A day in France

Day 6    Toulon, France     Wednesday, July 30, 2014

We awoke on Wednesday morning in France, Janet's first time in this country. The picture above is Toulon's Opera House. It was locked up, however, so we could not look inside.

We had to get shuttled by boat across the harbor to Toulon in the distance. As you can see, it was a glorious day. We stepped off in the harbor thinking we'd find vendors with tours to Marseilles, the biggest nearby city. That was our plan since we'd heard there wasn't much to see in Toulon, but there were no such tours offered. So we decided to just walk around the town and return to the ship early.

They had an extensive open market. In their Puget Square we explored the Les Chocolats Yves Thuries store and bought a gift for Nika. They gave us four little chocolate squares for free, so the stop was worth it!

We happened upon this boat bow sculpture in a small square. Strange, but sorta neat. Janet's comment: Ken looks awesome in my pink Cabo San Lucas cap!

This photo give a better idea what it looked like, with the slabs of concrete bent upward against the hull to look like the sea.

We then wandered on back to the port. It was a nice day to stroll, but not too much to do. Toulon did not exude any French feelings, other than hearing people speak the language. Someday we'll have to see more of France.

Back on the ship we had lunch and hung out at the pool. The hot tub water was actually pretty cold, so Janet relaxed in the sun and read while I rode the stationary bike in the fitness room.

As we departed Toulon, Janet and I sat at the stern watching the scenery, the kids playing in the Buccaneer Pool, and the guitarist entertainer named Jefferson. Off in the background you can see an old fort.

Another view as we were departing, of a peninsula with a beach full of Wednesday sunbathers. Once out on the high seas, we had dinner right next to the window to view the mainland in the distance. The stage show that night was a high-energy musical presentation by the cast, and we always enjoy the shows. We did a little Michael on the piano before an early bedtime (9:30) because we had an early shore excursion the next morning.