome sight.  I think many people feel asleep on the drive back to Nice, including me.

 

 

[cricketgirl]

06/27/19 – Nice, France (cont.)

 

Once back in Nice we boarded a tender back to the ship.  Goodbye Nice – I so hope to visit again someday!

 

 

 

 

 

[cricketgirl]

06/27/19 – Nice, France (cont.)

 

Once back on the ship we showered and made ourselves presentable again for the first time since mid-morning (pre-90 degree heat) and headed to the martini bar in the grand plaza.  By this time the bartenders knew us so well they would wave hello as soon as we entered the area and start making our favorite drinks.  Have I mentioned how much we loved the martini bar?

 

[cricketgirl]

06/27/19 – Nice, France (cont.)

 

We had dinner reservations tonight in the main dining restaurant Cosmopolitan (American contemporary).  The entrance was quite pretty with walls and a ceiling of wine bottles.

 

 

 

We were famished, as it was so hot we didn’t eat much for lunch (it’s hard for me to eat when I am really hot).  We both ordered two starters.  I had the Double Baked Blue Cheese Souffle (parmesean coulis and red onion marmalade) and the Creamy Smoked Tomato Bisque (basil pesto and herbed croutons.  The soufflé was much better than the bisque, which was just okay.  DW had the Seared Scallops (curried parsnip puree, pomegranate) and the Escargots À La Bourguignonne (shallots, garlic, parsley, pernod butter).  The escargots is traditionally one of her favorites, but she said these were small and just okay.  Perhaps we were getting too spoiled having a nice multi-course dinner each night.

 

 

 

 

 

[cricketgirl]

06/27/19 – Nice, France (cont.)

 

As we ate we realized the ship had started moving and we were pulling out of Nice.

 

 

 

My entrée was Creamy Wild Mushroom Risotto (black truffle and parmesan) which was excellent.  DW had the Broiled Lobster Tail (rice pilaf, steamed broccoli, drawn butter) but I forgot to take a picture before it was half gone.  I think she liked it!

 

 

 

Many nights we were too full for dessert, and other nights I didn’t remember to take a picture.  I’m not sure what we ordered, but I did take a picture tonight.

 

 

 

[cricketgirl]

06/27/19 – Nice, France (cont.)

 

As we were finishing dessert the sunset was spectacular.  We headed outside to get a better view.  I think we called it an early night, as we had another full day in store tomorrow.

 

 

 

[Sherman793]

Beautiful pictures and I am just loving your review. Thank you for doing it!