More random thoughts….
It was around this time twelve months ago that we were preparing for a Christmas cruise around the western Med. Pleasant though it was, we have no desire to repeat the experience; without wishing to display too many prejudices, it was akin to a hospital ship. One day we will be in a similar predicament but until we are we will choose to holiday elsewhere. This reminded me of Cannes where the ship moored at sea and we were ferried ashore; as we boarded the tender an ‘ambulance’ boat was approaching to collect one or more passengers.
I was quite taken by Cannes out of season when a walk the length of the seafront proved that all human life is there, many with a penchant for small snappy dogs bedecked in unlikely winter clothes. Our ship sat out of scale in the bay whilst at the other end of the nautical scale, these two paddled their way along the coast:
I couldn’t work out why they seemed so familiar and then I realised they remind me of Antony Gormley’s Another Place on Crosby Beach. Gormley is most famous for the Angel of the North but he has displayed other work in the North East. In 2003 he mounted an exhibition at the Gateshead Baltic entitled Domain Field: “Volunteers aged from two to eighty-five years were moulded in plaster by teams of specially trained staff. These moulds were then used to construct the individual DOMAIN sculptures by a process of welding the steel elements together inside each mould”. It occurs to me that I could have worked with some of these people – there were a handful I would have paid handsomely to be set in plaster, permanently:
northumbrian : light 
Not sure if a “like” is appropriate here 🙂 The notion of cruising fills me with horror. I’d have to deliberately get left behind at the first port. On the other hand I’m fascinated by these paddle boarding people and the raggedy effect you’ve got on there.
Very wise assessment – reminds me too much of Marty Feldman’s Lightning Tours – as soon as you arrive, it is time to move on 😦
I can just imagine Cannes in low season with all those primped and spoiled little dogs. I’m sure the sidewalks were peppered with their little turds. Cannes (and Nice) has a reputation for that.
Why am I not surprised and they are mostly not proper dogs at all…..except I was surprised to see one fine Irish Setter which I love and miss above all others…..I keep looking here: http://www.irishsetterrescue.co.uk/index.php
I like your comment about out of scale. We see these huge cruise ships in the harbour in Falmouth and they are completely out of scale, looking like huge blocks of flats out at sea. I hope you find a happier holiday next time. 🙂
I didn’t realise you suffered from this in Falmouth – imagine how awful they must look in the Venetian lagoon and the damage they must be inflicting.
I was in Bar Harbor, Maine, when one of these monster cruise ships arrived. The arrival of the small shuttle boats to the docks brought a seemingly constant stream of 70-80 year olds past where I was standing. I was taking some photos and trying to enjoy the summer sun. The comments were of two types: where is the bathroom, and, when do we eat. I”m not far from that age myself but I hope my priorities do not become so focused on such basic necessities. If you are in a place with beautiful things to see, take a look around.
Very accurately observed Neil – the dinner table conversations are similar with the added spice of ‘which cruises have you been on’ and ‘where are you cruising next’. Please save me from this end 🙂
I love traveling but have never been on a cruise…I’m too afraid of the cruise ship dysentery I hear of from others, as well as being too confined. The steel sculptures are fascinating.
I think your concerns are well founded – towards the end we came down with the ship’s cough which was bad enough.
Oh no! Well that’s it for me then; it’ll just be planes, trains or automobiles!