Villefranche, France

This was the last stop on our first Mediterranean cruise. Would could be better than spending the last day of your cruise in the South of France? The sun, the sand, the beautiful people. It was as close to paradise as you can get.

Our cruise ship tendered in to Villefranche, France, which is a sleepy little beach town on the Cote d'Azur, better known in English as the French Riviera. This town, officially known as Villefranche-sur-Mer lies in between the very famous cities of Nice and Cannes to the south, and the principality of Monaco to the North.

As we approached the harbor where our ship would be dropping anchor, we had the most stunning of sunrises. As you enter the harbor, there is a piece of land that juts out into the ocean. On that strip of land sits a lighthouse to help guide sailors. The first rays of the morning light were just breaking over the horizon right behind the lighthouse and created the most gorgeous effect and a stunning sunrise.

With much pre-planning, we decided that we were going to do this city on our own today. We got on one of the first tenders and headed into the city. As it was early morning, it was nice, peaceful and quiet as all of the previous nights revelers were probably still in bed. We strolled along the shoreline until we came to the train station from which we'd begin our journey.

We had a short train ride along the Lower Corniche from Villefranche to Eze-bord-du-Mer. Literally, Eze by the sea. Our goal was to get to Eze Village, a small hilltop town on the French Riviera that is world famous for its gorgeous views, and is sometimes referred to as the Eagle's Nest of the Cote d'Azur. In order to get to Eze Village, we had to get off the train and get on a local bus that would transfer us up to the Grand Corniche and Eze Village.

Today, Eze is very popular with tourists to the French Riviera. It's known as a sleepy, artsy community. And it has also made quite a name for itself due to the perfume factory that is located in town. After some delays we finally made it to Eze. The views from the top of the mountain are absolutely stunning. To look out ahead of you and see nothing be the suns rays shimmering off the surface of the beautiful blue water of the Mediterranean was a sight to behold.


From Eze, we boarded another bus that would take us to Monte Carlo. Monte Carlo is part of the small independent principality of Monaco. Monte Carlo/Monaco are known for fast cars, expensive yachts, and a world famous casino. It also perhaps is infamous for its royal family who despite being the longest ruling monarchy in Europe has seen their names and faces splashed across the media for decades.

We actually barely spent any time at all in Monte Carlo. We only took exterior photos of the Grand Casino before making our way up to Monaco. Monaco on a hill overlooking Monte Carlo and the harbor. It was amazing to me to look out on the harbor and see the sheer number of expensive yachts docked just offshore. This is certainly a place for the rich and famous to come and play.

While we were at Monaco we went by the Palais, the Palace where the royal family still resides. We spent some time wandering through the small, narrow cobblestone streets until we came to the cathedral. Inside the cathedral was buried multiple members of the royal family including Princess Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier.


Unfortunately, with such limited time in port on this day, we didn't really have time for much more. We quickly headed back to the train station and in the direction of Villefranche to catch the ship again. Nonetheless, this part of the world is absolutely stunning and definitely lives up to every bit of the charm you'd envision when you think of the French Riviera.

Ajaccio, Corsica

Ajaccio was the first port of call on my first Mediterranean cruise and probably the city I knew the least about.

Ajaccio is the major city on the island of Corsica, just off the coast of France. It was also our first port of call on my first Mediterranean cruise.

It was probably the port city in which I knew the least about ahead of time and unfortunately it also turned out to be my least favorite port stop on my cruise. Apparently, this island is a very popular holiday spot for the French and other Europeans. Unfortunately, a beach vacation wasn't quite what I was looking for.

Corsica biggest claim to fame, or perhaps infamy, is as the birthplace of Napoleon Bonaparte. You can see statues commemorating this favorite son all over the island and in the city. While we were in Ajaccio, we saw a Napoleon statue with him dressed in a toga similar to what a Holy Roman Emperor would wear. We also visited a playground which was supposedly where the young Napoleon used to play. There's also a bronze statue there commemorating Napoleon. Finally, we also saw the building in which Napoleon was born and his family lived. It was mildly interesting, but at the same time, do you want to be celebrating this place as the birthplace to one of the world's most hated men?

During our time in Corsica, as we weren't quite sure what else to do, we took a ship's tour of the island and it's surrounding. During the tour, we drove out of town to an area where we could see a string of islands just off the coast of Corsica. At the edge of the island itself sits a watch tower which was operated like any other watch tower back in the old days, as a lookout to help spot enemy fleets as they approached the island. It was an intersting spot that we wandered around for a little bit.


While this turned out to be a nice and lovely day, and the island has it's bright spots, it was also the least exciting stop on our cruise, and I'm not sure that I'd be thrilled to ever go back there again.