Miles: 1070/0 (rest)
Cooridnates: +43° 33' 4.00", +7° 1' 17.69" (Cannes)
After crossing the mountains we reached Cannes late in the afternoon of Day 4. Cannes is a rest-stop of our journey, where we will spend 2 nights (we strongly recommend Hotel Le Cavendish). We left behind a world of peace and natural beauty and entered a babel of noise, big crowds and theatrical drama. Cannes: Playground of the rich; the seriously rich. It was the 1st time in the trip so far, that the Valkyrie was not turning heads. It was just another car among the many cruising the Croisette. In fact, even if you were driving an Aston Martin -and were say Danish- you would probably pass totaly unnoticed; unless it is gold-plated. Like the Saudi Ferrari that was the big hit at the Croisette. Or the pimped Mclaren SLR. Or the white drop-top Rolls. And that's only the cars.
We thought superyachts were the specialty of Monaco. Let's just say that the Principality has to put up a hell of a show tomorrow to surpass golden Cannes. We are talking four/five-deck, cruiseship-sized behemoths (the 130 footers were entry level). Never have we seen so much money thrown into the sea (even the chartered ones are at a rate of min EUR150-200k/wk).
To get the full vibe of the place picture this: platforms snaking around the marina(s); uniformed-staff-guarded superyachts on one side, parked auto exotica on the other, to ferry the guests around town (those who cannot afford a heli, that is); shuffling between the two, a constant stream of awestruck onlookers staring.
Once you leave the marina you enter the reknowned Croisette through the Palais du Festival. This is no place for agoraphobics. If you think Oxford Str on a sales Saturday or Super Paradise beach in August are busy, you must see La Croisette at night: packed streets, packed sidewalks (and they make them huge here), packed beaches, the air steeped in music, cigar smoke and perfume. Everyone is checking out everyone. It is the place to see and be seen. What we liked best are the dozens of blue chairs dotting the promenade, where the locals sit and enjoy the parading circus.
After a couple of hours of exposure in this arena, we felt dirty and consumed; we needed a shower and sensory isolation.
After a good night's sleep we were ready for more Cannes. What better way to spend the day than hitting the plage? In fact, the best way to see Cannes is from the sea. Indeed we spent a glorious day au plage du Festival along with thousands others...
After a couple of hours of exposure in this arena, we felt dirty and consumed; we needed a shower and sensory isolation.
After a good night's sleep we were ready for more Cannes. What better way to spend the day than hitting the plage? In fact, the best way to see Cannes is from the sea. Indeed we spent a glorious day au plage du Festival along with thousands others...
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