I set out to visit Cannes, home of the Cannes Film Festival. Whenever I think of this town or the film festival, my mind automatically goes to Vincent Chase and the episode of him and his entourage in Cannes. Secretly hoping to see him (or the actor who plays him in Entourage), I walked the six blocks straight up hill to the Gare de Nice Ville to get a train ticket to Cannes.
At one point, a young Russian couple came up to me asking for help in navigating the French screens on the ticket kiosk. Little did they know how much I was struggling to get my one ticket! I found the ticket kiosks do not take my credit card (no “chip”). They do not take more than 36 coins (dang, I was seriously trying to lighten my load of 5c and 10c coins). And they do not take bills. After a trip to the new stand and a trip to the patisserie, I finally had enough large coins to make my train ticket purchase.
Ticket in hand, I frantically ran down the stairs, under the tracks and up the stairs on the other side in hopes of not having to wait for a later train. Only to realize that the platform I needed was where I just was. Apparently, the bigger signs indicate how to get to connecting platforms, whereas the tiny signs indicate the platform itself. Either way, I made it onto the train. And to Cannes.
Cannes is shoe store heaven! Or hell. Depending on how you want to look at it. Every other store I passed was a shoe store. And not just any shoe store. The high end designer kind. Who drops 585€ on a pair of leopard print pumps?!? The rich and famous, that’s who. And around every corner is a shop catering to doggy fashion, grooming, or massage.
After a trip up and down the “commerce” street, I headed toward the beach and walked along the “high end commerce” street: the Boulevard de la Croisette. Louis Vuitton, Balenciaga, Bulgari, Dolce & Gabbana, among others. Instead of shopping, I admired this beautiful view of the Baie de Cannes:
In an effort to see more of the city, I reluctantly decided to get on the Cannes Cinema Tour (a mini train with dorky tourists snapping photos and wearing headphones listening to audio in their chosen language). It was a great way to see the town in a short period of time. It winds through the newer part of the town talking about the beaches, yachts, famous hotels, and famous people. The second half wound through the old part of the town with a quick history lesson about the town.
Left Cannes without seeing any famous people. It’s probably just as well that I didn’t. For tomorrow: rain and a trip to Monaco, the world’s second smallest country.