Too Much Luggage Yet Again!

All good things have to come to an end eventually and my holiday went far too quickly, which means I`m now back in the office at cruise.co.uk. and looking forward to winter!

Having a friend with an apartment in Cannes is a wonderful excuse to visit and this was my third trip. The weather was lovely, flights on time and lots of great food and wine. The apartment is set almost in the centre of the resort, up a steep hill so I had plenty of exercise too!

I bought a new, smaller, suitcase for the trip as the apartment has washing machine and a sunny balcony to dry clothes on.

Going to Cannes is not like going on Safari – there are shops and supermarkets that sell everything you can get back at home, so why would I need to take everything with me? I convinced myself, as did my two friends, that we would all take far less this year but still our suitcases were packed to bursting point,  far too full, so full that we had to book extra luggage on easyJet,  in anticipation of all the wonderful evenings out we girls were going to have ! The only thing is the idea of trotting up and down a steep hill in 3″ heels is not an option in Cannes – its flips flops or nothing for me, and I have been known to walk home barefoot on the odd occasion!

I packed carefully and rolled everything into neat little parcels – the case weighed 22kgs!

In reality I probably wore about one quarter of the things I packed, and the nights out became long, lazy days on the beach. I mean why do you need to take 30 pairs of knickers for a 10 day holiday when you spend most of your time on the beach in a swimsuit? Are 5 pairs of leggings, 3 pairs of trousers, numerous tops and 10 dresses really necessary ? NO! Then there are the toiletries, suntan lotion, hair straighteners and all the other things a girl  can`t live without during a week in the sun, and that’s without things to wear during the daytime!

Mind you I always manage to convince myself that the suitcase will be much lighter on the way home. The suntan lotion will be all used up, as will the toiletries, chocolate and all other goodies stowed away in the case, and that would be true except for shopping!!!!

Cannes is a shoppers paradise, full of shops of every description from designer boutiques and jewellery shops to market stalls and beach traders. Of course the designer shops are for window shopping only and it always amazes me that they are all always empty. Lots of security men and beautifully dressed assistants, but no one apparently buying anything ! There are ” normal ” shops too, and the market, which I love, but where did we shop this year ? – On the beach!

I first went to the South of France several years ago and remember bartering with the ” Lookie Lookie ” men on the beach for fake designer bags and all sorts or rubbish that you wonder why you bought it when you get home. So what did we all do – bought loads of stuff on the beach and had a fabulous time doing it, loads of laughs and far more fun than shopping in the baking heat of Cannes. We came home loaded with all sorts of beach dresses and coloured bags, even a purple watch that cost 5 euros!

The days on the beach turned into evenings when we would wander home and sit on the balcony , drinking wine and laughing about the days events. Most of the clothes stayed in their suitcases and we still had a great time. Were the bags lighter on the way home ? NO!

If anyone has any packing tips please let me know before next year !