Are there keyboard shortcuts to access the desktop menu in Gnome or how can I create them?

Question

I would like to access the desktop menus for Applications, System, etc. via my keyboard instead of my mouse.

Edit: Ctrl + Alt + Tab only lets me choose amongst the windows I have opened. There is no option to choose the desktop menus. Nothing happens with Ctrl + Alt + Esc. (I've looked at various pages for gnome desktop shortcuts).

Answer 1

By default in my Gnome-under-Ubuntu installation:

• Alt + F1 pops the Applications menu open (then the four arrow keys to navigate).
• Alt + F2 pops up the Run Application dialog.

And I've bound Alt + F3 to open up a terminal.